Separation Anxiety and Destructive behavior

[Annettethegrey]

Hi Everyone! I'm a new grey owner and I fell hard for my girl. She was suppose to be a foster, but as we know they really do fall into your heart quite quickly. We have been through a lot together since she arrived in heat, so that delayed spaying and adoptions for a month, then at that point I couldn't give her up as she's such a great dog. Her SA is pretty severe and I didn't realize it as I attempted to crate her in the beginning and she absolutely hated it/ was being destructive in the crate with blankets. At one point, I decided to let her loose in the house with the muzzle only and that seemed to be fine with no destructions, however she would whine and pace the house the whole time it appeared on the cameras. Lately she's started having accidents when I leave her, so I've decided to crate train her again and see if we could have a positive experience. I'm doing a lot of reading on Alone Training, as this seems to be extremely important and wish I had done this when I first got her, as it's still early we've been together 2 months now. So I've started by keeping her in the crate while I'm home doing things in and out of rooms so she seems to be calm. When she sees me she has no issues, it's when I'm out of sight and for a few seconds/ sometimes minutes she will start crying. It is heartbreaking to hear and I've been telling her "HEY" and standing there until she settles down, which helps but I know it's a process. I wanted to know if anyone has tried CBD oil to help with the process of SA? I'm interested in doing anything I can to help calm and alleviate her fears. She has been very spoiled because I take her everywhere. She's the best companion and I really want to continue to take her places, but I also want to know she will be safe home alone for a few hours if I go out with friends/grocery shopping/errands. It makes me anxious just thinking she's going to be crying so much. Thanks for any advice or suggestions! 

[HeyRunDog]

I think you've got to be hard and ignore her crying because at the moment you leave, she cries, you come back which is a result as far as she's concerned. You need to get her to trust and accept you that you are coming back no matter how long you leave her.

[greysmom]

Get the training booklet "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell.  It will walk you through the process of getting her comfortable staying alone.

You can *try* cbd, but don't expect too much.  Quality and the amount of cbd in any product varies wildly as there's no regulations or quality control.

Get a few Adaptil diffusers and possibly a collar to help her feel more comfortable at home.  There are also plenty of calming treats and potions out there avaiable over-the-counter which have a longer time of use than cbd. 

If she gets too destructive or might hurt herself, though, you need to talk with your vet about a trial of a prescription anti anxiety medication to help her get through this period of time while you work on her Alone Training.  It's NOT a quick fix - you still have to do the work with her - it just puts her brain in a state where it can accept reconditioning.

[MaryJane]

I'm not a fan of prescriptions but, if she gets destructive or very anxious, you might want to see if you can try Trazadone.  There are other meds but, this is relatively quick - starts to have some effect in about 2 hours and seems to last for about 12 - 16 hours.

[Annettethegrey]

Thanks everyone! The alone training has been going well and we are staying consistent with it. We also started obedience training to help get her use to commands. So it's a process but hopefully day by day will improve it.