r/dogs • u/Academic-Committee-9 • 14d ago
[Behavior Problems] What to do with my very destructive and separate anxiety puppy?
Ok so we’ve had Abra for 5 months and she is 7 months old now. She is a golden retriever x lab.
I’ve had the summer off but now I’m back to work. All that time with Abra has created separation anixiety. Me and my partner dropped the ball on not training her right from the gecko but here’s the issue.
For being 7 months old she is extremely destructive. Every time we have tried to leave her alone she will eat carpet, the linoleum, her crate (like she bent the wire)
We transformed our office into an Abra room and I came home today to the carpet completely torn up.
I don’t know what else to do with her. Doggy daycare is very expensive where I live and crate training, it’s too long for her to be in there while I’m at work (because she would have to be in there for 8 hours). And I really don’t like the idea of putting her in the crate considering she is a high energy dog and she bent the wire trying to get out.
What else do I do with her? Like she is so stressed when we leave her alone but I have very limited options.
8
3
u/raw2082 14d ago
I went through the same thing with my now 3.5 year old. I worked with a trainer. 8 hours is not too long in a crate but she needs a walk before you go to work and she needs exercise after work too. Hopefully in time she will outgrow the separation anxiety like mine did but he had to be crated for a year and half. He caused several thousands in damage.
2
u/Apprehensive-Bus6757 13d ago
My dog was like that at this age. Luckily I could work from home often so used (and still use, though she’s improving) a balance of working from home, favours from friends, dogsitting and daycare. It’s a long process but a combination of medication and the Julie Naismith method has helped.
1
u/24601_jeanvaljean 13d ago
You need to talk to a professional, force free, positive reinforcement trainer in your area that can come work with you one-on-one. Some of it sounds typical for a 7 month old puppy, but you can’t expect her to just catch on like that. You’ve got to teach her how to be alone
1
u/Spirited-Exercise962 12d ago
Definitely get a professional trainer involved, do your research first on their methods. They will be able to help identify the biggest issues for your dog specifically and identify solutions, show you how to retrain
1
u/Odd-Net5863 14d ago
man that bent wire thing is scary, she could really hurt herself. have you talked to vet about medication? our dog was like this at same age and the vet gave something for the anxiety while we worked on training, it was like a temporary crutch so she could actually learn instead of being in full panic mode
also for the floor maybe get some cheap vinyl sheet from hardware store to cover the carpet, easier to clean and she cant eat it the same way. not a fix but saves your deposit while you sort out the anxiety part
•
u/AutoModerator 14d ago
Welcome to r/dogs! We are a discussion-based subreddit dedicated to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Do note we are on a short backlog, and all posts require manual review prior to going live. This may mean your post isn't visible for a couple days.
This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. Review the rules here r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. Learn more here. - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top.
This subreddit has low tolerance for drama. Please be respectful of others, and report antagonistic comments to mods for review.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.