Hello, I'm new to the forum and desperate for some guidance.
My old dog had to be put down after battling dementia for years- her quality of life just wasn't there anymore. She was a border collie mix- very smart, very high energy. We overcame many issues together, including her storm phobia, mild separation anxiety, pulling, fear of men, etc.
I thought because I had some decent dog experience, I'd be completely fine getting another dog. After some time to think, and the encouragement of my family, I decided we'd get one. I found a sweet young mixed breed (they said golden x labrador, I think golden x newfie) up for adoption. I prepared for weeks for her to come, getting everything we needed. We went and saw her, and everyone in my family agreed on her.
Well, the day after we got her I suddenly felt so anxious and depressed. Like "what have I done? Why did we do this? Can I bring her back? Is she going to be okay?" etc. I looked it up and saw this is common and referred to as "puppy blues".
After talking it out and really thinking about it, I relaxed and all yesterday I was fine, up until I discovered she might have bad separation anxiety...
Some background on her- she was surrendered by her owner because he was taken away for months at a time. After that she went to a foster home with another dog. The other dog was dominant over my dog. They rarely ever left the dogs alone because they felt they weren't getting along well together. So, her foster dad worked from home and said she had been left alone maybe 1-2 hours, which I assume was probably only once. She lived there for about a month.
I've noticed she likes to follow you around the house. Sometimes if she's eating she will stop if you leave the kitchen. At first she got upset when individual people left, but is now okay with it if someone else is still there. However, we haven't had to leave her alone yet. Last night, we tried to leave for 5 minutes to see what would happen. She jumped against the door after we left, cried and barked. Then she went into the kitchen and jumped against the window, staring at us. When we came in she greeted us very enthusiastically, which we brushed off because we act like coming and going are no big deal (no hellos or goodbyes).
Well, obviously this discovery has really ramped up my anxiety because I'm worried about what to do. You read about separation anxiety in dogs and it can be really bad. She is much like the "velcro dogs" people speak of. She will get upset if you lock her in a room or lock her out of a room you are in as well.
My previous dog did have some anxiety, but if you tired her out and left the radio on she was usually fine. With this dog, her energy is totally different. I do make sure she is physically and mentally tired (i.e. you throw a treat on the ground and she's too tired to get it). However, there's like a secondary excitable energy that never goes away. If she gets excited by any stimuli, she's up again. I'm trying to teach her some patience and impulse control, but I'm worried. There is one day next week where she will have to be alone for an hour. What do I do...
I feel so overwhelmed, stressed and the need to escape. Then I feel guilty for feeling that way. It's an awful cycle. Please, help me :/
EDIT:
Some other info that might help.
She is 1 year old, spayed. I think she is a golden x newfie. I'd say she has a more medium-high energy, but she is very excitable no matter what.
We keep coming and going low-key.
We have been trying not to fuss over her much, as people say that can cause it.
She has chew toys, and she has to work for her food (stuffed kongs, mind games, etc).
She consistently gets a big walk incorporating fetch or "find it" in the morning. Usually, aside from the excitement, this keeps her pretty tired all day but we still take her for a midday and evening walk.
She has more anxiety about me leaving than other people. If my brother leaves, she relaxes quickly but apparently she made a fuss when he was here and I went to work.
My old dog had to be put down after battling dementia for years- her quality of life just wasn't there anymore. She was a border collie mix- very smart, very high energy. We overcame many issues together, including her storm phobia, mild separation anxiety, pulling, fear of men, etc.
I thought because I had some decent dog experience, I'd be completely fine getting another dog. After some time to think, and the encouragement of my family, I decided we'd get one. I found a sweet young mixed breed (they said golden x labrador, I think golden x newfie) up for adoption. I prepared for weeks for her to come, getting everything we needed. We went and saw her, and everyone in my family agreed on her.
Well, the day after we got her I suddenly felt so anxious and depressed. Like "what have I done? Why did we do this? Can I bring her back? Is she going to be okay?" etc. I looked it up and saw this is common and referred to as "puppy blues".
After talking it out and really thinking about it, I relaxed and all yesterday I was fine, up until I discovered she might have bad separation anxiety...
Some background on her- she was surrendered by her owner because he was taken away for months at a time. After that she went to a foster home with another dog. The other dog was dominant over my dog. They rarely ever left the dogs alone because they felt they weren't getting along well together. So, her foster dad worked from home and said she had been left alone maybe 1-2 hours, which I assume was probably only once. She lived there for about a month.
I've noticed she likes to follow you around the house. Sometimes if she's eating she will stop if you leave the kitchen. At first she got upset when individual people left, but is now okay with it if someone else is still there. However, we haven't had to leave her alone yet. Last night, we tried to leave for 5 minutes to see what would happen. She jumped against the door after we left, cried and barked. Then she went into the kitchen and jumped against the window, staring at us. When we came in she greeted us very enthusiastically, which we brushed off because we act like coming and going are no big deal (no hellos or goodbyes).
Well, obviously this discovery has really ramped up my anxiety because I'm worried about what to do. You read about separation anxiety in dogs and it can be really bad. She is much like the "velcro dogs" people speak of. She will get upset if you lock her in a room or lock her out of a room you are in as well.
My previous dog did have some anxiety, but if you tired her out and left the radio on she was usually fine. With this dog, her energy is totally different. I do make sure she is physically and mentally tired (i.e. you throw a treat on the ground and she's too tired to get it). However, there's like a secondary excitable energy that never goes away. If she gets excited by any stimuli, she's up again. I'm trying to teach her some patience and impulse control, but I'm worried. There is one day next week where she will have to be alone for an hour. What do I do...
I feel so overwhelmed, stressed and the need to escape. Then I feel guilty for feeling that way. It's an awful cycle. Please, help me :/
EDIT:
Some other info that might help.
She is 1 year old, spayed. I think she is a golden x newfie. I'd say she has a more medium-high energy, but she is very excitable no matter what.
We keep coming and going low-key.
We have been trying not to fuss over her much, as people say that can cause it.
She has chew toys, and she has to work for her food (stuffed kongs, mind games, etc).
She consistently gets a big walk incorporating fetch or "find it" in the morning. Usually, aside from the excitement, this keeps her pretty tired all day but we still take her for a midday and evening walk.
She has more anxiety about me leaving than other people. If my brother leaves, she relaxes quickly but apparently she made a fuss when he was here and I went to work.