[Asha0430]

Hello everyone,
I joined this forum to get some advice about a "2-3 year old" Border Collie that my boyfriend and I just rescued a week ago. We were told that he was hit by a car a month ago and had a bad back. They fixed him up and he is in the process of recovering from that as well as gaining weight- he's very skinny.
We adopted him because he was so polite, quiet, sweet, and friendly. So we brought "Remmy" home and, after a few days, came to the conclusion that he must have separation anxiety now that he has accustomed to us. Starting a few days after we got him, as soon as we get out the door, Remmy barks like mad. We crated him, and he completely destroyed the bed inside his crate and everything he was able to drag into it- (my clothes, a blanket, my yoga mat) before BREAKING his way out of it. He won't play with toys no matter how hard we try. He won't chew rawhide. The only thing he seems interested in besides human attention is squirrels. We take him on long walks like we were told to in order to help him gain his strength and stamina back. He seems tired - he sleeps all the time. We give him treats and he goes into the crate, lays down, seems fine - until we leave. He goes crazy as soon as he feels alone.
Does anyone have any experience with a dog like this? I've never had a dog that wouldn't play... He's very sweet otherwise, but he's making our life very stressful right now... I'm just hoping it'll get better with time?

 

[texasgal]

I'm sure you will get great advice here .. welcome to the forum.

 

[Red]

Hello, congrats on adopting your new boy

We adopted a BC x Springer Spaniel, and we too discovered he had separation anxiety...when he chewed his way through a door! So we turned to crate training him, only we didn't check out how to do it properly so at first he hated it and panicked in there, then we got some advice from this forum and read the http://www.dogforum.com/dog-training/crate-training-faq-3974/ and next time we did it right!

We did it all very slowly over a month or so and now, a year later, our dog is very happy in his crate and can be left happily for up to 5 hours. We started by leaving treats in the crate that Kasper would find, so he was constantly wandering in and out (if your dog is too scared to go *in* the crate, just reward him for looking, sniffing or going near it!).

Once Kasper was happy stepping in the crate, we began shutting him in there with us sat by the side feeding him treats, just for 30 seconds at first. We increased the time, and then increased the distance we were from the crate. We did this until Kasper would happily lay in his crate whilst we were in other rooms, showering etc. You can give your dog a Kong or similar whilst he's in there to keep him happy and busy if needed.

After that we started stepping outside, then going straight back in, letting him out and rewarding him. Very gradually we built up the time we went outside. We left a mobile phone by the crate so we could listen out for any distressed behaviour, but there never was any...if Remmy freaks out at any point, go back a few steps until he's comfortable again

As for the toy situation, just keep trying with as many different toys as you can...try a Kong with cream cheese or peanut butter in, an empty plastic bottle (label and lid removed) with kibble in, stuffed toys...some dogs just don't play though, but it might be he simply doesn't know how.

I hope this is helpful, good look with Remmy!

Red

 

[cac2109]

I agree that you should take some time to crate train him, and to work up to leaving him alone for longer periods of time.

Also, is there *any* food he really loves (peanut butter, cheese, etc)? My dog has separation anxiety and is crate trained, and every time I leave her alone I give her a frozen kong with her food + water inside, and a little peanut butter on the outside (peanut butter is crack to her). It distracts her when I leave and then she goes right to sleep after she finished (about 45-60 minutes later). This helps a lot because it is mentally stimulating and distracting. If he is food motivated at all, I'd definitely give it a shot.

I would also work on training. If he is already obedient, work on some tricks. Training will build your bond and his confidence, and border collies are very intelligent so they *need* to be mentally stimulated.

Also, how long have you had him? It sounds like you've only had this pup for a few days! Although he may be accustomed to you at this point, it definitely takes longer than that for a dog to adjust to a new home - especially a dog who has been traumatized as yours has. Give it time and be patient. I know this is hard - when I first got my dog (who also has separation anxiety), I was anxious the entire time I was apart from her and I wanted to cry every time I got home. It's very stressful, but it is manageable - you just have to find what works for you/him

Also, regarding the toys: when I first got Honey she didn't even look at toys. I would try to entice her, but she had no interest. I don't think she had ever played with toys before. After about a month she was a little more interested, and now if she wakes up before me, she takes out all of her stuffed animals and throws them up in the air or wrestles with them until I wake up. She's the toy queen...so that may take time, but don't be disheartened :thumbsup:

 

[Asha0430]

Thank you for the replies! We've been working with him and the crate and things have gotten much better. We also reinforced the frame with zip ties just in case... But we started feeding him in there, tossing treats in it, and having him sleep in it- and so far, so good! I'm hoping to do some obedience training with him or something as well. We'll pick up a Kong toy next time we're out and try that - I hope he learns to like toys!