HELP!! Rescue dogs with separation anxiety - crate training?

Hi I'm new here and desperately after some advice please

Slightly long explanation, so many apologies & thanks ahead for reading

We already have one rescue dog (Reuben, a lab X staffy) who we've had for 2 years. Reuben was classed as a stray, but had clearly been v.badly abused so it took approx 4-6 months to get his behaviour to resemble 'normal'. He has always suffered with severe separation anxiety, but it has improved to the point that it is now only a problem to leave him home alone - compared to everywhere indoors as well.

I'm now full time at home permanently so there isn't a great need for him to be left alone, but we have just today, adopted another dog (5 month 'cockapoo' - rescue again) both because Reuben is very dog/animal sociable so we felt that canine companionship would be nice for him, and also, for the first time in many years we have enough time to dedicate to a pup.

We have now found out that this young pup has severe separation anxiety aswell , although he is lovely in every other way - but we would really like to help both dogs work through this problem, which in turn will make life happier for them, and easier for us in the long run.

We haven't tried crate training with our first dog, but it has been recommended to us for helping the process, particularly as Reuben can be very destructive if left alone. We feel that now he has canine company, it might help the process for both of them, but I want to make sure that we tackle it correctly

** Reuben has always had copious amounts of exercise daily and is totally fab in every other way - it's just this one last issue we want to deal with **

Has anyone had any positive experience/advice/tips of using this method as part of the process of dealing with separation anxiety with more than one dog at a time? Sorry to be dippy about this, but this is the first time we've owned dogs with this type of problem.

Many thanks for reading and I really appreciate any advice any one could offer us

Just wanted to share my experience - I had a dog with severe SA. When he`d settled in and bonded with the other dogs ( after a few months) he was OK to be left with the other dogs.
We could never have left him totally alone but having a dog friend seemed enough for him.
So don`t despair - dogs change as they grow in confidence.

(eta - don`t know anything about crates as I`ve never used them).

Describe the behaviour that is exhibited by each/both dogs which leads you to believe they have SA.

Your new pup is probably just a bit insecure at the moment, very traumatic being in rescue etc.

Time is a great thing.

Also be interested to know where they sleep, how they behave when you are out and they are free running?

rune

i would agree with SB - tell us more about the actual SA - what happens, when does it happen, what does the dog do, what do you do, what have you tried so far?????

Interesting thread, as I have a 'rescue dog' with severe separation anxiety, but is wonderful in every other way. I believe that crate training has to start when they are still puppies. Ours has a real fear of anything resembling a cage or crate, which we quess is to do with her experience in the rescue centre. We were advised by the rescue to develop her confidence using toys and play things, which has helped, but she is still very afraid if we are out of her sight.

Thanks for all of your replies - it's much appreciated.

The pup has only come home with us today - so very early days, the information regarding his SA came from the rescue/previous owners. So far, he hasn't shown anything too bad at all, but the reason he was handed in was due to constant barking/howling whenever they went out, and they apparently couldn't ever leave the room without him following....but that doesn't mean much as I don't know how much the old owners understood puppy behaviour/needs/how young he was when they took him home/how they treated him etc. I'm just being cautious by asking you guys for advice due to what we've been through in the past when having 2 dogs with SA.

In regards to the older dog (Reuben), it is now mainly related to us going out of the house without him. He used to be super clingy in the home with me, but now is fine, often spending as much of the day in different rooms/outside as with us.

When we used to leave him, he'd shake, whine, bark/pant continually and destroy large amounts of the room he was in - we found we had to zone him as if left him the run of the house, he'd generally leave a trail of destruction & be incontinent throughout, but even then, he'd try to eat his way through 2 inch thick doors.

We have tried the build up process with an hour or more exercise free running on the beach/swimming etc before hand; putting on coats, shoes, bags, picking up keys etc to desensitize him, leaving the radio on etc...We tried adding a dog at an earlier stage (approx 18 months ago) but we quickly found that contrary to what we had been told, he was also highly destructive when left - over £400 worth of damage in under 30 mins between the two of them...!) Sooo that didn't work. In the end we tried housing them outdoors in a large, expensive kennel/run for the short periods of time when left, with walks provided during that time...again didn't work, lots of damage to the kennel and multiple complaints from neighbours. In the end the additional dog was returned to the rescue it came from as the problem had simply doubled!!

We have always ignored the stress symptoms - don't particularly believe that feeling sorry for him helps, so we don't apply affection when he shows such symptoms. We try to remain calm etc up until we go, and didn't make too much fuss upon returning.

He's great when out - very sociable, can get a bit excited with some dogs - whining from across the road - wanting to meet and greet, but is easily controlled/distracted/corrected. When meeting dogs he's pretty submissive and always friendly. Now has excellent recall on almost every occasion. When in or out he doesn't bark - only at the foxes if they come in the garden, but never at the door etc. He's very gentle with anyone - particularly the elderly and children with special needs - a bit of a gentle soul really. He'll chase rabbits & other peoples cats, clueless what to do when in front of them (thankfully), but will sunbathe with ours )

For the last year, I've been home full time as I now privately teach our children, so there has been little need to tackle it head on as we tend to go places together, dog in tow, or arrange dog-sitters (family/friends). Now we have the new addition, we'd like to try again, but don't want them to influence each other etc like with the previous dog.

I've never crated before - R has a very strong bite and I've been concerned he would panic and try and escape in our absence.

Hope that extra information helps. Thanks a lot for taking the trouble to read and reply

Have a look here to see if there is anything within that you have not considered or tried.

http://www.apbc.org.uk/system/files/...home_alone.pdf

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/separationanxiety.pdf

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/te...yhomealone.pdf

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002/sa.htm

http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB...00/PR00314.htm

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1556

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/3291

http://www.apdt.co.uk/documents/Homealone_000.pdf

Have you read these books?

I'll Be Home Soon y by Patricial McConell
Don’t Leave Me, by Nicola Wilde

Thanks so much for the advice and all the links - there are a number of things there I hadn't even thought of

It's great to know there is such a wealth of knowledge & support available on this forum.

Many thanks