Lurcher SA i cannot reply to anyone as it keeps saying error occurred. Can someone help me with this

[Carol Lodge]

Good morning,
We have recently adopted a female 18 month old Lurcher from Battersea. She is a sweet, gentle girl but has severe separation anxiety. Any tips how to overcome this?
Thanks in advance

 

[JoanneF]

Hello and welcome. It would be helpful to know how severe it is, and what you do now. How long can she be left without getting stressed?

Are you able to even go out of the room without her following you?

 

[Carol Lodge]

Hello,
Thanks for your reply.
She follows me everywhere. I tried leaving her but within 30 secs she whines/pants etc. We put a tall stairgate across the kitchen doorframe and put her in the kitchen with he bed, food etc. I waited upstairs for 4 mins and in that time she had soiled herself and hurt her paws trying to escape.

 

[JoanneF]

Okay, that's helpful to know, and it's going to mean really small steps. I should also have asked, how long have you had her?

The first thing to remember though is that it's impossible to resolve anxiety while an animal is in a state of anxiety, because that anxiety is all-consuming and she has no head space to learn. If she gets anxious at, for example, 30 seconds you need to be back at 15 seconds. And, her SA is based on an emotion, not a behaviour she can control - she doesn't want to feel like this.

We have some helpful information here, please have a read and see if anything helps.

Separation anxiety

The Flitting Game linked there is going to be a good place for you to start.

Please do come back to us though if you have any questions or think anything doesn't fit.

 

[Carol Lodge]

Thank you.
Ill have a look at that link

 

[Carol Lodge]

Thank you.
Ill have a look at that link

From what we know about her from Battersea. She had been living in rescue kennels in Wales. Rehomed twice before arriving at Battersea. Very reactive towards other dogs, no history of SA. Poor girl has probably been abused/neglected. She's here to stay so i guess a lot of patience is needed. We have only had her a month so i understand its very early days but because we were told that she didnt have SA i just assumed she would be ok in that area.

 

[JoanneF]

A month is really, really early. So she will still be feeling very unsettled and highly vulnerable. It's also possible she was so shut down in kennels that her SA didn't show.

Some photos would be lovely if you have the time, and I hope you will keep us updated. We have several lurcher fans here.

 

[Carol Lodge]

I didnt think of that but it makes sense. Poor girl must have been very depressed. I guess its best i leave the training for a few months until she feels a bit more settled.[

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[Carol Lodge]

She wont sleep on her bed downstairs as she prefers the sofa! But she will sleep in her upstairs bed next to us in our bedroom. She's a funny little soul.

 

[JudyN]

Oh gosh she is gorgeous, I have pointy-dog withdrawal symptoms I second all the advice JoanneF has given. It can take a long time to overcome SA, but it's definitely a case of more haste, less speed.

 

[JoanneF]

She is a bonny lass.

For now, rather than training as such, I'd focus on bonding and making her feel more confident.

Have a look online for Leslie McDevitt's Pattern Games. Because the games follow a pattern that becomes predictable, she learns what to expect and that builds confidence.

Also, you mentioned she is fearful of other dogs - let her see that you will take care of dealing with them so she doesn't have to face her fears. Also good for bonding.

You might find something helpful here (sorry to overload you with loads of reading) -

Dog Reactivity

And, I'd strongly recommend rewarding her every time she looks at you, with either a treat, a toy, an ear rub or even a ”good girl”. The reward encourages her to check in with you regularly and again strengthens her engagement with you. Everything you do going forward is built on the foundation of engagement, if your dog isn't engaged with you, you won't get anywhere. And mixing up the reward adds the ”what will it be” factor, and makes the check-in more exciting.

 

[RGC]

Like you we took on a rescue just over four years ago having had two rescued whippets before. At first it was a nightmare. We were her third home and I was in despair for the first few months - separation anxiety in spades, throwing up in the car HOWEVER we decided to give her all the space and time that SHE needed. I had a lot of advice/reassurance from this forum. Mabel in now seven and three quarters, somewhat of a daddy’s girl and this Christmas she learnt how to sit (in exchange for a treat). Glad to know that your pointy face will be a permanent fixture. Good for you.

 

[RGC]

The whole purpose of my previous message was not to show off Mabel but to demonstrate that patience and allowing your new girl her time and space would turn her around. You’ve taken on this waif during the most depressing time of the year - dark mornings, drippy weather. Mabel came to us in late autumn - almost but not nearly as miserable. I had to walk her everywhere because the car caused her such anxiety leading to her throwing up. It was a miserable time but slowly she came around but it took two years to bond with me fully but only several months to accept my wife. We have been able to leave her for <3 hours but we’d let her have the run of the house with George (the cat, they’re great mates) and a few cardboard boxes containing a treat or two. It’s all working well but, by comparison with the situation when she first arrived, she’s a different whippet - happy and confident although she still legs it when I need to do her nails. What’s your adoptee’s name? She’s beautiful.

 

[JoanneF]

@Carol Lodge I'm making this response partly to see whether I can reply to the thread, even if you can't. You didn't try to put a link or anything in, did you? Please try one more time to see whether my response has somehow re-set the thread. I'll also open a private message conversation with you and Judy, so that if you still can't reply here, you can tell us more about the problem.