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I've had & trained dogs my whole life, have fostered dogs, & one of my current dogs was a shelter Rottie with initially severe seperation anxiety.
For the first 6 months or so, Daphne the Destructo-Rott had to be crated when we left the house, for her own safety, and because we didn't want to come back to a smoking pile of rubble instead of a house! Now she is completely trustworthy & has the run of the house with the others.
*TIME. A good rule of thumb - it takes about three months for a dog to settle in to a new living dynamic. Be patient.
*CRATE! Don't look at this as cruel - once your dog has adjusted & feels more secure, you can give him run of the house if you want. You will probably find that if you leave the crate door open, this is where he will choose to go for his down time.
*Training, routine, training, routine, consistency....as pointed out, a large component of a dog's security lies in his knowlege that he has an immutable place in your "pack." You can use positive training methods (for most dogs, especially soft or nervous ones, this works best) to let your new dog understand the rules. Dogs are little authoritarians, they like rules. :) If you don't provide them, he'll make up his own.
*Yes, do the calm leaving & coming back routine. It works. Refer to "TIME" - this all takes a bit of patience!
*EXERCISE. A tired dog is a happy dog. Make sure he gets exercise....even if it's just a short, intense 10 minute game of fetch in the house. Exercise his little lemon brain and his body!
*CHEWING distractions. Make you leaving + him going into the crate a positive thing. Dogs learn largely by association. Give him a frozen stuffed Kong, bully stick, raw beef shank bone, or some other safe chewing thing as you leave. (Not rawhides or toys which can be ingested.)
*Training part 2. It is a very, very rare dog who will not benefit from a well run, motivational group obedience class. I strongly suggest this. The trainer will be a font of knowlege on all things dog-related, and classes & larnin' do wonders for doggie confidence & socialising.
Dogs of any age can and do take basic obedience classes.
Finally - if you have a *good* doggie daycare (run by dog-savvy people) near you, that can be another confidence-builder for most dogs.
Good luck with your pupper!
Carina & the Spoiled-Rotten-Weiler crew.
posted by 69.246.6...
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