My 7 month blue heeler mix is very obedient and listens well. However when it's one for me to leave she senses that I am leaving. She gets ancy, very ancy. I leave her in the backyard if my roommate isn't home. While she's out there she consistently is finding something to get into. It's starting to become a tad bit destructive. When my roommate is home he has a 10 year old whippet that is super laid back and she tries to play with him but he's not playing back. I don't want to seperate them all he time but shes bugging him so bad to where he doesn't play anymore. What can I do about the anxiety prob and her over aggressive playing nature?
Side note: I rescued her from the pound a month ago. She was this very shy dog who has turned alpha really fast.
07-17-2013, 05:06 AM
McMegan
Hi Xena and Dad! Congratulations on the new addition to the family.
Okay, you have a couple things going on and we need a bit more information to really address them.
What kind of training does Xena have? Have you worked with a trainer in a private or group setting? What do you and Xena do to exercise? Play? What does she eat? Where does she sleep? How do you behave before you leave the house and when you return? What do you mean by "ancy" - what does this look like or what makes you think of the word "ancy" to describe her behavior right then?
Without knowing a lot of details, she could be developing some separation anxiety. Since dogs are very social animals, they are very uncomfortable being left alone so this sort of behavior is quite normal. Luckily there are excellent protocols for addressing it. Check out works by Patricia McConnell, Nicole Wilde, Jean Donaldson and Paul Owens on tips and techniques for teaching a dog to feel comfortable being left alone.
While she is in the backyard, what is the space like? Is she confined to a safe, clean kennel or run or does she have free range in the yard? Are there appropriate toys and chewing objects for her? How long, on average, is she alone in the yard? 7 month old puppies in general are very curious about everything and blue heelers are a very intelligent and active breed, so it's not surprising that she's starting to get into everything, but there are definitely some ways you can manage this by providing her with a safe and appropriate area in which to play and restricting her access to anything that could get her into trouble.
Regarding her interactions with the older dog: Other than "not playing", how does he respond to her? Does he give her signals to back off and give him space? Does she respect these or must he escalate? Have there been bites? Fights? Her play may not be so much aggressive as it is simply the awkward manners of a puppy. Most adult dogs are fairly tolerant of puppy behavior and will put up with a certain amount of harassment that they wouldn't accept from another adult dog. Most properly-socialized adults are also capable of correcting puppies without human intervention, if/when the puppy does cross the socially acceptable boundary. However, if you have concerns, the best method is "safety first". Keep interactions with the other dog short. If he seems overwhelmed, get him out of the situation and separate them. Allow them to be together only when she is calmer and respectful of his space. See if you can find Xena different playmates with more closely-matched energy levels. You could try enrolling in a puppy kindergarten class or beginning training class. Or engage her in a play session with you, first, and only allow her to play with the older dog when she is already partially tired out.
When you say "has turned alpha", what do you mean by that? What kind of behavior is she exhibiting that makes you feel that way? Certainly shelters are a very stressful situation for most dogs and many will respond by somewhat shutting down, having gone so far over their stress tolerance threshold that they simply can't handle it anymore. Almost like going into shock. Anyway, it's very normal for a dog to come out of her shell a bit more after a couple weeks (sometimes it takes months or even years).
