Need help with new dog

I recently found and took in a dog, Sadie...she is about 9 months old and she is showing behavior problems that I never expierance with my other dogs. She seems to have separation anxiety when we leave her she goes thru house taking things and chewing them , so we got crate. Now when she is let outside with my other dogs she starts digging up my yard, I go out and point to area and say NO!! then next time she does it again. My other dogs are older and don't play with toys so she has all the toys (many)and she plays and chews on them all day. She is a little hyper at times, when I leave the room she will stop playing with toys and go take stuff off the table and chew it up, or drink out of my cup, don't know what to do with her. My husband and I go out of state a couple times a year and hirer a dog sitter to come a few times a day to take care of our dogs and cats, but I don't want to have her crated for hours before he comes . How do I get her to not need crate? Would fixing her help with any of these problems? Need advice....

Congrats on the new dog!

I think you are doing the right thing by using a kennel, and I wouldn't worry about leaving her unsupervised out of the kennel for a while. When the pet sitter comes, I would recommend you continue leaving her in the kennel when no one is home because with less interaction while you're away she will be even more likely to get into trouble. Could you consider leaving her at a boarding kennel and have the pet sitter check on the rest of your animals?

As far as help with the problems you mentioned, I'm thinking she just needs more structure and exercise in her life. Are you able to take her for a long walk every day? That could really help if you aren't already. You could also use a dog backpack to help burn even more energy, plus it makes the dog feel like she has a "job." Also start introducing some obedience training and teaching her new tricks. (And maybe you are already, I am not sure.) She might like to play with puzzle-type toys when left in her kennel. You could even feed all of her meals to her from those types of food-dispensing toys vs. a bowl. That way it works her mind, using up some pent-up mental energy.

I recently wrote a post about how to stop a dog from barking in the yard. Not the same as the digging problem, but some of the techniques to change the behavior are the same. How to Stop a Dog From Barking in the Yard

Hope that gives you something to brainstorm off of. I know it's frustrating, and it's hard to know where to start. So I'd say increase her exercise and look for ways to work on obedience a few minutes each day.

Congrats on the new dog, but I know the problems you mentioned can be frustrating.

I wouldn't worry about leaving her out of her kennel when unsupervised for now. Sounds like she will just get herself into trouble. Maybe she could stay at a boarding kennel when you travel? Although, most kennels will require her to be spayed. If you do end up leaving her with the pet sitter and your other animals, I would still recommend she be kenneled when unsupervised. Hopefully the pet sitter would be able to take her for some long walks and play with her every day in the yard. I think she'd get into trouble if left loose for that much time, at least at this point.

For her behavioral problems, two things could really help (if you're not doing these already). One, increase her exercise. Take her for a long walk every day, like at least an hour. You could use a dog backpack to help give her an additional job and burn up a little more energy. Then, begin teaching her more obedience work and trick training. This will get her to respect you better, and it will help form a bond while also working her mind. I wrote a post about tips to stop a dog from barking in the yard, and although that's not the same as digging in the yard, some of the same techniques can be applied. Here is the post: How to Stop a Dog From Barking in the Yard

Best of luck, and I hope you start to see some progress soon. It could be that she's still adjusting and just needs to fall into a routine.