Can anyone help please. We recently adopted a English Springer Spaniel from the Dogs Trust and he had been very mistreated. He has only been with us for 5 weeks but as settled very well considering. We only a few problems with him to which we are trying to address. Firstly we cannot leave him on his own and he follows us everywhere we go. If he is left for 2 mins he cries, barks and scratches the carpet even though he as the run of the house.We have tried to leave him in one room also with food, water and his favourite toy but no luck so far. We contacted the dogs trust and they made some suggestions but none have worked so far. Perhaps he just needs time. We also contacted the local Vets where he is registered and they have suggested a Labrado Bitch for a companion.
He also pulls on the lead very badly but when off he is normally very good. On occassion's when you call him he does not come back, only when he is good and ready. We know he as been mistreated and we have been told to be patient but I feel the longer it goes on the less chance we have of leaving him alone. Can anyone help or make any suggestions we could try.
Thank you.

Can you use a stairgate across a doorway initially so that he is a seperate room but can still see you and so doesn't feel abandoned. Once he has got his head round the idea that it is ok to be physically separated from you, then you could try closing the door for a minute and gradually building up from there.

Separation anxiety is very common in rescue dogs and there is no quick fix -it has to take time. You literally have to start with leaving the dog for one minute at most then adding a minute at a time and build it up. Also add gates indoors so he cannot follow you everywhere -if he cannot even bear to be alone in a room with you at home, there is no chance he will be able to cope with being totally alone in the house. Adding another dog would mean you would end up with two with the same problem as the second will only copy the first!

5 weeks is a very short time so I wouldn't be expecting miracles just yet. :) Lead walking -have you tried a head collar? They do take a bit of getting used to but really do work. As for recall, it's always difficult with a dog that hasn't had a good recall since puppyhood, as that is when the foundation is laid.  It's a question of practice practice, practice. Do not let him off if there are distractions -first he needs to learn that it is fun to come to you when there is nothing more interesting about and get him reliable, before making it more difficult. Call him frequently just to give him a treat or a play session and then let him go again, so he doesn't think being called always means being put back on the lead. Run away from him calling -few dogs can resist that. Don't call him if he is distracted, because the more he is called when he doesn't listen, the less he will listen.

Hi,

Thank you for this information it is very much appreciated. I never thought of a stairgate, but I think we will have to try this out and give it a go.

Hi,

Thank you so much for taking the time to suggest the stairgate. We will give it a try as we have got nothing to loose.

I agree with everything already said, it will take time, poor dog has finally found some people to love and care for him, of course he is going to panic and be upset when you leave him, he thinks at the moment that you may not come back and that he will lose those he depends on. As advertised already by Goldmali a few minutes at a time each day will gradually build up his tolerance.

You have a lot of work, done slowly and with patience :)

Toys will be no substitute or company at all, especially if he has never been toy orientated or had anyone play with him, you may as well leave him with a pile of bricks, play with him, show him what toys do, how they are fun and he will then learn to play with them and may do so on his own too, filled kongs or knuckle bones really are the best things to keep him occupied whilst you begin to separate yourself from him, he will understand the purpose immediately. :-) And just to re-iterate dog gates (Argos do them) keep a barrier but a dog does not feel cut off as they can still see through them and feel part of the family a wonderful tool for human and dog.

I always think it helps to see a diagram to help with training lead walking, so below is a link originally posted by Tohme on a previous thread: :-)

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/loose_leash_diagramed.doc

I can't believe that your vet just recommended you getting another dog, yes dogs love company and it may well be lovely in the future but you need to quite rightly help this dog with his issues, his trust, his worries and anxieties and he needs some training first another dog will not fix all of that, the dog needs you and a good bond with his owner first.

Very best of luck, no quick fixes I'm afraid, but it will all be worth it. :-)

Hi,

Thank you for this. This information is very much appreciated.
This site is new to me and I thank everybody for their information.

We love our Max very much and we just want him to be happy after such a bad start in life. I understand we both need to give him time to settle in and know that we love him.  It is nice to know there is help out there for us.

We will try all that as been recommened to us to help our Dog even more.

Thank you.

It could take months before he is properly settled in to the fact that he is in a forever home, so be patient. Stair gates, as already mentioned, are a good way to get him used to being left.

I have a young dog that is awful on recall, so much so that I only let her off where I know I can catch her if she doesn't return (fully enclosed field instead of woods) The rest of the time she is on a long line so that I still have full control. She can sniff around but can't run off. She is improving, but being a gundog the smells far outweigh any telling ;-) She wears a head collar on all normal walks and it does make a difference.

First of all congrats on your new dog! rescues come with baggage and as posts above say,it takes a bit of time,our two rescues didn't display too much anxiety,but my mum was saying the other day that my boy still has a bit of a sniffle when I go to work,(but then I know he has a bit of a sniffle if I have left something in the car,)Im sure your boy will calm down,I know that mine dont follow me about so much these days but they need to know where I am,just to check,which is why the baby gates are great.
We still have clingy dog days,but now only really when there are fireworks.
If you know your dog has been badly treated you tend to 'give in',and i am so guilty of this,but soon found out that if im not worried, my dogs wont be either,when they act so scared you rush to them and end up sending the wrong message,now I just go with the pat on the head saying 'its all ok' and try not to make a big deal out of whatever it is thats freaking them out at the time.
I think also routine really helps,its a security thing,he will learn that you are coming back and that home is a safe place whether you are in it or not,but as said before just takes time.
As for recall, we have all had my dog won't come back moments! mine especially as they are salukis we didn't stand much chance in the first place,but after nearly 8 years now I still call them to 'wait' when we are out not for any other reason than I want them to stop and look at me,which by some miracle they do.
Our best friends have a springer,they use a head collar always,im amazed at the strength she has to pull if its not on.
Good luck with your dog,love and patience always get you there in the end,
Ash.

Hi there

What a lucky dog to have found you!  I would try to forget that he has previously been mistreated.  I don't mean that you should be tough with him - but it doesn't help him at all for you to feel sorry for him.  He needs to feel confident in his new leader.

Secondly, on the recall front I am sure people will chime in with excellent advice on how to teach it - but here are a couple of tips which have been invaluable to me:

1.  Only call his name once (or twice if you think he might not have heard) - if you continue calling and he doesn't come then he is simply learning to ignore his name.
2.  Only call him when you are sure he will come back (ie; if he is on a long line, and if there aren't distractions like other dogs) - if you aren't sure, either wait until the distraction has gone (eg; ask the other dog owner to get hold of their own dog), or go up to him and retrieve him yourself.
3.  Call him, and when he looks up - squeak a squeaky toy & run away from him.  You can also try lying on the ground.  As long as the dog is paying attention to you - they will nearly always come to investigate - then make a huge fuss of him and give him a treat.
4.  When he does come back - don't grab at him (ever) - have him come for a fuss & a treat.  Put the lead on for a short while, then let him off again.
5.  Don't use a flexi-leash (they aren't very strong & the constant tension will encourage pulling) - use a long line (10m is good).  You can either hold on to the far end & practise recall by reeling him in when you call him.  Or you can drop it & stand on it if necessary to get hold of him later (by the way - much better to attach it to a harness - otherwise they can damage their necks)
6.  Remember - you are competing with the outside world and it's really fascinating.  It's your job to be even more fun & interesting (note - this will involve a certain amount of public humiliation as you run around with a furry toy, tossing it in the air & making excited noises).
7.  If during a walk he comes back to check in with you, give him lots of praise & a treat - then he will learn that coming to you is a good thing
8.  Even if you have spent 3 hours toiling through mud & rain to get him back - never tell him off. 
9.  Don't let him off if you are short of time - you can be sure he won't come back & you will get very frustrated

It might be worth conditioning him to a whistle - get some fantastic treats (eg; cubes & cheese), get a decent whistle & then at home give him a whistle (decide what his whistle will be - eg; 3 blasts), if he comes over, give him a treat.  You will be amazed at how fast he will catch on.  The only caveat is I would ALWAYS give him a high value treat when he comes to the whistle.  Follow the same rules above (ie; never use it unless you are sure he will come), and remember when you move outside the home/garden they almost go back to square one.

You can never be too patient or too persistent . . .

Good luck

Not all rescues "come with baggage." As a rescue co-ordinator I would say that MOST rescues don't. They just want to be loved.