blackcob
🖖
Daxy-dog has improved drastically with regards being left alone - when she arrived she couldn't so much as be in another room for five seconds before howling the house down - and can now be left for up to four hours without so much as a peep which I'm really pleased about as it's highly unlikely she'll ever be left longer than that. After a few initial accidents she's also now totally clean when left. 
However, it's clear she's still desperately unhappy about it. From what I hear from sitting in the next room (having slammed the door and pretended to go out) or leaving a dictaphone recording she spends the entire time trotting up and down the stairs, pacing to the kitchen window and back and just basically wandering around and whining a bit.
It doesn't seem to matter if we're gone for 15 minutes or two hours, the reaction is the same. As soon as we get back, after ten minutes of 'OMG YOU'RE HOOOOME!' she just crashes out and sleeps for hours, like she normally does in the afternoon if I'm home. She has a great big walk right before we leave her, always, so she's knackered and ready for a sleep - then she totally wears herself out by not settling until we're back.
The kitchen is dog-proofed with a stair gate and latches on the doors, has her bed in it (sprayed with DAP spray), a bazillion toys, telly on in the next room, chews and kongs stuffed with tasty things (even super-naughty cheese) and as many of my sweaty t-shirts as can be nicked from the washing pile to try and put her at ease.
What else can I try, or is it something that will just come with time? She's very seldom left, and usually only for an hour between me leaving and OH coming back from work, but I am feeling terribly guilty knowing that she's anxious the whole time.
In other news, she now recalls to a whistle 98% of the time and I even managed to call her off a rabbit yesterday (with a 30ft lead trailing behind, just in case
). I'm still not sure she'll ever be able to be let off completely but this means there's now several safe places she can run with a long line attached.
However, it's clear she's still desperately unhappy about it. From what I hear from sitting in the next room (having slammed the door and pretended to go out) or leaving a dictaphone recording she spends the entire time trotting up and down the stairs, pacing to the kitchen window and back and just basically wandering around and whining a bit.
It doesn't seem to matter if we're gone for 15 minutes or two hours, the reaction is the same. As soon as we get back, after ten minutes of 'OMG YOU'RE HOOOOME!' she just crashes out and sleeps for hours, like she normally does in the afternoon if I'm home. She has a great big walk right before we leave her, always, so she's knackered and ready for a sleep - then she totally wears herself out by not settling until we're back.
The kitchen is dog-proofed with a stair gate and latches on the doors, has her bed in it (sprayed with DAP spray), a bazillion toys, telly on in the next room, chews and kongs stuffed with tasty things (even super-naughty cheese) and as many of my sweaty t-shirts as can be nicked from the washing pile to try and put her at ease.
What else can I try, or is it something that will just come with time? She's very seldom left, and usually only for an hour between me leaving and OH coming back from work, but I am feeling terribly guilty knowing that she's anxious the whole time.
In other news, she now recalls to a whistle 98% of the time and I even managed to call her off a rabbit yesterday (with a 30ft lead trailing behind, just in case
). I'm still not sure she'll ever be able to be let off completely but this means there's now several safe places she can run with a long line attached. 
but I am liking the dictaphone idea! When I have had rescues (albeit that they were greyhounds and lurchers) some were like this initially but all got used to being left in their new home pretty quickly 
