Lucy was adopted from Fluffy Dog about three years ago. She was returned this past week by her owners because of potty training issues and separation anxiety. We have her on routine potty breaks and she goes just fine when outside. She does not even hint at trying to go indoors. We've been told that her owners did not kennel her during the day and came home to accidents. Lucy will absolutely be kenneled at our house. There has not been one accident.
We have a lab who is extremely anxious so we have experience in that department. Of course the best thing to fight that behavior is lots of exercise. In Lucy's case, she isn't very active so we've not had a problem. She will bark in her kennel for a while if left alone, but having another dog in a kennel next to her is helping. (The fireworks this weekend are not helpful though.) When dogs are bored, they act out. Today we played with the doggie puzzles. If you've never seen these, they're great. Dogs need to be mentally stimulated as well as physically. Check out the link:
http://www.nina-ottosson.com/
Whoever is approved to adopt Lucy should be prepared. She is not a turn-key dog, but no rescue dog is. There will be some work involved with her, but already I know she is on her way. Today we had her outside with my parents on the patio. We had a leash on her, but never needed to pick it up. She just relaxed under the table. She knows sit, come, down and will stop what she's doing if you scold her a little. Keeping her socialized will be a necessity.
