Rescue disaster, please advice

[Ana1967]

I am new here so I hope I am in the right forum. Yesterday we got a dog from a local gs rescue. This is what little I know about her. She was left at the local shelter a few months ago. She was pulled from there by a group that provides veterans with companion dogs. The veteran that got her returned her to the pound. The pound called the gs rescue and they took her in had her spayed, treated her for an infection, etc. She is about 10 pounds underweight and has been eating puppy food to try to put weight on her. there she was in the pens with other rescues. I brought her home yesterday morning and she has been pacing, acting nervous, seems like she has been abused before, she cringes easily, very submissive.
Last night we went to bed and left her downstairs. My older son came in late last night and did not close the garage door all the way so Princess managed to go into the garage and lock herself in. This morning I got up and found her in the garage where she must have had panicked and tore up everything in sight. Of course I feel terrible about what happened but I am worried that she will do the same thing again this time inside the house. I don't know if what happened is an isolated incident or if she has major separation anxiety. Sorry this post is so long, I will appreciate any help with this.

[JakodaCD OA]

she may have major SA, but again, she is in a very new to her environment so that may be why she's so nervous.

I would definately NOT leave her loose in the house unattended, was she crate trained? if not, you might want to start working on that.

Why did the veteran return her? Maybe you can talk to the original group that rescued her, they may have some more info on her?

[Daisy&Lucky's Mom]

She might need a crate at night . It can help to have her in your room w/
a crate or upstairs in a crate or if she needs to be downstairs use a crate. That way she cant roam and destroy and she may feel more secure

[llombardo]

Take her for long walks, crate her, and start obedience school(for learning and socializing)..it might be a long journey, but well worth it...You have to imagine what she probably already has gone through in her life

[Ana1967]

Originally Posted by Daisy&Lucky's Mom

She might need a crate at night . It can help to have her in your room w/
a crate or upstairs in a crate or if she needs to be downstairs use a crate. That way she cant roam and destroy and she may feel more secure

I was told that the man had two dachshunds and they were terrorizing her until she snapped at one of them. That is what the rescue was told at the pound when she was returned. Sorry I did not include this earlier.

[RebelGSD]

It is not at all unusual that dogs that a shuffled around and very stressed out do damage around the house when left to their own devices. Crating is recommended for the safety of the house and the dog until they settle in and calm down in a new environment. Usually this behavior goes away within a few weeks. Very few dogs take these transitions easily and can do OK without crating.

[BowWowMeow]

Was she in a foster home or was she pulled straight from the pound?

Do you have a crate for her? It is always a good idea to crate train a new dog of any age, for their security. If you don't have a crate then perhaps there is a small room in which you can contain her?

Also, why not sleep her in your bedroom? That will help her bond to you and also help prevent something like this from happening again. She is obviously very insecure right now and needs lots of positive experiences. You would be amazed at how quickly they come around when given structure and positive reinforcement (and LOTS of yummy treats).

[Ana1967]

Originally Posted by BowWowMeow

Was she in a foster home or was she pulled straight from the pound?

Do you have a crate for her? It is always a good idea to crate train a new dog of any age, for their security. If you don't have a crate then perhaps there is a small room in which you can contain her?

Also, why not sleep her in your bedroom? That will help her bond to you and also help prevent something like this from happening again. She is obviously very insecure right now and needs lots of positive experiences. You would be amazed at how quickly they come around when given structure and positive reinforcement (and LOTS of yummy treats).

As far as I know she was pulled straight from the pound by the gs rescue. There she was with other gs dogs and not in a foster home. She was there a short time before I got her.

[Mac's Mom]

When you say "disaster" I hope you're talking about your garage not the dog, the overall situation or your decision to rescue . This can be worked out.

[muddypaw]

Originally Posted by llombardo

Take her for long walks, crate her, and start obedience school(for learning and socializing)..it might be a long journey, but well worth it...You have to imagine what she probably already has gone through in her life

I agree completely!