inside door digging

[aussie145]

I recently got a dog from the humane society. She is an awesome dog, easily trained, ready to listen and please, and loves people. She has become attached to me like you would not believe. The problem is when I am at class. I put her in my bedroom when I leave, for many reasons, and it's not a small room so I know she doesn't feel crowded. However I come home every day to find bits of carpet pulled up and scratches marks under the door. I have tried putting a towel under the door to save the carpet but she digs so hard she pulls the towel out.

She is a very sensitive dog , to both sound and emotion, so I am not going to use something that scares her away from the door. I already give her many things to do before I leave and I make sure that my leaving and returning are calm and unemotional, but she is still digging at my door! Any suggestions?

 

[Kat09Tails]

Crate, kennel, or a crate. There is a reason they exist.

 

[Maura]

Since you are not housebreaking her, but the problem is daytime management use a large crate. Some dogs fall to pieces in a small crate, even though it is properly sized. I find dogs that go nuts in a crate will be fine in a crate that is big enough for four of them, like a German Shepherd size crate for a Boston.

 

[aussie145]

She has a crate and I used it when I first brought her home. But when I got home she had dug at the crate, pulling her bed up, and she was making that panic whining sound and it seemed to get worse the more I used the crate. I don't really know too much about her past but I think that the enclosed space that she couldn't escape from upset her, she loves small spaces, like under my bed, but I think she panicked when she realized she couldn't get out. I could try it again on the weekend when I don't have to be gone for long periods of time, but is there something else I could try as well?

 

[lizzybeth727]

It sounds like she might have separation anxiety.... she is so upset by you leaving her alone that she does everything she can to get back to you. Obviously, using punishment (like scaring her away from the door) will only make the anxiety WAY worse. There are many things you can do, but I'd highly suggest getting the help of a behaviorist that can come to your home and evaluate the situation, then make good recommendations.