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Hi Victoria, it’s great Kimber gets such great exercise! Keep up the good work and keep giving her that time to run around 🙂 Sometimes though, running around isn’t always as stimulating enough for them ad we think. Some dogs actually need something more to satisfy their restless spirit and prey drive like a good game of tug to tire them out. Some dogs need this kind of satisfying play more than others do.
Also, Kimber may have separation anxiety when you leave. Make sure you are following leadership rules in the house ad a starting point.
You can start desensitizing her to you leaving also. Start your usual routine when you get ready to leave and put her where you usually do but only stay gone a min or two. Then come back and let her out. Greetings are mutual but I wouldn’t do any big hello’s or goodbyes. When you leave just ignore her and never make a big fuss saying good bye. When you come home you can give her a nice calm greeting but I wouldn’t make it a huge deal. Then next time you stay a little longer…then a little longer, until you can build up a duration of being gone for at least a half hour without her destroying anything. Usually the 1st half an hour is the worst for separation anxiety. So if you can get her over that first hump, it will help. Make sure she doesn’t have toys laying around the house on the regular and make sure you give her something that will last her a while like a Kong with something frozen in it that she really really likes to keep her occupied for a period of time. You want to leave her with someting she really really enjoys. If she has access to things around the house she will not have high value for something she always gets. Use the Kong or whatver she really likes only when you leave so it becomes a more high value to her than just a regular bone or something bland. Make it interesting and get creative if you have to.
She could also just be board. Which the above will help too giving her something to engage with. Leaving her with the same toy that she can’t satisfy herself with won’t due.
Following all the leadership rules especially with toys and affection will be really benificial. Sometimes we thing we are following affection rules but we don’t realize how often we can sometimes mindlessly touch our dogs. Especially if you are home with her and spend the most time with her she may be having anxiety being separated from you. If you deprive her just enough of the other things se might like or want such as things to chew on or kings or something of high value to her…..she will appreciate it that much more when you give it to her when you need her to engage with something other than your rug.
For now set her up for success and do pick up anything she can get ahold of.
If all else fails and it turns out to be just a housebreaking issue we can easilly correct that behavior. If it is in fact an anxiety or drive balance issue and we correct it without trouble shooting it can have unwanted side effects.
That is why we use the triangle to trouble shoot any issues we have with our dogs. Look at the pyramid again under self help. Start at the bottom going through one step at a time. You cant go wrong working your way fron the bottom layer up to the top. You can go wrong if you skip steps or do them out of order. Each layer is just as important as the next. Take a look again and if you have questions on how to use the triangle/pyramid to trouble shoot any problems let us know and we will gladly help you. If you learn to use the pyramid you should be able to figure out any problem you may have and why you have it and hopefully how to help it.
Keep us posted and remember we are here to help you! If you have any questions let us know! 🙂
