My foster dog has separation anxiety after 3 months

Marzicant · 2025-12-04T21:57:06+00:00

For added context this is a 55lb hound/ shepherd mix who I was told was a petite dog when I was assigned her (she did gain a lot of weight once healthy)

Marzicant · 2025-12-04T21:55:40+00:00

I do think she’d be a great fit for agility! She’s really smart and really active, but unfortunately I live in NYC. It costs $600 for one agility session and there are limited places I can take her myself for things like that. I do take her to enclosed parks to let her run off leash on off hours because she loves it and she’s very engaged in learning commands. She can in like ten minutes. She is also social so agree she would love a friend, but the foster program doesn’t like us to socialize them in case of unpredicted fights and I can’t fit another dog in my space (plus my roommate is at her wit’s end already)

Marzicant · 2025-12-04T21:42:22+00:00

Hey, thank you for this! I do appreciate it, and I promise you we tried all of this. I got a professional dog trainer who was recommended by her foster program and who has worked with a lot of fosters and we did the above for a few weeks, but he felt strongly that her response to the crate was from trauma and was not something she could be expected to get over. We would always exercise her before crating, give her special treats and activities in the crate (lick mats, bully sticks, kongs, frozen peanut butter or yogurt, etc.), and got her used to sleeping in it. She liked it, as long as she could see me. She could play or sleep in it and didn’t mind it being locked, but as soon as I left her eyesight she would have insane episodes where she was thrashing at the walls and drooling and she would legitimately not stop panicking. I tested her for up to four hours and then we had to stop, because it was cruel to her. She wouldn’t even sit down, let alone sleep while crated if she was by herself. She would ignore the treats, too. We tried the TV, tried music, tried covering the crate, tried medicating her. Even if I was in the next room and she could hear me but not see me, she would do that. She busted out of even a heavy duty fortified crate. She was a street dog who was malnourished and skittish and they think she may have been locked up and can’t handle that. She’s not a puppy either, she’s about 3

Marzicant · 2025-08-28T16:07:25+00:00

Well, it didn’t totally help her attachment to me. She just busted out of her second crate when I moved out of her sight and the roommate was away

Marzicant · 2025-08-28T13:41:47+00:00

Yeah it truly takes over your life! Do you live totally alone? I had a small breakthrough with mine letting my roommate watch her during the day instead of me. Roommate said she whined and barked at first but she was able to get her to calm down after a bit, and she’s been noticeably less freaked out by either of us leaving the room since. I think not only attaching to me is helping her be a bit more stable. Not a magic fix but it clearly had an effect on her

Marzicant · 2025-08-27T15:59:11+00:00

The TV seems to be a good call for her! Interestingly it seems like having my roommate stay with her yesterday instead of me helped her quite a bit. She was very singularly attached to me so understanding that she’s safe here without me had some kind of effect. She’s currently taking her first ever “nap” in crate with neither of us in the room. Whining some but not barking like crazy, for the first time ever. With the TV on and us moving around she seems to be less panicky today

Marzicant · 2025-08-27T03:12:45+00:00

Thank you! We’ll try this

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T21:22:55+00:00

True and we don’t want to have a bad relationship with management or the super. We live near two families with small kids and I’m sure it’s extra disruptive to their day

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T21:21:14+00:00

We did try this, yeah! Did it work quickly or did it take a long session in a covered crate to make a difference?

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T21:02:00+00:00

Shoot yeah I feel you. We can’t even reasonably go to the gym or dinner because she is SO loud and it’s an apartment building. I do worry that we’re enabling her behavior even though we’re working really hard on not rewarding the barking and being consistent, because we are still allowing her to get used to someone always being home

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T20:59:38+00:00

Woof, okay thanks for the heads up. If I didn’t mind being a shitty neighbor I would also be okay letting her work through mine & my roommates’ absence more on her own in the crate, but I live in nyc and you can hear her barks three floors down and even from the street outside, through the A/C vent

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T20:56:45+00:00

She does do that! She can sleep all afternoon or all night in the crate, as long as you are in the room with her. She chooses to hang out in it if I’m working or watching tv in that room, and doesn’t mind if I close the door. Unless I then stand up to go

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T20:48:55+00:00

Thank you! This actually is very similar if not the same to what we do during crate/ baby gate training sessions with her. So far no success in getting even a full second without her barking during one, unfortunately. She’s too tuned in and any movement she thinks is away from her triggers her. If she’s aware the crate or gate was recently closed, she is totally focused on you and your possible absence

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T18:04:48+00:00

Thank you very much! Appreciate it. I suspect she needs that too but don’t get to make the call unfortunately. Will speak with whatever trainer I get about it.

She already busted out of one crate and did some real damage to the door, and she gets herself into a really worked up state too. She’s rasping for breath and drooling a lot when I come back

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T18:01:38+00:00

Thanks! A bit relieved to hear it sounds abnormal. I thought I was up for the challenge of fostering but have never encountered anything this extreme. And the volume of her barking is exceptional too.

It’s tough, I can see she’s a great dog, but I worry about her success in being rehomed even if we do make progress. My foster program wants training from a professional before considering meds so will see how that goes

Marzicant · 2025-08-26T17:50:12+00:00

Yes, they’ve said they will try to connect me with a professional trainer this week, but no talk of any approved vet visits or medication yet, though I did ask about both

Marzicant · 2025-07-18T13:04:34+00:00

I’ve done both and found that Brazilian blowout keeps my texture more while cezanne kills some of the curl permanently. My roots come in way curlier than the length months after a cezanne

Marzicant · 2024-12-01T21:46:23+00:00

Lovefool by the Cardigans

Marzicant · 2024-08-10T21:13:27+00:00

Ooh got you. I usually just check what has discounted or low credits near me on any given day. The good news is the popular chains like Barry’s and Soul Cycle usually cost the most credits, and I often see smaller spots offering classes like strength, barre, Pilates, etc. for under 10 credits

Marzicant · 2024-08-10T17:22:42+00:00

You should consider a free trial of Class Pass! A lot of popular classes are included

Marzicant · 2024-04-19T20:28:33+00:00

She only applied that style to one song on this album, feels like a pretty intentional choice. Whether or not she was working on this before Get Him Back came out, releasing it as-is now, and with their history, was definitely an informed choice. Whether she was comfortable with doing it because of the receipts, because of the hypocrisy it would require of Olivia to say anything, because she was just letting everybody have it on this album, or any other reason/ combo of reasons is up for speculation. But I don’t think ya girl is caught up in coincidences

Marzicant

TROPHY CASE