I received into my rescue 2 weeks ago, an 8 month old male GSD, neutered before arrival and suffering from severe separation anxiety. Bear came from an abuse and neglect situation. He has panic attacks if he is kenneled or crated. He will actually try to chew through the chain link fence. In a crate he will tip it over in his effort to escape it. I use an X-large professional grade crate.

Using only what I have seen since he has been with me, His Volhard scores are: Prey 33 Pack 84 Fight 34 Flight 22. I know they are not generally accepted here at Leerburg, but it's all I have right now.

In spite of how he has lived his life, thus far, he is a very gentle and loving dog. I have worked with him to the point that he is OK with me out of his sight. He stresses a little in the mornings when I go to work, but does fine as long as he is with the Border Collies outside.

We are regularly working on training the sit, stay, down and sit/stay or down/stay. In a training session he is doing very well. We go for walks on leash around the farmstead and he is an easy walker. He likes to check things out on all sides of him, but does not pull hard on the leash. He is easily checked.

My issue with him is this: When I come home from work and pull up in the drive, he will totally disobey the stay command and climb over the gate to greet me. When he does this I do not say anything to him or pay any attention to him at all except to open the gate and let him back in. Once back inside the yard, I ask him to sit, down, and release before I pet him. When I come home from work, I am the only one there. My husband doesn't get home until later, so I don't have anyone that can be inside the yard with him to control the climbing over the gate.

Any suggestions?

How high/tall is the gate?

Maybe try a board, angled in towards the dogs area so he cannot see the top of the gate.

The gate is 48" high. Bear has to really work at climbing over it - he is not jumping.

I would try the board at an angle then. He would have to arch backwards to climb over something like that.
I have an escape artist here and after putting the boards in place, he does not even try to jump up anymore.

I will have to see what I can "manufacture" when I get home tonite. I have some old pallets I can cut up - just need to figure out how to attach it to the gate. I'm thinking that might work. I have also seen advertised something on the line of a pipe with a rod through it that is attached to the top of a fence or gate. When the dog gets up on it and tries to climb over, the pipe rolls and they fall back off the fence. I'll see what I can make the easiest.

Thank you for your suggestion.

Charlotte,
Is the rest of the fencing only 4 foot high as well? I know for the moment there are other issues you're trying to address, but imho 4 foot is not enough the contain a healthy driven GSD, especially if they so choose to investigate something or in this case come meet you. If it's only the gate get a taller gate, if it's the entire fence......ugh. Figure some other arrangements for the future, because it'll only be a matter of time before you come home......and no dog (you'll never know what happened)........or he's on the front step waiting if all goes well for him.
That being said; anxieties, you seem to know that small steps at a time is the way to deal with them. Can you try something like on the weekend (or when you're off work) you can drive the car off a ways and walk back home so you can be at the gate before he knows you're there? That way you'd be more able to control the situation as well as mark and reward in good time. I don't know how your buildings are arranged, but from there you can enter the yard do the good things (short and sweet) and walk into the house leaving him in the yard, in awhile walk out the front and to the gate, and repeat control, mark and reward, etc. Later on, go get your car, drive to the house and stop but don't get out, drive away and walk back, same thing again, blah blah. You get the idea, just more desensitizing to your coming and goings with increasing time frames as the days and weeks go on. And of course adjust this stuff as you deem appropriate.
I know it's probably a lame idea, sorry it's the best I can think of at the moment. Hope you can make something out of it.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Charlotte,
I also wanted to say, it sounds like you're doing really good things for the dog. He'll pay you back many times over!

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

 Quote: charlotte hall

I have also seen advertised something on the line of a pipe with a rod through it that is attached to the top of a fence or gate. When the dog gets up on it and tries to climb over, the pipe rolls and they fall back off the fence. I'll see what I can make the easiest.

Thank you for your suggestion.

Ohhhh, that stuff is great and I didn't even think about it. One of the guys that runs "cat" dogs here uses it and it is great stuff. His hounds are NEVER at my house anymore.....

What you are suggesting is exactly what I had to do to get him to accept my leaving to go to work.

I received him in on a Thursday while I was at work, so he hung out in my office. That night and the next morning it became real clear how severe his anxieties were. The next day, I again brought him to work with me because he could not tolerate my leaving. Then over the weekend, I worked at desensitizing him to my leaving. I would go out the gate, back in, go get in the van, get back out, you get the picture, each time giving him the "stay" command. Finally after 2 days of that he was able to just ignore me leaving.

This last weekend, I worked with him again, similarly, trying to desensitize him to my returning. This is a little harder with not being able to reinforce the "stay". But ..... I will persevere!

All of my fence is 4 ft. Most of my yard is on a side hill which makes it hard for the dogs to try to climb out on the slope or the downhill side since they are overcentered and unbalanced up next to the fence. My gate and a short stretch of fence is the only thing that is on the level.

I don't want to be a doomsayer.... but I just had a lady on our breed-specific forum post that her dog had been shot and killed by a neighbor because it got out of her yard while she was at work. If your dog can get out of your yard you could have a serious problem.

I also have a fence climber, I live in the city so I keep my dog in the house or on leash 100% of the time. If he were to get out it would be very bad (traffic, other dogs, animal control, angry neighbors, cats, etc etc etc)

Other than that I have to say that you did EXCELLENT work with this dog; separation anxiety can be extremely tough and most people would not touch a SA dog with a ten foot pole. VERY good work.

I am certain you will be able to desensitize him to your returning, by being first of all patient and persistent and also knowledgeable!

Once he settles in you will probably look back and be amazed at the changes in your dog.