Purple and Paws When I first brought Socks home, I braced myself for his bad side. Yes, he was cute and funny and loved to play with his toys, but I knew he had to have some annoying/destructive quirks. Luckily, he wasn’t into drinking from the toilet or getting into the trash or counter-surfing or finding dirty underwear and shoes to chew.
He didn’t like being left alone.
I discovered this on our second day. I told him I’d be home soon, patted his head, and went through the laundry room which led to the garage. After closing the door behind me and hitting the button to lift the garage door, I heard a noise. Turned around. Saw the handle moving. And then…the door opened. There stood Socks, looking pretty pleased with himself.
Oh, no, I thought. He can open doors? This is not good.
So I ushered Socks back inside and this time I locked the door. Heard the handle being moved again as I got in my car. But at least I knew he couldn’t escape with the door locked.
For the next four months, every time I went out without him, I had to lock the door. And every time, I watched the door handle jiggle as he tried desperately to follow.
And then a miracle happened.
I started to notice that he wasn’t jiggling the handle anymore.
During a short trip to the store one day, I decided to not lock the door this time. When I got home, the door was still closed with Socks waiting serenely behind it (just kidding, he’s always standing there with a smile on his face and tail wagging to greet me when I come home).
The point of this story is that a lot of dogs, especially adopted shelter dogs, have separation anxiety when they’re brought home. They haven’t settled yet, they’re not comfortable in the house, and just as they’re starting to get comfortable with you, you leave them all alone and you might not ever be coming back.
Just be patient and give your dog some time to adjust. If, after six months you’re still having problems, then it might be time to talk to your vet. But most dogs just need time to settle in.
It’s worth the wait, I promise.
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