Anyway, here's the background. My SIL's friend had the dog since she was a puppy. She had to give the dog up, so my SIL agreed to take her. Lily(the dog) has separation anxiety. She had it before the move, so I know it's not stress from the change. My SIL and her oldest brother (retired) live with my mother in law, who has Alzheimer's. They care for her, so there is always somebody home. My SIL leaves for work at the ungodly hour of about 5am. One morning last week, she decided to leave Lily out of her crate when she left, thinking it would only be maybe 2 hours or so before someone got out of bed. Apparently in those 2 hours, Lily did a pretty good job of chewing at the door!
Lily also seems very restless and does not settle. My SIL takes her for several walks every day, including a 2-3 mile walk each day when she gets home from work. Another retired brother who lives close by stops in every other day and also takes her for a walk, so she gets plenty of exercise. She said even after coming home from a long walk, Lily will still continue to pace the floor and act restless. She said she can never even tell when Lily needs to got out to pee, because she is ALWAYS pacing.
Also, we noticed that her bottom front teeth appear really worn down. Her friend told her they were like that because of the anxiety chewing. I suggested various chew toys, but my SIL said she has no interest in them. Other than this behavior, she is a wonderful dog. She is friendly, she walks great on a leash, she likes to be brushed. Any suggestions on how to ease her anxiety and get her to lay down and relax?
