We have had good results with rescue remedy, for dogs in storms and when we brought home a new, antisocial cat.
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Sheās beautiful! Congratulations and lucky her for landing with you. I second what @luvmyhackney said plus I always found helpful to walk a lot with them for the first period of time. It helps them decompress and to form a bond with the new owner
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Sheās gorgeous! Looks so sensitive and intelligent.
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Loved it! I opened this thread to see how things were going and that picture just smacked me in the face with gorgeous doggo right off the bat!
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I want to second (third?) the posters that recommend ignoring her quite a bit at first. For all the reasons already mentioned, but also because it can stave off her developing any more separation anxiety than she may already have. Get her used to being without attention 24/7āthis can cause short-term pain sometimes but results in a more confident dog long-term.
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How long was she at the breederās before coming to you?
I would not hesitate to use some herbal calming options and potentially stronger from the vet if she doesnāt settle down in the next day or so.
I had good experience with Rescue Remedy as well. The drops under the tongue were noticeable.
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She was at her breederās a week. They had their vet do a thorough check including bloodwork.
She was much better, and quieter, in her crate last night. I took her for a long walk and she was really good. She met a neighbor on our walk and was very friendly and well mannered. All good
Sheās very reactive at the front door. UPS came and she was very agitated for 20 seconds, then quit. Iām hoping thatās also a stress symptom that will ease.
Thanks so much for the responses. Iām ignoring her a lot today. Itās hard because sheās so darned soft and fluffy! But sheās a lot calmer.
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Sheās beautiful. I wish you the best of luck. Sometimes perfectly wonderful dogs are surrendered for no reason.
Apparently, Iām getting one of my foster cats back. The new adopter, just brought home a new dog this past weekend and has completely given up on the cat. Not to mention they didnāt follow any of the directions I gave them on feeding her meals instead of unlimited food, and putting her in a bathroom until she got to know them. The problem is catching the cat as sheās hiding somewhere and they donāt know where and have been unable to find her (other then mentioning she has been eating and using the litter box). Add a new dog to the mix and Iām sure sheās hiding somewhere in disgust.
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Best of luck with your beautiful girl! I also agree that space is key. Our most recent adoptee was 9 when we got her, and lived in a kennel her whole life. I will say it took her a lot longer to settle in than any of the others, who were younger. But now she is a total sweetheart.
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Firstly, Thank you for taking an older dog that needs a home.
I have had success with Composure. I had a dog that was terrified of fireworks and I would feed her 3-4 (she was 100lbs) on big holidays (4th of July, New Years, etc) and it got to the point where I could reduce the amount of chews I gave her and after a few holidays, she did not mind the fireworks at all.
They take about 30 mins to kick in and I feel that they allow the dog to think through the anxiety and see that they are not getting hurt or that the scary thing really is not that scary.
Last 4th of July, I did not have to dose her.
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I saw this today on fb and thought of your dog.
The Truth of A Hurting Dog. The Truth of You
A dog arrives before you, their past trailing behind them like a shadow. You do not know the places they have been, the hands that have shaped them, the moments that have made them shrink or swell with uncertainty. You know only thisāthey are here now.
And in this moment, you do not ask, What happened to you? You do not rush to fix, to soothe, to train away the marks life has left upon them. You do not meet them with expectation, nor do you force upon them the weight of your hopes.
You ask onlyāWho are you?
Not who I want you to be. Not who you were before the world made you afraid. Not what label you have been given, nor what diagnosis has been spoken over you. But who are you, in this moment, standing here before me?
And you do not fill the silence with answers of your own making.
You wait.
You let them tell you, not in words, but in the flicker of an ear, in the shift of weight from one foot to another. In the way they breathe when no one is watching, in the way their eyes measure the space between you and what is safe. In the moments between movement, in the stillness before choice, their truth begins to unfurlānot because you have asked it to, but because you have given it space to exist.
A traumatised dog does not come to you empty. They come carrying the echoes of all they have known, the lessons the world has taught them about fear, about hunger, about what it means to be seen. They are not waiting for you to fix them. They are waiting to know if you will see them as they are.
And this is where healing beginsānot with protocols or plans, not with strategies or solutions, but with a pause. With a moment of recognition. With the choice to stand before another being and let them tell you who they are before you ever decide what needs to change.
If you are patient, if you do not rush the answer, you will see something extraordinary. You will see a being not shaped by expectation but revealed through trust. You will see them emergeānot in the way you imagined, but in the way they were always meant to be.
And so, in that first meeting, in that first moment, let go of all the questions that pull you toward fixing. Ask only the one that matters.
Who are you?
And thenābe still. Wait. Listen.
The answer is already there.
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Beautifully said. Very appropriate for humans as well.
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And horses
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Following, as our newly adopted 7-year old (Lab/X) will be arriving on Monday, I believe
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Please tell her that I love her. What a beauty!
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Itās going to take her a while to realize sheās home, and not just another temporary foster. The day she realizes that sheās home for good I bet sheāll be much better.
One issue may be the change in water. That can really upset G.I. tracts.
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Just saw this thread. We have a mini and love the breed.
Any update on how sheās doing?
Unfortunately she jumped the fence around my back yard to get to me while I was in the barn. I returned her to the breeder. When I first met her and the breeder I explained my biggest concern was her getting out. Iām next to open fields, then hills, then mountains. Our understanding was that if she jumped the fence Iād return her.
She had become hyper attached to me, and very upset that I wasnāt right by her. I feel awful about it.
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Sorry, if a dog doesnāt fit, is better to let go, awful as we feel.
Maybe she will find someone that can stay with her all the time, if that is what she needs.
Many Aussies are known for being fence jumpers and very very attached, want to be sure their charges are ok every minute of the day.
Hope you now take care of yourself, 
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Some people just suck. 
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