seperation anxiety/destructive behaviour

Question
hi, I wrote a while back about my adopted 9-10 year old Tibetan terrier. I have had her 3 years now. After a 10 day stay in a kennel we no longer can have her roam the house when out (she chewed up the blinds, peed in bathroom etc.) so we have been doing what you said, has to earn everything and we fence off a part of our house for her (the hall) when we go out. today, we forgot to "fence" her in when we were gone no more than 15 min. in this amount of time she had half climbed on table and took cookies out of bag and peed in bathroom. What do we do?? It's been about 4 weeks now since we started "training" her. are we always going to have to confine her to a small space when gone? and what happens when we have to leave her at a kennel again? Some added info..after 2 years of having her, my other dog died, we moved to a house, I got married and had a baby. So, I know it must have all been unsettling for her.

Answer
Behavior modification takes TIME, it is not an instant fix.  You cannot "forget" to confine the dog or she will fall back into old patterns and you're back to square one.  One can't blame her for taking cookies out of a bag, dogs are scavengers.  If you DO have to confine her to small space while you are not at home (for the rest of her life), so what? This is a dog that has lived a tough life, who knows how many homes before yours.  She's a prime candidate for separation issues and may always be one.  I can't evaluate her personally so I can't give an informed opinion.  Go back to the protocol for treating separation.  There's more to it than simply "fencing the dog off".  I don't understand your apparent anxiety and stress, given the short amount of time the dog has been under treatment.  Calm, consistent leadership is what every dog requires.  I've taken dogs out of high kill shelters, whose backgrounds are totally unknown, and never had one incident of separation anxiety.  The dog I most recently introduced to my home was a rescue from a neglectful situation; she's been with me for 2-1/2 years and it's only in the past few months that I've allowed her full access to my home when I am gone.  NO BIG DEAL, so long as the dog has water, an interesting toy or two and a soft bed while you're away from home, she will feel more secure in a 'safe place' than free roaming your entire house.  This dog has been through a great deal in her life, including serious changes in YOUR life, and she seems to be doing quite well aside from this issue.