Time Sensitive Advice Needed!

Question
Hi There. My sister called me last night and she is completely beside herself bc her fiance told her "we just can't keep the dog". The dog is almost 2 years old and she was badly abused; they have had her for about 7 months now. She is sweet but she destroys everything in site. They took her to obedience school and it didn't work; they were told that she may not be able to be trained bc of her abuse, that there is probably no hope. We live in Northern Florida and I have done research online trying to find someone that specializes in training for abused dogs... but I can't find anything. There is no SPCA in N.FL so if they can't keep her she will be put down! Please, do you have any information that could help us find a specialized trainer for her ASAP???? Thank you!

Answer
The dog is destructive NOT because she was abused; she's suffering from separation anxiety.  It is as much your sister's fault as anyone else's, but I don't really blame her.  Over bondng to a dog (especially one you think has been abused) is a normal reaction; people coddle the dog, often comfort the dog if it appears fearful, and generally set the dog up for emotional dependence which then turns into separation anxiety: destruction of objects, walls, windows, doors, all barriers to get the human back.  Whomever told your sister that this dog cannot be rehabilitated because she was abused IS AN IDIOT.  I've seen dogs come from situations where they were almost burned alive; beaten with sticks; fed to Pit Bulls; slammed against walls; shot...you name it, and they all rehabilitated and were wonderful dogs.  The domestic dog is an unusually forgiving species or it would not have survived as a companion  to humans.  Obedience school, first of all, (especially if it's run by a moron who made a statement like that!) is the worst place to go; coercive methods of training (choker collars, shouting, jerking) will decay any sense of trust a dog has in its owner.  Positive reinforcement training is the only way to go with any dog.  It builds trust and self confidence in the dog itself, something this dog does not have.

Your sister needs to do some homework and some heavy reading:  Patricia McConnell Ph.D. has written several books and addresses separation anxiety and positive reinforcement training; Karen Pryor's "Dont' Shoot the Dog" and her web site discuss problem behaviors and clicker training; Turid Rugaas has a book on reading dog's body language and a discussion of dog psychology.  The dog needs calm, consistent, patient, structured teaching.  She needs to be confined to an area where she will do the least amount of damage; if both these people work during the day, she needs a petsitter who can walk her for about an hour in the middle of each day; she needs to be assisted in developing emotional and psychological independence.

I don't know where in Northern Florida you live but I just found this site:
http://www.northfloridapaws.org/wst_page8.html

There's no excuse for this dog to be surrendered to a kill shelter for a dreadful, terrifying experience and a horrific death.  Between you and I, your sister should take a better look at this fiance: his lack of empathy will only get worse after marriage and will affect how he treats their children.  Tell her to stand her ground or she will regret it for the rest of her life.  Contact the above trainer; even if she isn't in your immediate area, you can travel to her, or she to you.