My dog is destroying things when we leave her on he own, how do I fix this.

Question
We have a female Labrador cross with a ridgeback who is about 3.5 years old. She is a beautifully natured, playful and emotional dog but is causing a few problems. When we go out and leave her in the house
she is getting anxious and destroying things, when we return she goes into submissive mode, lowers her head, wont come to us and if I go over rolls onto her back. If  I have even come home and acted normal as if I am not upset, she still behaves like this, so she knows what she has done because she does not do this if she has not done anything wrong. I am having problems with how to correct this behavior. I have become firm and send her to her cushion, my wife thinks I am cruel and fusses over her. I admit that I have smacked her (not hard) on a about 3 occasions in the last 3 years, the last about 6 months ago; I went mad and scared her and chased her around the garden. Accusations of dog beater came from my wife, I have not done it since. I would appreciate it if you could give me a few pointers on how to correct this behavior.

Answer
Hi Christian, There are ways to work on separation anxiety, and I could go over them with you. But this destructive behavior has me quiet worried as I have seen it too many times. She could eventually hurt himself. There are meds the vet can put her on for separation anxiety, but I think training is the first choice. When you leave, do not make a big deal of it, just say "PROTECT (name) Good" and leave. When you come home, ignore her for a bit, then make her sit and pat her head. No big deal about coming or going. You will have to dog proof the home prior to leaving, as much as you can. You did not tell me how much or what she is getting into, and that does matter. Labs are loyal, and work hard, so they can be prone to separation anxiety, but they are very smart (same with the Ridgeback). Since she rolls over into submissive position, shows you that she realizes you are alpha dog, and you should ignore it and let her come to you when she is ready. Any time she does something wrong, show it to her and say, "This is NO", then immediately give her a bone or toy and say, "This is OK". I know that it is easy to get very frustrated, but forgive yourself and ask your wife's forgiveness for the few times you lost your temper. Dog's are very forgiving. If she kennels up, use a kennel when you go out, or use baby gates to keep her out of rooms that she can get into things. We train service/assistance and therapy dogs as well as doing obedience... Many times Lab crosses make some of the best service dogs because they are so willing to please. Spend time each day giving her a job to do. Do obedience training, play flyball, rally, agility or even just a game of catch or frisbee will help. If you can take her out for a walk or play time prior to leaving it will go a long way to help her get over being destructive. It really is a matter of turning the bad behavior into positive behavior. Please leave me some feedback, nominations if you wish, and keep me posted. The only way we can tell we are doing a good job as volunteers is by your feedback or reposting us. It is much easier to see results in our classes, and we can correct problems so much easier. So let me know how it goes with her as soon as you can. Thank you for writing. Regards, Susan