Newly adopted Black lab

Question
Hi Kristin,
We just adopted a black lab around 2 years old from the Toronto humane society.  We adopted our last 3 dogs over the past 20 years from them.  Archie, the dog, has a wonderful disposition and is great with the family and when people are home.  We have found when we go out that he becomes quite anxious- we have not crated him as we put up a baby gate and a piece of wood so he could not get up to the living room.  Upon arrival all week we have found that Archie is quite clever and has managed to pull all barriers down.  I believe he is quite nervous to be on his own.  I am going back to work next week and think that trying the crate would help him.  He also likes to get up to the counter and eat whatever he can get his paws on.
When we rescued him from the pound he apparently had been there for a few weeks- he was found first, his owners came to get him and within a week was picked up again.  I am not sure if these problems he is having is because he was abandoned or if these are normal traits for labs.  Someone has put allot of work into training him - he really is a lovely dog.  We would appreciate your advise on these problems.
Thank you in advance,
Ann

Answer
This can happen with any breed,so isn't a problem with just labs.

I think he is either bored,or has seperation anxiety.Now if he's bored,the best way to deal with this is to give him a long walk before going our,or playing with him in the yard.Also using  a Kong toy,and stuffing cheese or treats in it will relieve boredom.Crating will also help.

Now if it's seperation anxiety you will notice things like,fast panting,and panicking before you go ect.Now this is a bit more tricking,and unlike a distructive/bored dog crating a dog like this will make it WORSE.Now what you can do with a dog like this is you can go to the local health food store and get a product called 'rescue remedy' and you put a few drops on a cracker or treat and it usually calms them right down.Now if this doesn't you may have to talk to your vet about putting him on medication,but only under a vet