I know little about Selma’s history. I was told that she needed socialization with other dogs and behavioral mods: particularly separation anxiety.

She was in another foster home for a while, but that separation anxiety caused her to eat someones house. Literally. Lots of damage, and it was a rented home. NOT good!

I’ve been working with her on being calm when I go out of her sight, then out of the house for a couple of minutes, now it’s time for a longer test.

Selma has done well when I leave the property with Selma in her outdoor kennel, even for several hours, but this is the first test with her inside the house with no people for around 15 minutes…

I think she did quite well. In fact she was more calm than Blondie and Callie, who got rowdy because Rebel was out running around in the yard while I repaired a hose. She was not completely alone: there were other dogs. I do not know if the House Destuctor episode included other dogs or if she was all by herself for that.

Selma is also calming down in her interaction with me. Usually, when I approach her she goes into a frenzy of happy activity, but recently she has been less … frantic, so I could pet her without endangering my fingers.

Once Rebel moves on I will be able to work with her more. Letting the two of them loose in the house is a mistake. And with all the rain and mud, working outdoors is not viable. But I do think she’s making progress. I want to get her more free-range in-home time.