Nala5

So we don’t get out much since we Nala We either hang out at home or if we do go somewhere we take her with us. I’m hoping now that she is a little over a year, that we can ease her in to a little more time alone. She is crate trained and likes to sleep in her crate (as long as we are there in the room) We do go to dinner/movie here and there and evenings seem to work better than the day. We make sure we take her for a good run/play session first and leave her some safe stuff to chew on.The day is a bit more difficult. During the week she goes to daycare so that works, but on the weekends if we leave for a couple hours she cries and I to admit I feel terrible, so lately if we are running errands we take her and with us in the car and often take turns staying with her in the car and then take her to a park in between for some fun for her. Ideally eventually I would like her to be comfortable staying in the downstairs area that is gated off so she could have more room but know that will be a process of leaving for like 10 minutes etc. and building on that. I’m not saying for the whole day or anything but just for a couple hours here and there… which brings me to my question. Where does your Dobe stay when you are out? If they are free in the house, at what age where they able to be free in the house alone? What are some dos and don’ts you have learned about leaving them?

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lestat1978

Ivan started out crated, then confined to a bedroom, then a bedroom and the hallway, and so on.

I don't remember a specific age, but Ivan was over a year old. Even now he'll occasionally move things. He loves taking my shoes, slippers and boots to bed with him when I'm gone.

It works best if I hide treats throughout the house for Ivan to find while I'm gone. I also leave him something to chew on.

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Canine Aided Emergency Search and Rescue (CAESAR)
http://www.caesarinc.org

ZeldaRules

Prime is 3 and is crated for the 8-9 hours I'm gone at school 5 days a week or when I'm away from the house. I'm living in someone else's home so none of my dogs get to stay outside of the crate unsupervised just incase they get a wild hair up their butt.

PatchworkRobot

My doberman (2 years old) and my other dog (18 moths) are both crated while I'm unable to watch them (so sleeping or gone) and this will continue until the day they leave my care. In my mind, it's just safer. If someone were to break in they would not get out the door, they are also unable to chew up anything - especially things that can be harmful to them and, therefore, I don't have to worry about coming home to a dog in need of on obstructions surgery or, worse, a dead dog.

The dogs get fantastic care and plenty of stimulation an exercise when I am home so I do not feel as if crating them is cruel.

They are usually crated for no more than 4 hours of a day but there have been some 8-10 hour days and they were fine.

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Odin's_Master

This is the 10x 10 pen I built for the dogs when we are gone. I built it in our un-used semi finished basement. It is usally full of toys dog beds and raw hides not tools lol. Photo was taken right after I built it. Odin and Skylos stay in here together.



I really didn't want to crate Odin because his preveous abusive owner crated him up to 18 hours a day, and Skylos has never responded well to crates. They love this room, they run in a lay down right when I open the door for them to go in. They are never locked up for more than 4 hours during the week, which is great!

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Beaumont67

Our Amy passed away at 11.7 years ago, end of summer 2012.
- she was so easy to train, because I build up her puupy confidence to be complete, balanced & a phenomenal human thinker..she became.
- enough in fact, to put her life on the line & submissed a larger dog, headed to maul my wife with teeth bites...at our local highschool track.

Old Amy can be seen here: Dobe Amy controlled off-leash, walking city streets..wmv - YouTube
- severe crate anxiety, cried at Vets for 16 hours straight, one night after surgury / no vacation without her, no kennel stay ever
- from 9 weeks old - NO crate while someone was home & had 100% of supervised home (including leather couch's) without permission &/or baby gates
- zero treat training, and I started to city walk her at 4.5 months old randomly...in only 2 months, walked formal off-leash down city main street
- at 4.5 months old, each family adult kissed her good-bye resting on the couch...when grownups left her behind
(a few hours later on human return, Amy had still left the contents of the house intact)

First time at 4.5 months old, we tried her alone and she was most fine (for a short period)...then it went to 4 hours max. alone...still ok.
- but Amy as a puppy was trained from day1 not to wreak stuffies, not chew pillows, etc...I soft bite trained her and stuffies were her babies
The early work paid off...but she knew what was expected of her...clearly.

Now we have a puppy, by the name of Kelly...at home is NO crate or baby gate(s)...and she is allowed free house reign with full adult direction.
- got baby girl at 9.5 weeks old...4 to 5 weeks later, she is adjusting perfectly and I will slip out to the garage for 15 minutes at a time...to test her
- and house stuff (valuables) always untouched, upon my return
^^^^ But this compliance and house manners, comes at a cost...Time & Effort.
- much love, guidance & constant supervision...that is exhausting, only in the very beginning.
Nala5 - I very much enjoyed your posted questions, and can only assume Nila is in great family hands...your words of dober love speaks out.

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------------Kelly & (Amy - RIP @ 11.7 y/o)

Sherryh

We got our female crate trained and she could be trusted a few hours alone. She has never chewed anything up .......thank God!! The only time I put her in the c rate is if some visits and they are afraid of her. Also when we eat she is crated because she is a beggar..........We work from home so she is always with someone.

If the dog is young up until 2 years old they should be crated for their own safety. I liked the area Odin's Master built in their basement...

Sherryh

If she is crying when you leave wind up a old clock and stick it in her cage this will make her think she is close to momma.........the dogs listen for a heart beat the ticking of the clock helps.

My4BadDogs

All my dogs are crate trained.

The Vizsla (10yo) and the Mali (8yo) are allowed free range of the house because they can be trusted, plus I like have them out patroling the house as an alarm.

The Chocolate (10yo) is a destructive chewer and will chew and eat anything when she left alone out of the crate for longer than 30 minutes. I crate trained her about a month after I rescued her (at 1yo) because she ate my wedding boutique off a high shelf and destroyed my living room. I assume it was from the anxiety of being left alone, but who knows, maybe she just likes wrecking stuff.

The Doberman I crate trained right from we I got her at 8 wks, and she is not to be trusted. She is only 8 months and still loves to chew.

They are all crate trained for their own protection and safety and my piece of mind. If I can't be with them, i don't want to have to be worried about them chewing and choking on something or dying.

Most of them choose to sleep in their crates at night because it is their "den" the doberman either sleeps in bed with us, or in her crate, locked.

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Shed Happens, Just Brush it Off

Nala5

Thank you for your responses. I wish I had something like what Odin and Skylos have - that's a great solution. For those that continue to use the crate, can you leave a bed in there without it being chewed? Nala use to not chew her bed but now I'm seeing signs of her doing so a little on the corners when left alone.

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Jazi

I can leave blankets in Skoll's crate without him destroying them. My next purchase (tomorrow or Sunday) is a cheap bed to see if he chews on it. If not I'll start saving for a nice doggy bed to keep him off of the hard crate floor. That says it seems he almost prefers it; he tends to push his blankets out of the way and sleep on the pan without.

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ddvv

my big dogs are in kennels (5x5) we built in the basement, when we are not home, and my yorkie is in a playpen.

ZeldaRules

Prime can only have a water bowl in his crate, he sucks and destroys bedding. My other dogs are fine with bedding.

PatchworkRobot

Dreizehn is okay with blankets and has about 5 of them. Bedding, however, he will destroy.

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My4BadDogs

The chocolate pushes her blanket into the corner and doesn't use it
The mali destroys all bedding, blankets or otherwise
The Doberman is ok with blankets although she chews/sucks on the corners. she destroys "fluffy" beds, she does ok with foam beds.
The Vizsla doesn't wreck anything and would sleep on a mountain of bedding and blankets if allowed

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Shed Happens, Just Brush it Off

CourtneyJ

Shannon was crate trained. We learned very quick that she hated the crate uncovered. Whined incessantly, when covered with a sheet not a sound.

She now has full roam of the house but when we arrive from being away she is always sleeping in her crate in our bedroom. In fact, I'd love to get rid of it but she seems to feel safe in it when we are not home. We havent had a need to lock her in the crate for years. At night she sleeps in her dog bed next to the crate in our bedroom.

There is a lot of good advice on DT for avoiding seperation anxiety. i.e. never give attention for a few minutes before you come or go. Never say goodbye. Dont' give treats, food, or anything the dog associates with something good right after you arrive. Lock the dog in other rooms even when you are home to get them used to being alone. We also did not allow her to sleep in our bedroom until she was older than 1. There are tons more. Shannon had it when she was a puppy and with the proper techniques it quickly went away. Good luck.

Brianne29

All dogs are crated when we're away (which is rarely for long), for their safety, and I've heard too many stories of dragons! The collie is fine with anything as far as blankets in her crate.

The dobe sucks blankets but only destroys them if they have a trim that's just too tempting.

The aussie will tear the stuffing out of beds, so she can only have blankets, and ones that aren't quilted.

Both of the big dogs regularly go into their crates to nap or chew bones when the doors are open, they seem to consider them their napping spots (as well appointed as they are, I wouldn't mind a nap in their myself). They go in without hesitation if I ask them to. The aussie is another matter. She has to be carried to the crate and doesn't generally go in recreationally, but she's fine once she's in.

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VZ-Doberman

Never leave them home alone. At the trials Bacchus has a Primo Pad, water bowl attached to the front of the crate, a toy/chewie and a blanket.

lulu582

I got Deacon at 2 yrs. He was crated for the first few months until I knew that he could be trusted unsupervised with my other 2 dogs, and I knew he wouldn't tear up the house. I would slowly leave him out for very short periods of time to test him, and continued to extend his time left out until I realized he was fine 8 hrs a day without messing up he house. He has free run of the entire house now with access outside via the doggy door so I don't feel so bad leaving them alone while I'm in school or working.


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blueberry

My male has freedom of the house...he is 4. My female has a large crate in the living room. She is almost 2 and a half. I can't leave them out together because they could have a scrap. He does not bother anything in the house. The only things he does is bark at animals on the TV and sometimes he will pull throw pillows off the couch and "shake them." I am starting to alternate them in the crate so she can get used to having freedom too.

Rambo_007

None of our dogs are crated when we are gone. Rambo started out crated but he now has our bedroom to his own. Rain and Maggie have the rest of the house. Rain our GSD was crated once, it turned out very poorly. He ate through the wire, destroyed the blinds on the window, and then preceded to go through the second story window. We have never crated him again and have had no issues. Maggie was adopted and had severe separation anxiety. She bloodied her mouth and paws every time she was put up. We separated her in the house and now have no issues with her loose. Rambo did fine being kenneled but our house isn't the largest and we weren't going to keep him kenneled in the same area as the other dogs were loose so we slowly transitioned him to our bedroom as being his day area. He just sleeps all snuggled in the blankets.
During nice weather we do rotate dogs outside when we are gone. On Rains good days he loves chilling on the patio and sunbathing all day, other days Rambo hangs outside and keeps the squirrels out of our yard .


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PorschaLei

Kratos isnt a fan of crates so we built a 6x10 ft kennel for him when he unattended if safer and since hes a mischievous boy


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Burns

Red has full access and is loose in the house along with our 3 cats when we are gone.

However he was crated trained as a puppy and was crated til he was about a year old. During that time, we tested the waters by leaving him in a gated room for increasing periods of time, and being out at night. We slowly gave him more and more freedom as he proved he could be left out without getting into trouble.

Not all dogs can handle the freedom of being loose without supervision, and still have to be crated as adults. It just depends on the individual dog.

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Gorrmae's Fantasy Red XIII CD RE CGC TDI
DOB 2/17/07, red/rust, male neutered Doberman

Rouleaux

Rouleaux is crated when I am not home. I can be out of the house depending on the day, for up to 10 hours at work. My boyfriend comes to let him out and to let him bounce around outside, but he is crated when he leaves.

I only leave a KONG bed in his crate. It is the only thing he hasn't wanted to suck the life out of or chew. He spills his water bowls, and I will often find a casualty (today it was a stuffed "oogly-eyed" frog) that he somehow pulled in from his toybox... I need to move that thing.

Lucky for him ANY free time I have in my week is DEDICATED to getting him out, social, exercised and happy! Not to mention tired.

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Beaker

My dogs are mostly crated when I am not at home. That said the hound I could leave out without worrying about a destroyed house. As long as I put Christmas cookies away and not on the counter

The doberman... not so much. She loves to chew things and recently I came home to a shredded shoe the last time I left her out. I can leave her out after our walk as I walk the other dog. She seems fine with that. Also we leave her out at a friends house to play with his dog and she does great there.

I have some old carpet scraps that I cut to size for their kennels. Anything like blankets or bedding gets ripped to shreds by the doberman.