kwhite30

Lately I've been wanting to let Diesel be out of his crate and leave him gated in our bedroon. Especially when I'm just going to be gone for 15-20 minutes and he's passed out on the couch. He's passed that phase of chewing things but I worry. I have a camera on Rogue (weird I know but I like to make sure she's not crying or chewing anything in her crate) so I could set up one to watch him as well. He's almost 14 months now and he's perfectly fine in the whole house when I take Rogue out for walks. He's also really enjoyed being able to go lay in our bedroom during he day. I never used to let him and now when I'm taking a shower or doing something, I put Rogue in her crate and let Diesel go lay in the bedroom. He really seems to enjoy that. I'm just very paranoid. His crate is currently in our bedroom so it wouldn't be a huge change since that's where he's used to being. There's nothing he can get into in the bedroom and he can't jump the gate. I need opinions and advice on when is a good time or if there's ever a good time. I know it depends on the dogs but stories are nice to hear.

Thanks!

Edit to add: I forgot to mention Diesel from day 1 has never been crated at night when we're asleep. He's free to roam the bedroom and has always been good also when he HATED his crate as a baby he was gated in our bathroom for probably 2-3 months and was fine in there. Our bathroom is a decent size but obviously not as big as our bedroom.

Rosemary

As long as he's past the "chew on anything he can get ahold of" stage, he should be okay. I only left Ilka uncrated at 2 years because I needed the crate for Leo. When I leave the house, Leo is crated and Ilka and Lucky are babygated in my bedroom.

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kwhite30

I can't remember the last time he's chewed on something he wasn't allowed to. Rogue and Diesel each have their own crate and I won't take his down incase he wants to go in and for those times I need to be gone for a few hours. Was Ilka always okay out in the beginning?

tucknroll

Duke gets the run of the house while we aren't home, although he's currently on probation from that because we came home the other day to find he had gotten in to the kitchen garbage can... Also, Mila is crated


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kwhite30

How old was Duke when you let him have run of the house?

Rosemary

Ilka was about 18 months when I started letting her sleep uncrated at night, and she did chew a couple of things, but hasn't chewed anything (that I know of) since I've gotten Leo. Leo, on the other hand..... oh, lordy, what hasn't she chewed?

My husband keeps mentioning how he's looking forward to the day we can let Leo loose, and take the crate down. I keep reminding him that Lucky has decided he doesn't like Leo, and there is no way they can all three run loose together. Lucky and Leo will still need to be kept seperated if I can't supervise them.

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Jazi

Skoll is uncrated at night. He is about 3, but a recent rescue, and I only started trusting him after testing him a few hours at a time.

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kmbeach22

I don't even own a crate. Jasmine has free run of the house. I'm not opposed to crates though. I thought that I was for sure going to be purchasing a crate after rescuing her. I rescued her when she was 9 1/2 months old though. If I had gotten her when she was just a wee lil pup, I might not have gotten so lucky lol. Jasmine has a HUGE rubber bin full of toys that's tilted on its side so she can take what she wants. I'm also mindful of what I keep out in the house and where. I will say that I got pretty close to buying a crate or baby gates around Christmas. I think she thought the Christmas tree was a tree of "gifts" just for her hanging from the tree lol.

I say you never know until you try, but I think it also depends on what the worst case scenario would be for your dog. For example; Jasmine chews things and murders stuffed animals lol, but she doesn't eat the stuffing or eat what she chews, so worst case scenario she would chew something up. If I had a concern that she was chewing things and eating various things in the house, then she'd be in a crate.

tucknroll

Kwhite, he actually belonged to my SO before we started dating, and in their old house he would spend time in their small laundry room when he had to be left alone as a puppy. I believe sometime after he was potty trained he was put in the garage while alone; now he lives with me in our new house and we've been here since August, and I trust him completely (well previous incident not included lol) in the house alone where he has access to the living room, dining room and kitchen (we're firefighters so all of our room doors are shut when we aren't home).


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KoaRad

Koa was about 15 months when I started leaving him uncrated, I tested it for short periods and gradually got longer and longer. My house is an open floor plan so he has access to the kitchen/dining/living rooms when I'm not home (he has beds in living room). I close the doors to my bedrooms and bathroom, but I'm sure he'd be fine if I left them open - just fewer things for him to get into if he ever decided to be naughty!


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Amelia_

My adults are never crated; I 'puppy proofed'' the kitchen and separated it up with stair gates so they have a bit more space, but not free roam. Neither of mine are chewers though.

Aspen is crated while I'm out.

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millerdobes

Our dogs have usually been done with the chewing by a year and a half. We feed seperately mostly so I know how much they eat each day. Some elect to sleep in the crate though and we leave one up for each dog so that they have that choice.

Crates are a good thing if you have to travel long distances or if you ever have to keep the dog at the vet for surgery or immobile for a time. Dogs that don't know crates have a harder time knowing it's a safe place.

We still have a few that want to chew on a blanket but we redirect them and it is easily resolved. We don't leave trash cans without lids. That seems too tempting but they don't chew up anything and our home is doggie proof. Works for us.

Rednec_13

My girls is still crated when I leave. I have tired to leave her out a few times but every time I do I have to clean something up when I come home. She starts to pee in the house when left free. She will jump on the kitchen counter. It is just safer for me to put her in the crate. She has been like this since day one. When I 1st got her we walked in the front yard for a few mins came back and she peed right at the door we left though. It is not that bad any more but still still can not be trusted to be left free. She is alittle over 2.

flaminscotch

Hi Kate!!!

My Dear, let the poor lad out.
You know Diesel is so good.
Try shorter periods at first. Perhaps a puppy gate in the kitchen.
May as well get Diesel all set, before you know it baby Rogue will be needing her free time too. They grow so fast.

BTW, we need pictures!!!

Sending love, and many kisses for the babies.

Sam1491

I got mabel at 9 months old, and she was out of the chewing phase by about 13-14 months, I started out pretty much like everyone else, dog proofing a room/first floor and then starting with small chunks of time.

I only crate her now if I'll be gone longer than 4 hours or if I just happen to feel like they should be in crates, you kind of get a feel some days about if they'll be good lol.
(she's gated in the kitchen for anything from 6+ so if she really does need to go potty it's easy to clean).
If it's under 4 hours her and hannah are just left loose in the whole house, always with bones/beds/etc... and trash picked up and their crates are set up and open for them 24/7.

You have to have faith and start slow sounds like he's ready for the privilege.

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Toby'shuman

If Russell is sleeping with my son in his bedroom, Toby has free run of the living room as well as the dining room.

If I go out and Russell is outside (he loves being out there) then Toby has free run of the house. If Russell is inside, then he is down one end of the house with Toby the other, doors closed in between.

(I have to crate and rotate so my way of doing things is probably different from most).

I first let Toby stay out of his crate around 1 year old, both at night and when I went out, but as I have said, he is kept seperate from Russell and now even Reina (our new dog) simply to avoid any potential problems.

lolonurse

We have never ever crated any of our dogs, except at the very beginning, when they are totally new, and we put them in their crates at night to help in the housetraining process. They have crates, but as soon as they are reliably potty-trained, the doors come off the crates, and they are simply their "dens". When we begin to train them to be alone in the house (which is seldom, and very seldom more than 4 or 5 hours max), we simply begin with 30-45 seconds, increase to a minute or 2, then 3 or 4, then 5, then 10... they have toys, or a bone, and we always play music for them, from the time they are puppies, which they find soothing - so when we leave, we put on one of the music channels (or sometimes DogTV, or whatever). They "know" the voices from their regular shows, so it's familiar, which helps avoid any panic or anxiety. And we have always had multiple dogs, and they never got rowdy or destructive. I'm a big advocate of starting the teaching process very early - then it's just part of "how it is". (The few dogs I felt might have issues if left free access, we put a baby gate across the kitchen entrance, but that was only for a couple of times, then left it off. They learn fast.)

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brw1982

If he doesn't chew anything, I bet he'd be fine out by his age. I'd start small just to make sure and it probably wouldn't hurt to exercise him a little before you leave him out just in case he gets a little excited when he realizes you're gone and he's free.

Fiona has free run of the entire house and has for a couple years now; I can't remember exactly how old she was when I started leaving her out. But she's never chewed anything up unless it was right in front of me to get my attention. She let herself out of her crate a few times and even when she was a very little puppy she'd just climb up on the sofa and sleep until I got home.

Tali still has to be crated and she'll be 5 in May, but Tali will chew up and eat anything with stuffing if unsupervised. So I crate her in a 42" crate with a crate safe chew when I'm gone. She's a small girl so she can walk around, stretch, stand up fully, she can even lay flat on her side with her little legs kicked straight out and she still has room! So I know she's fine in there for a few hours at a time during the work day. Plus, she and Fiona can't be left out together unsupervised so it works out.

If Tali could be trusted uncrated I'd divide the house up so the could each have free roam in their half without being able to get to one another. I wish I could leave Tali out but it's for her own safety that she's crated. I've had nightmares of her having an obstruction. I just can't chance it with her.

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Odin's_Master

Odin and Skylos are not crated at night. Odin sleeps in the couch and Skylos is in the bed with us. If we are going to be gone for less then 2 hours we typically leave them out of their pen. But when we are gone to work they go in their 10x10 pen in the finished basement.


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Beaumont67

To my way of thinking, Diesel is totally ok to leave alone, and the added responsibility he absorbs is very good, while learning there are advantages for recongnizing the house/family rules.

Dear Amy was puppy crated on average for 1 hour/day, in first few months only.
By 4.5 months old...she had free reign in the whole house (max. 4 hours) uncrated alone.
- she just picked a leather couch or lazyboy chair to sleep on and wait for someone to return

Now puppy Kelly was raised without a crate and also free reign in the home, from 10 weeks old.
From day1 she has been supervised 24/7 (as Dad is retired) and any toy chewing is stoped before destruction follows.
Also in the first month plus:
- leather shoes, cotton blankets, antique spinning wheel wood & pillow chewing has been corrected, before bad habits set in more

Kelly is now 5 months old and over the last few months I will leave her unsupervised for 5-15 minutes daily, if I go outside.
Dogs are not allowed in Canadian building supply stores, so again she has to be left in my locked vehicle for 10-30 minutes, few times a week
- and she has learned to be good, waiting in the front seat
When I shower, we have a duvet folded in the hallway (aka dog bed) in front of the bathroom door.
Kelly just curles up and power naps till we go downstairs together.
I believe in giving dogs a window of time & opportunity, to prove themselves or not.
- all part of leaning, with minimum risk
A few month ago, I started crate training Kelly at our house reno construction site (Monday - Friday), since we only have the one cage.
She has free reign there to...and is accustomed to all the loud noises of different power tools & saws...they don`t fizz her one bit.
- my carpenter has never seen a dog that has zero fear of tools running
I believe the many diverse puppy experiences, out of a crate with fully open boundaries (earliest freedoms & or perks)...pays off, down the road.

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

Lori Z

Eli has had free run of the house since he was 14 months old. I work full time and have dog door so he can go to the bathroom.

pwncakesauce

I never crate Kaiser at night, but he only ever sleeps then.

When I shower and get ready in the morning, I'll sometimes shut him out of the bathroom, and he'll either go lay in my bed or go get a chew toy and set up camp somewhere. He's never gotten into anything.

At this point, I would probably trust him to be out and have the run of the house while I ran errands, but not for a full day of work/school. He's almost 2 now.

The main reason I crate him when I leave is so the cats can have some Dobe-free time!

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Jazi

That is why I have not tried leaving Skoll out in my room when I leave- only at night. My reason is that with the cat tree right next to both her loft (he's not allowed on the loft) and my top bunk (too high for dobernoses), she has plenty of places to escape and with her being a very LOUD cat, Saffron is guaranteed to wake me up if something DOES happen considering she wakes me up when he just decides to test and see if he can get away with poking her in the face (answer's no). If I'm not around I cannot hear the warning signs to separate them.

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kwhite30

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate all the advice.

We started yesterday morning. I left him 3 times for about 40 minutes each time. The last time was an hour. I had the camera set up on him and he did really well. The first time I swear he was just watching the tv the whole time. The second he just sprawled out on the bed and the third time I did panic some because I couldn't see him. Turns out he was sleeping on the floor haha He seems to really enjoy it. We'll stay at 30 minutes to an hour for now and see how it goes.

I'm going to make sure he does excersise and burn out some energy first so he doesn't get any ideas

Thanks again everyone. Hopefully he keeps up the good work and he can gain a little more freedom.

avianantics

Wheeler has full run of the house 24/7, whether we are here or not. Lola, however, is crated when we are away. She is good in the house and not generally a destructive sort, however, she is young, energetic and I'm not sure she wouldn't get into something if bored. Also, she and Wheeler play and wrestle and I am sure without supervision they would knock things over and just generally make a mess.

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