Dog Community

Who confines their dog?

Posted : 11/6/2006 1:54:41 AM

I'm just curious as to what you guys do with your dogs when you're not at home. In the crate? In a dog room? Or do you trust them? Every once in a while, Tojo wrecks something while we're gone so I wanted to keep him crated, but DH doesn't like the idea. Lately I've just been keeping the place really really tidy and having a collection of special chew toys he only gets when we're gone and so far he hasn't wrecked anything.

corvus

Posted : 11/6/2006 2:01:15 AM

We have a good backyard and my dog seems to prefer to stay in it anyway. On the odd ocassion that she's got out, it either took her all afternoon to realise the gate was open, or she wandered once around the house, then meandered back into the backyard.

She is good at night and usually confined either to my room or our laundry with the other two dogs. No problems there. If it's raining, I might leave her inside, but confine her to one or two rooms. She's fine with that as long as she's had plenty of walks lately. If I haven't walked her in a while, she can get into things. [:'(]

k.m.a

Posted : 11/6/2006 2:27:29 AM

Jayda gets into everything. She chews on dustbunnies from cat hair, wires, and kitty litter treats. She also has a tendency to bark. Crating seems to help the barking thing, it makes me feel better about leaving her home alone so she doesnt hurt herself.

Orlando

Posted : 11/6/2006 4:03:07 AM

confining is very bad free roaming is good for the dog. i leave my dog to run around the house even when im not home, shes really fine

mondayblues

Posted : 11/6/2006 5:52:57 AM

The house is never left without anyone home, so even when I am not around, my grandparents or housekeepers are there. My dog is allowed to roam around the house, although she does limit herself to the family room and kitchen. However, if there are visitors, I put her in the "backyard" (it's more like a grassy courtyard actually) because they tend to not listen and overwhelm her with attention. I guess if nobody at all was home I would put her in the backyard just in case she might hurt herself in the house.

mrv

Posted : 11/6/2006 6:39:27 AM

Then you have never owned typical herding, working or terrier breeds. Confining them saves your home, your financial resources and maybe their lives. Please consider that what may have worked for your individual dog will not work for all dogs. Many dogs are turned into rescues and shelters because their owners did not believe in safe management strategies to keep the dogs confined because they felt is was inhumane. The dog looses its home, lets rethink that. Also, a confined (crated) dog is much easier to rescue in case of emergency.

glenmar

Posted : 11/6/2006 6:44:47 AM

mrv, THANK you. I've taken some rather nasty hits about crating my crew when I'm away but by golly I'm not going away and leave SIX german shepherds loose in the house....I kind of like having furniture to sit on. And even if no one got into anything.....they are safer in their crates.

spiritdogs

Posted : 11/6/2006 6:50:52 AM

My dogs are safely crated when they are pups or adolescents. So, they don't get to practice any destructive behaviors. After the second chewing period, and when they are mature (and after we have done our anti-countersurfing training) they have the run of the house. They get a lot of training, exercise, rides, walks, and stuff that keeps them busy, so when they are home alone, mostly they just sleep on the couches. They are: large hound mix, Aussie mix, Aussie, Yorkie.

dubilpie

Posted : 11/6/2006 7:05:19 AM

My dogs were crated while I was gone until I could trust them. They both have the run of the house now.

dasher

Posted : 11/6/2006 7:49:06 AM

Lille, our 12 year old lab used to have full run of the house. She was crate trained as a puppy, but as she became reliable, she was left out. However, it has come full circle as she has gotten older we now confine her to the dining room. She is incontinent and this keeps things eaiser in sense of damage control. Dasher is usually crated or confined in the dining room with Lille (now that he is older we trust him in the dining room [

]).

Firestorm

Posted : 11/6/2006 8:26:21 AM

Harley gets crated...no point in leaving him to his own devices. Its for his own safety as well as for rescue god forbid he needs to be rescued.

micksmom

Posted : 11/6/2006 8:26:34 AM

Well, considering Caleb is only 16 weeks old, he goes in his crate when we're not home and at night. If we're doing stuff during the day and can't keep an eye on him, he goes in an Xpen in the foyer area. Once he earns the priveledge (if he does), he'll be allowed free reign of the house 24/7.

houndlove

Posted : 11/6/2006 9:34:02 AM

Conrad is crated and after a very harrowing experience with Ibuprofin left out by accident, Marlowe has his own room that he stays in that doesn't have anything in it but his crate (open) and his toys. My goal is to get him crated again, but he does tend to bark in his crate and we live in a duplex, so the temporary solution is confinement in his room.

cyclefiend2000

Posted : 11/6/2006 9:51:49 AM

we crate both dogs now. i feel like amelia would be trustworthy in the house, but not sydney. we dont leave her uncrated though, mainly because we are afraid of how sydney would respond being that he would be crated and see amelia left free.

Prince_Pride

Posted : 11/6/2006 9:57:52 AM

Prince is gated in the washroom/mudroom area when we are at work or have to leave him at home. I trust that he wouldn't be destructive or get into anything if left full run of the house.....but he would mark every piece of furniture he could! [:'(]