Bone to keep him busy...while out of his crate...
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Honestly, if he's doing all that ...he sounds too immature still to be out of his crate. There's no way I could leave my 8 month old pup out while we were gone. Same reason as you. A terror. 
Buying a bigger crate may be a better investment than the bones which get expensive ...and the things he chews up. Anything we name may only last an hour ...IF THAT ...if you have an aggressive chewer, and I'd fear them choking on it (not necessary the whole thing but even getting a big chunk off). My dog has choked more on chunks and needed me to remove it. Can't imagine if I wasn't there. The tough chewer bones they have at the pet stores work better but they're a lot more expensive, but I still wouldn't trust that to entertain your dog for more than an hour ...esp. after the 1st day. This is at least going off my experiences! edit: Here's what I was talking about: http://www.petco.com/product/9991/Nylab ... -Dogs.aspx |
| He hasn't slept in his crate at night since he was 4 months old...and he has absolutly done nothing at night...no accidents anything...yeah he still maybe immature...but at some point you have to trust them? other then eating my furniture there shouldn't be anything else that could harm him while he is out...and hey if he eats my old couch that gives me an excuss to get a new one right? lol....thanks for your advice...I will look for something that isn't destructable maybe? |
| I have just found a great toy/treat for my 2 OES. It is called the Everlasting Treat Ball. It is a rubber like ball with the top and bottom 1/3 missing. You then buy the Everlasting treats (cookies) that go into the top and bottom of the ball. They have 3 different flavors. My 4 year old girl can sometimes get the treat out and if I catch her, I put the cookie back into the ball. If I don't happen to see it, it still takes her quite a long time to actually eat the cookie. Right now, I only put one cookie in the ball and my dogs have been working on the same treats for over a day now. You can get it at PetsMart but it is a little pricey. I think $24 to $27 for the ball and 2 treats. Then the replacement treats (2 per package) are $9 at Petsmart. I just found a sight online that sells the large treat ball for $15.50 and the replacement treats for $4 and they are the exact same thing that you would buy at Petsmart. I have also put peanut butter in a Kong with a little of their dry food and freeze it. When it's frozen, it takes them longer to get all of the peanut butter out of it. Bully sticks are another long lasting treat but pricey as well unless you get them from CosCo
The website I found them on is PetGuys.com. Ellie loves her treat ball so much that it comes to bed with us and it has even made it into the pool when it didn't have the cookie in it. So far it has been a great purchase for us. I now have 2. |
www.bullysticks.com my boys are left on there own dreamer is only 8 months also the only thing they have done is get in the pantry and ate a box of milkbones including the box  |
Harley wrote: but at some point you have to trust them?
It really depends on the dog. My Maggie is an angel while we are home and all night long but if left alone while we are out, she gets really anxious, patrolling the windows, barking at noises, and is all stressed out when I get home. She's nearly 5 years old and for her, it is just better to keep her crated and/or in her secure doggie room (formerly the mudroom) when she's alone in the house. Doing that ensures that I come home to a happy, calm dog. If your dog is chewing furniture while you are gone, I would recommend getting a larger crate for him or finding a smaller space that you can doggy-proof. |
| Thank you for the website its worth trying out...Its not really an option for me Im not buying another crate...so we will just have to work through this stage and he will come out fine i think...trial and error...we will see i guess...thanks for the tips! |
Harley wrote: Thank you for the website its worth trying out...Its not really an option for me Im not buying another crate...so we will just have to work through this stage and he will come out fine i think...trial and error...we will see i guess...thanks for the tips!
Sorry but that sounds irresponsible to me. Trainers and vets have all told me dogs should be crated (or severely confined) until at least age two. Night time behavior and daytime behavior are seriously different things. What happens if your decides to chew on wires or something else that can cause them harm and no one is home to intervene? I am an emergency volunteer and I believe everyone who has a dog should have a crate for that dog in case of emergencies. If cost is the issue try craigslist or garage sales. Whenever I see a good condition crate I buy it - never know when you'll need it  |
| If anything, you could always get a doggie gate and confine them to a smaller place when you're not home. I do this for my dogs. My one year OES if left alone for too long will get on my desk chair and for some reason likes to chew on my pencils or pens. Doesn't eat them just chews them. I think she is just bored when I'm not home! I have caught her a few times and it is pretty darn funny when you see a dog standing on your desk. Thank goodness she is so cute. If I am gone and don't confine them to a smaller area, I just move the chair farther away from my desk.
The things we do for our dogs! |
| Exactly the things we do for our dogs...well you can have your opinions...I am choosing to try to let my dog out of the crate, its not a cost issue...and like i said previously there are no wired he can get at...there is absolutly nothign he can harm himself with...
but thanks for your advice as to which bone would be best to keep him busy... |
Each dog is going to handle their owner differently 
We have been incredibly lucky with Archie since getting him, I think it may have helped with me working three shifts so that it is only one week in three he was on his own during the day time for any length of time and this was never in his crate, in all that time we suffered one chewed drawer knob, he has always had plenty of nyla bones to chew on and the stuffed real bones, as well as the ubiquitous kong stuffed with peanut butter. This was from the age of 4 months until now 22 months - so I don't think there are any hard or fast rules so to speak, good luck with finding what works for you. |
| Our OES is 7 months old and we have also started to let him out of his crate for the last couple of weeks while we are gone out of the home. He has done great and it gives them a little bit of room to work off some energy while we are gone.
As for chewing wires - that could happen at anytime - day or night, if you are home or not and even after the age of 2. I don't think leaving him out of the crate is irresponsible at all!! |
Every dog is different, so just a couple of things to keep in mind. One, dogs can continue to teethe up until approx 8 months of age, so Harley might have some serious chewing in him yet.  Two, VPI insurance says that one of the most common claims their customers make is for foreign body obstructions in dogs and cats. Three, at 6 months old, Harley is similar to a toddler in human terms, so he is in essence, still sensing out his environment. For puppies, this usually involves fangs.
If he is chewing anything inappropriate, I would be hesitant to give him more freedom. JMHO Laurie and Oscar |
| Winnie is now 10.5 months old. She can chew a full size bully stick in 20 minute flat, a frozen Kong filled with treats and peanut butter in 5 minutes. Since she is still chewing on woodwork and walls when bored, I'm choosing to crate her when we're out. A bored puppy can be a bad puppy.
But, perhaps this is an abundance of caution. When my English Springer Spaniel pups were 6 months old, I thought they could go a half day without being crated. Had them in a sun room. They ate the loveseat, pillows and all.  And they looked so HAPPY when I got home at noon. |
My dogs are 11 years, 9 years & 4 years. They are kenneled anytime we are gone from home. None of them are the type that tries to "get into things". Especially the boys. Now Mariah will get into the food bins if the gate is left open. Yup! She's figured out how to push the lever on the bottom of the bin just enough to let a few kibble at a time drop out. An endless buffet she thinks!  We kennel them for their own safety. Our house is pretty much "puppy proofed" over the years. But I'd never forgive myself if they found a wire to chew on or something left out that they swallowed & choked on. As far as something that will last for chewing...............Nylabones. I buy them a dozen at a time from the catalog. Cheaper that way. They have flavored ones but my guys are totally satisfied with the plain flavor. |
| Jenny is 11.5 months and we still crate her at night and when we go out. My other two sheepies were fine at 1 year and had the run of the house, no chewing or accidents. Jenny is another story, for her protection as well as our house, I don't see her being able to run the house when we aren't there -- any time soon. She just likes to get into things that my other two never did. But of course, every dog is different. As far as bones, Jenny likes Busy Bones and large rawhide bones. |
| We never crated Baxter (now just over 9 mths old) and he has always had (near) run of the house.... (We just shut a few doors etc) He's not a furniture chewer, but he is a counter surfer extraordinaire. When we go out at night, he generally stays in and likes to just chew on a Lamb Chew and sleep, unless we've been tardy and have left some high value items such as glasses etc around for him to grab... During the day, if we're both working, he stays outside and again, generally sleeps. Mercifully, he hasn't started digging.... yet.... I know that crating definitely has it's very positive affect upon puppies, but we never really saw the need for it.... |
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