Alone for the first time
Lucy I got as a rescue and, from day one, has had full run of the house with no problems. As this puppy thing is new to me, am I doing the right thing by leaving Clyde for 20 minutes here and there and slowly leaving for longer and longer if we're successful? Has anyone else tried anything else that was successful-- particularly when there's more than one dog? I know that adds to the mischief possibilities! |
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Good boy Clyde!  I can't offer an opinion since I'm not there yet, but it seems like Lucy is setting a great example. |
YAY Clyde!!! That's how we did it also, increase the time gradually. I only had some minor problems and those were my husbands fault  |
| Brave Women!!!! it was a VERY long time before I left Tasker out of his crate. Now it's been a very long time since he's been in the crate. I think I waited til well past puppyhood to take the plunge. Good Luck. |
Yeah Clyde!! That's great! 
I've done the same thing with Beaureguard. I don't have another dog, but I do have two cats in the house and he loves to play chase with them. So, I was nervous that I'd come home to things crashed all over the place. But, so far, in his short forays into "freedom" while I'm gone, he's done okay. Oh yes, he did have an "accident" one time. But only the one and none since then (about two weeks ago). By the way, he'll be six months old next Friday 13th.  |
| Well done Clyde! Quincy was 9 months old before we started letting him have full run of the house, but he was never crated before that, just gated in the kitchen. When he hadn't chewed or had any accidents, we did the same thing you did, left him loose in the house for 15 minutes the first time, and then gradually increased the time from there. We closed some doors at first, and "puppy proofed" by making sure nothing was in his reach, but he never touched anything, so we were able to let him have full run.
However, I will say that it depends upon the dog. Oscar is a year old now, and there is NO WAY I would let him have full run of the house. He's much too active, and opportunistic when it comes to what he considers a toy. He will pass something a hundred times, with no response, and the hundred and first time, it becomes the greatest thing in the world to play with, destroy, etc. I think he will be gated in the kitchen for a looooong time! |
| It's great to hear that Clyde and Lucy did well out together, that they avoided mischief and no one was hurt.
Perhaps I'm just getting to be an alarmist overly protective old fart dad but I'm going to present a few thoughts in support of crating or at least X-penning your dogs when not home. Is the area you leave your dogs to roam truly babyproof, and remember that Bobtails have all the intelligence and inquisitiveness of a 3 year old combined with the size of a 10 year old and the strength of a 13-15 year old. So, are the countertops clear of all knives, tools, kettles, toasters etc to ensure they don't pull anything down on themselves; are cupboards fitted with heavy duty child locks, are door knobs such that they can't be opened and perhaps most important are you absolutely sure that they cannot reach any powercords that are plugged in? Tyr going around your home o all fours to get a "dogs-eye perspective". It is amaxing the potential dangers that they can find which we miss from our vantage point. Additionally dogs left alone can become extremely bored and if left out to roam often alleviate that boredom by exploring things that they would normally pass by and totally ignore. And almost all dogs especially young ones have a tendency to chew anything relatively soft including power cords. The other issue is that multiple dogs left alone can have pack order and territorial disputes which in some cases can become quite the fight. Even if the pack order is well established, a particularly dominant Alpha may impose his/her authority as a matter of routine re-inforcement. It is possible for fights and injuries to occur when left out unsupervised and if you are out for extended periods first aid is unavailable when needed. What about food and water issues or the sharing/hording of toys. Even if pack domination is not an issue what about the "chow hound" who will quickly eat his/her own food and water and then proceed to eat/drink from other bowls? Is somebody going to go short while you are away? When my family had our two afghans and I had Punk in my youth they were always crated when we went out and after they had all died I vowed to never crate a dog again. When Martin Zephram arrived he was not totally housebroken so crate training was recommended by his breeder. He was comfortable in his crate and it provided him with his own personal refuge so when we returned his travel crate the decision was made to buy a sleeping crate for him and crate him for bed and when we are out. When Virgil Tiberius arrived he was only 8 weeks old so crate training was needed to even start the housebreaking process. He got his own big crate too and as our pack has grown each has been given their own sleeping crate. Now with 4 large dogs, Virgil Tiberius being the self proclaimed and self enforced Alpha, the potential for problems when we are out or at night when sleeping is simply too great to leave any of them roam the house. The crates are seen as their own refuge and personal space and they often go in by themselves for a short nap or if one of them finds his brothers too boisterous. Farouk Bashir came to us at 12 weeks straight from the litter box. He took to his crate immediately! When it was bed time the first night we walked him up to our room - yes the master bedroom is bedroom to Michele and I and the 4 boys - and showed Farouk to his crate door. He stopped, looked in and then looked back at us and you could see in his eyes his thoughts "you mean this big crate is all just for ME!! Oh thankyou new mommy and daddy." From literally the first seconds he has loved his crate for sleeping and has never ever complained in the least about going to bed while we have been away. If you are totally confident in your home's safety and your dogs' behaviour when left to roam alone then by all means let them roam. But if there is any question as to safety, security or behavioural issues I stongly recommend the use of a crate or X-pen when you are not home. A few thoughts for review. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| I have to add that we are fortunate that I'm home with our pack all day. So that they aren't in crates unless we go somewhere (and where would we go to!?! It isn't fun if they don't allow dogs!)
At the most our boys have stayed 6 hours straight in a crate.....and that experience served Virgil well on his plane trip. We knew that he could handle being in the crate in flight until his "uncle and aunt" picked him up. I would have a hard time crating if our boys didn't love their beds. They are very comfortable in them and seem to feel safe there. best of luck with whatever you decide to do! |
| I do agree Carl and I'm certainly not going to consider leaving him alone for any period of time where there can be potential for trouble because, you are absolutely right, just the countertop stuff can be potentially dangerous for an inquisitive puppy! With us, food and water aren't a problem because we don't free feed and, due to Clyde's water compulsion (he'll drink and drink until he throws up every time we put it out-- it's not a health problem, we've had it checked out, he just loves water), we schedule waterings too.
Lucy has always been a very scheduled dog-- she only likes to eat and drink at certain times and she's always been completely trustworthy. I've NEVER seen her even try to get up on a counter, table or anything. I've left garbage, with food on top, in plain sight, out on several occasions (those days where I forgot to put it out at the curb on my way out) andd she doesn't touch it. When I first got her, I worried like crazy too, thinking, boy should I be leaving a dog out like this? Especially a rescue that I don't know that well? But it just seemed so natural for her that it seemed silly to do anything else. I should also mention at the time I worked a delivery job not far from home so for the first couple of weeks, I came home once every hour or two to check up on her. I really believe Lucy is a person trapped in a furry body
No, Clyde definitely won't be left alone for long periods of time for awhile and when I do try it for the first time, I'm hiding everything! |
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