# Where do you keep your dog(s) during the day?



## Stephen (Sep 11, 2007)

For those of you who have to leave your dogs for 9 hours a day to go to your day job, where do they stay? Do they have free roam of the house at all times? Are they in the garage? Barricaded in the kitchen? etc.

I keep mine in a spare bedroom that we have dubbed the dog room. Their beds, food bowls, water, and toys are all there. The carpet is also pretty nasty, so I'm thinking about replacing it with something else. Thoughts on that?

Is it cruel to keep them confined to the room for that long?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

This happens to be a hot topic on another thread right now.

During mild weather, my two girls are in a 12'x18' chain link kennel run. During not-so-mild weather, they are in a spacious (though spartan) room with a tiled floor, water, some toys and - most important - each other. 

The most important single criteria is the safety of the dog. Some can be trusted with the run of the house when left alone. Molly cannot, and there is a high probability of her chewing up something that could hurt her and/or get me kicked out of my own house.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

During the housetraining period my dogs were confined to the laundry room...nice ceramic tile floor....easy to clean. After the housetraining (not just potty...also chewing/destructivenes, etc) they got the run of the house. No food but water is available 24/7.
The big issue for 9 hour stints is whether they can sleep while you're gone or will they be constantly interrupted by knocks on the door, the phone ringing, etc.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

Our dogs stay inside. The three bigs and one little have free roam of the house while the other three littles are kept in crates until the reactive big can be baby gated into his room for their romp time in the evening. No bones or food are left out unless I'm there to supervise. I work at home so they are let out a few times during the day in addition to their morning and night potty breaks.


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## chul3l3ies1126 (Aug 13, 2007)

Mine dont ever have to be left for more than 3 hours a day, but when they are left at home mine stay inside the house. They all have different places to stay. Guera and Jodie get the roam of the house and Bingo gets roam of the kitchen, living room and laundry room. Callahan gets my room and Jade gets the TV/Dog room. 

I found that it is really just what they prefer. When we are getting ready to go we just say "Go to your rooms" and they just disperse to their different places haha! It works out well for us. 

I'm a full time student and have shelter dogs that I need to tend to, but I am never far from home for long. My mom works from home so they always have someone there. Its a very convenient set up.
Nessa


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

It's difficult when you have to work long hours, isn't it??
I hadn't worked for about the past 8 years until hubby & I bought a business this past Sept, & since he works another full time job, it's basically me having to mind the business 9 hrs a day, 6 days a week - & I have a terrible guilt complex about being gone from home so much! My dogs, cats & birds are NOT used to it! So we're all adapting here! 

Fortunately, I'm able to take my youngest dog to work with me a lot. My oldest dog is just too nervous around all the customers & groom dogs & just doesn't like being in a new, unfamiliar place, he's just not happy being there, so I don't take him very often at all.

I do have a nice laundry room where they can stay, & I keep my youngest dog, DJs, large kennel in there. But, I just don't like the idea of them being cooped up in the house for more than a few hours at a time. Neither do I feel real comfortable leaving them outdoors in the dog run all day when I'm not home. 
So most days I leave George in the laundry room when I go to work in morning, then either me or my daughter who works with me comes home around lunch time & puts him in the dog run outdoors, where he's fine until I get home. I do the same with DJ on the days when I just can't take him to work with me for whatever reason.


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## craven.44 (Sep 10, 2008)

My dogs are not left alone for too long, some one is always in and out throughout the day. The dogs sleep in a huge crate (I could probably live in the thing. It is more like a small room than a crate.) and during the day they either run around the house (not upstairs tho, that is the cat's territory) or outside in the backyard. They actually prefer to be outside (unless someone is willing to snuggle inside) and will sit by the door asking to be let out. They sure can tear around the yard.


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## Sonn84 (Mar 29, 2008)

Doesn't matter if I am gone for a short or long period of time they all have free run of the house now except a couple of rooms are closed off. But now too long ago a few were crated or in pens while I was away for either destroying things or potty training but now they either sleep or play when I am not home.


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## All about Eva (Nov 22, 2008)

I have a puppy that is in a crate while we are gone. Due to house training of course. My golden can run the house after trash cans are picked up before we leave. My English Mastiff can be outside depending on weather and how long we are gone or can be inside. My poodle is a living terror while we are gone though. She will use the house as a toilet. But when I am home she never has an accident my vet said that can be a seperation thing.So in her crate she goes 

We are never gone more than a few hours though. We are very lucky with always having someone home.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

I researched this a LOT before I got a dog.. and this is what I do 5 days a week:

*B4 work:* 1.2-1.5 mile walk come back and crate dog (but leave her with water and 1c. dog kibble). Leave for work 6:10AM.

*After Work:* Go STRAIGHT home (no late work sessions w/o advance warning!) and get dog out about 4:20PM. Walk 2-3 miles (winter) or 3-5 miles (summer). Feed 2c. dog kibble and dog has her "quiet time" (not sure if dog needs it or if it so I can deal with cat boxes, feed cats, feed me, and do maintenance house work). 

After her "quiet time" I do some formal training (in winter in big room downstairs.. den with carpet) with dog and cats (ouside in summer). In summer if I have yard work to do I put her in her fenced in area while I do it (I push mow with a rotary mower over an acre of lawn in summer and also maintain flower gardens, window boxes and a vegetable garden). 

On work days it is to bed by 9:00PM in winter and when it is dark (9:30PM?) in the height of summer. dog has her own bed in the house by the front door. 

Weekends dog is with me and goes with me places unless I have to go to the store for food.. then she is home. No animals left in the car while I am in the grocery store!

Times when I have to be out of town or the day is exceptionally long, I either board her or I have a neighbor walk her. 

I would use her own 10X10X6 kennel.. but (even tho it is rural here) there have been dog thefts centered on GSD's.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

All my guys are 3 or under so we don't trust them in the house alone....there is also a huge size difference and breed difference...so for their safety and the safety of the house  my guys all go into their crates which they love (they go in w/the door open all the time to sleep when we are home)

.....but my pups are never home more then 5hrs in one stretch...if we need my MIL will come over to let them out and feed them 

I would love to have an outside run but I would be freaking out all day at work thinking about someone stealing them or letting them out....they are so trusting of people that they wouldn't even put up a fight


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## Sunshyne (Feb 5, 2008)

Chloe stays in her x-pen, which includes her crate inside of it, some toys, water bowl and Kongs. She has never climbed it, or even attempted to. When we come home, she just sits there nicely and waits for us to open the door. My basement is finished, heated, and has a slider to the outside, so it's down there in the old playroom. I didn't have the space upstairs for it.

When we're home, she's with us every second. 

I guess I'm lucky in regards to her not being a jumper! I actually bought some plastic garden fencing at Lowes, about 1 foot high, to put in my doorways upstairs instead of baby gates and never once has she attempted to go over it, in fact she stays about 2 feet away from it!


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## Mr Pooch (Jan 28, 2008)

Mine have free roam of the house except my room,this is when im not home or when i am.
I used to have a dog walker but nowdays i just walk the ten minutes to my mums,leave them there and pick em up after work.
Its always been that way and ive had zero problems.

People who do crate though,crate for a reason and thats fine,each circumstance is different.


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## Pickleisaminidaschi (Jun 25, 2008)

Pickle in the summer may stay outside just for a while with a garage to go in for naps. In the winter he may stay in my room acessing my bed with the TV on to confert him he may also stay in his crate. In the most part in the weekends or holiday brakes we spend the magoraty of the day in my bed asleep or napping somtimes we watch movies and go on adventures


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## blackrose (Oct 7, 2006)

Either outside in their kennels (Blackie and Rose have a 10'x20' kennel and Chloe has a 6'x20' kennel that is attached to theirs) or inside gated off in our back hallway, depending on the weather.


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

When I worked in an office, my two greyhounds stayed inside, babygated in my bedroom. Once I got married, my DH worked from home and now we both do, so it's a non-issue. When we both have to leave them, they have free reign of the house. One is crated for her saftey (she'll eat inappropriate things).


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

Mr Pooch said:


> I used to have a dog walker but nowdays i just walk the ten minutes to my mums,leave them there and pick em up after work.
> Its always been that way and ive had zero problems.


What an ideal situation!

You know, I think it may be about time to take the plunge & give DJ free roam of the house - keeping bedroom doors closed tho. He's 9 months old & well potty trained & I've never had a problem with him chewing on things he's not supposed to. 
Maybe I'll wait til after the holidays tho, after I take the Christmas tree down.


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## Taz Monkey (Sep 2, 2007)

Sage (6 year old lab mix) and Taz (3 year old golden retriever) have free roam of the downstairs. I have a baby gate up, and the cats have free roam of the entire house. Sydney (5 year old beagle mix) is crated because she will pee on the floor if she has to go and no one is there to let her out. I would never leave my dogs outside unattended. They don't even stay outside if I'm there.


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## Dakota Spirit (Jul 31, 2007)

Dakota has free roam of the house and has for a few years now. Like a few others though, she was gated into a secure room (Kitchen) or placed in an ex-pen during the puppy/potty training stage.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

I work from midnight to 8:00am, and take at least one of the Poodles with me, although now that I have the puppy, she accompanies me to work, and I alternate Maddy and Beau. Luc, the Shih Tzu stays home, in his crate. My daughter stops by early in the morning on her way to work, to let the dogs at home out to potty. The Shih Tzu goes out, the remaining Poodle usually lifts head, yawns, rolls over and goes back to sleep. The adult Poodles have freedom of the house, although they usually just stay in their crates until I come home. 

When I get home, it's run off the zoomies, breakfast, out for a long, fast paced walk, then home so I can go to bed. They all sleep with me, including the puppy.


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## sheltiemom (Mar 13, 2007)

My husband and I have odd schedules, so they are rarely alone for any length of time, but once or twice a week our schedules overlap anywhere from two to six hours. The bc is always crated because he is very destructive, the kind of dog who would eat the floor and walls if given the opportunity. He has eaten his crate pan, but he isn't strong enough to escape the crate. The puppy isn't destructive, but she pees in her crate and lay in it, so she is gated in the bathroom. Depending on how long I'll be gone, the shelties are given the bedroom or the downstairs.


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## SpiritSong (May 24, 2008)

Georgia goes to daycare three days a week, and for the other two days she is in the house with "free" range (we close all the doors upstairs and block off the office downstairs with gates). I assume she spends most of her time sleeping on the couch, and gets a visit from the dogwalker for some bladder relief and exercise.

I would take her to daycare five days a week (since believe it or not it costs the same as having the dogwalker visit for half an hour and Georgia loves daycare), but she gets too tired.

ETA: In the beginning, we tried to keep her confined to the kitchen (tile floor, glass door to outside to look out), but she jumped the gates. Now that she is doing so much better with housetraining, it works out fine (unless she gains access to the office or the spare room--she feels those are acceptable #2 deposit options--grrrr.)


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