# Letting your dog loose in the house?



## loratliff (Feb 7, 2008)

My 14-month-old Brussels Griffon is crate-trained and likes his crate. He'll go in there to rest and generally is very comfortable there. However, he hates going in there when I leave. He doesn't whine or cry, but I can tell that it upsets him.

I'm beginning to think that, at this point, he may be happier being left out in my apartment while I'm gone. 

For those who have done this transition, how did it go? What was the easiest way to go about it?


----------



## Roscosmom (Nov 24, 2007)

I'm one of those terrible, terrible owners who've never used a crate  There have been times when I've considered one mind you..but really only to lock my puppy up when he just.wouldn't.stop! which I believe is all the wrong reasons.

Aaanyway, maybe you can just try testing him a bit at a time. I suspect your apartment is already doggy proof and he's housebroken. Perhaps leaving his crate door open and running out to the store and right back, working your way up to being gone longer each time and seeing how he does. Is your main concern destruction or 'accidents',or what..?


----------



## Chindo_Gae_Cerberus (Mar 24, 2008)

Start by giving him access to only one room (and puppy proof it, and leave him toys he can chew/play with) and then only leave the house for very short periods of time. 

Say... to check the mail or go to the bank real quick, or do lawn care. etc. 

For as long as he continues to do well, slowly expand the amont of time he's left alone, and when that improves, slowly give him more access to other area's of your house.


----------



## doxies13isenough (Nov 12, 2007)

I agree with Chindo_Gae_Cerberus. Even with Scooter our old man doxie that is super well behaved he has access to only the kitchen and dining room.


----------



## harrise (Jan 9, 2008)

It took me a week to do that. Started by leaving him out and driving away, then walking back. I would creep up to the house and watch him, once he started getting in that bored mood and getting into something (even nudging a cabinet door), I would just walk in the door. Totally surprised him too. After a week he was good for six hours. That's about the most I would ever need him in the house loose. Don't bust in flailing and calling names, just walk in like it's normal. Again, I had a week straight to work on that.


----------



## loratliff (Feb 7, 2008)

My apartment's a studio, so he would have access to everything regardless. 

I'm not worried about anything in particular, except for the fact that he's a little bit shy and timid, so I don't want him to be nervous while I'm gone. He's not destructive and doesn't have accidents.

I guess I will just start off small and see how he takes to it.


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Roscosmom said:


> I'm one of those terrible, terrible owners who've never used a crate  There have been times when I've considered one mind you..but really only to lock my puppy up when he just.wouldn't.stop! which I believe is all the wrong reasons.
> 
> Aaanyway, maybe you can just try testing him a bit at a time. I suspect your apartment is already doggy proof and he's housebroken. Perhaps leaving his crate door open and running out to the store and right back, working your way up to being gone longer each time and seeing how he does. Is your main concern destruction or 'accidents',or what..?


I'm also one of those people who have never used a crate. I tried to when I got Snoopy at 9 weeks. But he was moaning and whining so loud people complained to the land lord so I couldn't do it anymore. I pad trained him to 5 months then house trained him. Sure he has had an occasional accident but that was during his "teenage stage" where he forgot that he needs to go outside. If it was up to me I'd already be letting Snoopy have free roam of our apartment but we have several plants in the living room which I'm sure are poisoness if eaten. So I don't want to take that chance. Plus there are alot of wires in my room and throughout the apartment so there is another chance that I can't take. There is no way to completely puppy proof our apartment so Snoopy is kept in my bedroom when he can't be watched.


----------



## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

The *safest *place for your dog when you aren't around is *in his crate*. His crate is his den - his place of safety and rest. 

You are doing your dog a disservice by letting him loose in your apartment when you aren't there to supervise him. There is no such thing as a "dog-proof" home - even it if is only a small apartment - and it only takes one instance of inattention or forgetfulness on your part so he has access to something that can make him sick or worse. 

I'm sorry to sound so negative but that's the way it is.

On the positive side, your dog is crate trained. Of course he is unhappy when you aren't around - that's to be expected. He will be unhappy until you get back whether he is in his crate or not - and a lot safer in his crate. 

Leave him in his crate with some kind of chew toy - preferably one that dispenses treats while he plays with it - and you are doing the best thing for your dog.


----------



## loratliff (Feb 7, 2008)

Poly said:


> The *safest *place for your dog when you aren't around is *in his crate*. His crate is his den - his place of safety and rest.
> 
> You are doing your dog a disservice by letting him loose in your apartment when you aren't there to supervise him. There is no such thing as a "dog-proof" home - even it if is only a small apartment - and it only takes one instance of inattention or forgetfulness on your part so he has access to something that can make him sick or worse.
> 
> ...


No place is ever child-proofed either, but parents don't always leave their kids locked away in their bedrooms.  My family has never crated dogs past puppyhood and besides the occasional chewed up sock, has never seen any ill effects. I think it's all a matter of being vigilant about what you leave out. Also, keep in mind, I didn't ask for anyone's opinions on the matter - I simply asked what is the simplest way to make the transition.

Anyway, the dog is not destructive by any means (as never even mouthed anything that is mine or that he is not supposed to) and is housebroken as well. I started yesterday by leaving him for about 30 minutes, left him this morning for about 1 1/2 hours and then again today for about 3 hours. Every time, I have come back to none other than his happy, smiling face and wagging tail. He already appears less stressed and worried when I'm about to leave and earlier, rather than hiding under the bed before I left like he did when I was crating him, he went and laid in his crate. I told him bye and left with him still just relaxing in his crate.


----------



## Roscosmom (Nov 24, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> I'm also one of those people who have never used a crate. I tried to when I got Snoopy at 9 weeks. But he was moaning and whining so loud people complained to the land lord so I couldn't do it anymore. I pad trained him to 5 months then house trained him. Sure he has had an occasional accident but that was during his "teenage stage" where he forgot that he needs to go outside. If it was up to me I'd already be letting Snoopy have free roam of our apartment but we have several plants in the living room which I'm sure are poisoness if eaten. So I don't want to take that chance. Plus there are alot of wires in my room and throughout the apartment so there is another chance that I can't take. There is no way to completely puppy proof our apartment so Snoopy is kept in my bedroom when he can't be watched.


Honestly, I've had dogs my entire life and we _never _crated- I'd never even heard of such a thing until I adopted Harlie like 6 years ago and a friend asked if I wanted a crate he had laying around. I took it but had no idea what I was supposed to do with it! lol "Is this for traveling?". Then when I joined here many years later it seems like everybody crates but I still don't really get it. I'm assuming it's partly so that the dog has a place of his own, but mine have their beds, the hallway and my bathroom as their 'own' *shrug*

As far as wires go- I have a house rabbit who is nearing 7 and 98% of our wires are tucked away out of sight, same with harmful plants.

But maybe I'm just old school like that, and I believe you can train your dog to have decent manners regarding your stuff and you don't have to lock them away until you're ready to take them out of the box and play with them. To each their own.*touch wood* but Rosco's only 6 months and a handful but just today I left him alone inside for a few hours because he hates the heat. When I came back he and Harlie were in the same spots I left them. I've left him alone inside for a couple of hours at a time since he was 7 weeks old- never a problem. The naughty stuff he gets in to is usually right in front of me 


ETA~ That's awesome news,loratliff!


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Well the plants aren't mine, they are my grandma's. All of them hang down to the floor, one plant is even up on a 5 foot stand it still touches the floor. He hasn't done much except for sniffing the spider plant occasionally but my grandma is very old school and strict and she thinks he will chew a plant or wire. He has never touched the wires in the living room either but you never know if he would leave those things alone when gone. When he gets older I'm going to try it.


----------



## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

loratliff said:


> No place is ever child-proofed either, but parents don't always leave their kids locked away in their bedrooms.


No, but they don't let kids who chew on things loose around the house. They watch them. You can't compare kids to dogs but people do not let kids home alone until they are old enough. If they can't be there they have someone else watch the kids - since most people can't afford to hire a petsitter everytime they go to the store, they can use the crate.


----------



## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

*Durbkat*: I'm not going to argue with you or anyone else about crating. It is the safest place for your dog or dogs to be when you aren't around to watch them and that's that. Your choice as to what you want to do and how much of a chance you want to take with your pet, but don't argue that you're doing the safe thing. 

Sorry to be blunt, but your children analogy makes no sense - no responsible person leaves young children unsupervised to wander around the house.


*Roscoesmom*: It only takes once. Work in a vet hospital for a while and you'll see how many "trained" animals are brought in after they've gotten into something or someplace they shouldn't have in their supposedly "safe house" because they were unsupervised and unconfined. Their owners aren't bad people - they are responsible and caring pet owners who just made one mistake. It will be a revelation I guarantee. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
People who don't use crates aren't bad - they can just be better if they use them properly.

When people realize that a properly-used crate is not a cage, but a den - and that dogs *love* to be in a den and will *love you* for providing one for them - then maybe we won't have these ridiculous objections to responsible crating. Crates are used much more in the US than they are in other countries - as I know from personal experience they are difficult to find in some places - it just happens to be something we do better.


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I'd love to use a crate, and crate Snoopy when we go places, but like I said before I live in an apartment and I can't let him bark it out, people started complaining. There is nothing he can get to in my room, I keep him sectioned off in a part of my room, the only thing in my room is carpet, food and water bowl, dog toys, dog bed.

Also, I don't believe we were arguing, just having a conversation.


----------



## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> Well the plants aren't mine, they are my grandma's. All of them hang down to the floor, one plant is even up on a 5 foot stand it still touches the floor. He hasn't done much except for sniffing the spider plant occasionally but my grandma is very old school and strict and she thinks he will chew a plant or wire. He has never touched the wires in the living room either but you never know if he would leave those things alone when gone. When he gets older I'm going to try it.


With plants...Nope...wouldn't trust it...especially if they hang as low as you say they do; you never know (unless you study up on them) which ones are poisonous, or potentially LETHAL to your dog. He is used to your room, and he is a small dog, and as long as you live in your grandma's home, I suggest you keep him in your room when you aren't there to supervise him. All it would take with some plants is a nibble, and you've got a poisoned dog...NOT worth it in my opinion, even if the dog is great in the house otherwise...they all get curious with 'natural' stuff at one time or other. When I have plants, they are HIGH out of reach of pets...

To the OP...You are a renter correct? I rent, as well...and I DO NOT let my dog roam the home when I am gone, specifically for this reason; the place I am living is not mine. I do not want to wind up paying outrageous repair fees because my dog wrecked carpeting, walls, wood floors, or other stuff when I was gone. I doubt my dog would do these things, because she is a really good dog; however, there is always that off chance that she gets bored, or may not have had enough exercise, or is nervous for some reason...then boom...something may get wrecked, and I may wind up paying for it; in more ways than one! I appreciate renters who allow me to keep my dogs\cats, and I am not about to ruin it! So I crate. Maybe when I get my own home I will have a room specifically for the canines, that is 'puppy proof', and I will let them be loose in THAT room when I am gone...but till that happens, I will crate when I am gone.

Perhaps the reason why he was 'hiding' when you wanted to put him in his crate was because you were making a big deal of it? If you don't like the crate, he will sense this too, and evade it...because he is resting in it ON HIS OWN when you leave tells me he does not have an actual aversion to his crate...the attitude may lay in your own mind, and he is picking up on it.


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

That's exactly why he is not in the living room unsupervised, you never know which plants can hurt him or when he will decide to see how they taste.


----------



## loratliff (Feb 7, 2008)

Love's_Sophie said:


> To the OP...You are a renter correct? I rent, as well...and I DO NOT let my dog roam the home when I am gone, specifically for this reason; the place I am living is not mine. I do not want to wind up paying outrageous repair fees because my dog wrecked carpeting, walls, wood floors, or other stuff when I was gone. I doubt my dog would do these things, because she is a really good dog; however, there is always that off chance that she gets bored, or may not have had enough exercise, or is nervous for some reason...then boom...something may get wrecked, and I may wind up paying for it; in more ways than one! I appreciate renters who allow me to keep my dogs\cats, and I am not about to ruin it! So I crate. Maybe when I get my own home I will have a room specifically for the canines, that is 'puppy proof', and I will let them be loose in THAT room when I am gone...but till that happens, I will crate when I am gone.
> 
> Perhaps the reason why he was 'hiding' when you wanted to put him in his crate was because you were making a big deal of it? If you don't like the crate, he will sense this too, and evade it...because he is resting in it ON HIS OWN when you leave tells me he does not have an actual aversion to his crate...the attitude may lay in your own mind, and he is picking up on it.


Nope, I am not a renter. I do live in an apartment, but it's in a high-rise condo building and every unit is privately owned. If I rented or if he showed any destructive tendencies, he would be in the crate without question. 

I never have made a big deal out of putting him in the crate - just picked him up, plopped him in and shut the door. There never was a big fuss; I really think he's just recently reached the point where he'd prefer to be out.

He's done extremely well thus far so it's a risk I'm going to take.


----------



## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> That's exactly why he is not in the living room unsupervised, you never know which plants can hurt him or when he will decide to see how they taste.


But you said in your earlier post that "once he gets older, you're going to try it" implying that you were going to let him be free in the whole house


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Well I figured once he got older he wouldn't be so nosey. My friend has 3 dogs and they live in a messy house, paper on the floor, clothes on the floor and furniture, crumbs and stuff and their dogs don't bother it. Snoopy, at his age, would have eaten everything off the floor. I figured once he got older that he would stop doing that and would leave the plants alone.


----------



## Roscosmom (Nov 24, 2007)

loratliff said:


> He's done extremely well thus far so it's a risk I'm going to take.


Same here.

Poly, I do respect your opinion but I also believe it varies on a case to case basis. I'm pretty confident in my child proofing/rabbit proofing and dog proofing abilities. My biggest concern when leaving him alone is hoping I don't forget to shut Rabbie's cage because while I can confidently leave my older dog alone with him out of his cage, and have for years (and she has an instinct/desire to kill small animals but she would never, EVER touch Rabbie ) ..I'm scared Rosco would rough him up.


----------

