Daily Routine

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

So this may be a stupid question from a newbie, but I have been reading a lot and want to do the right thing for Ripley and training him after we bring him home June 1. I know we are supposed to provide boundaries in the house at first so they earn their right to roam after housetraining. I have gates set up in the kitchen already and was considering bringing in a small pen also to set up in there too (needed?)

Stupid question warning: But, what if we want to spend time in another room?

It seems mean to leave him, but we cannot spend every daily moment in the kitchen (just not that comfy!) . Should I set up a second pen in the sunroom (other side of the house) where we spend time, too, and carry him through? The DR and LR have rugs I cannot get spoiled...plus I read that too much freedom/having "run of the house" too early is bad. What do we do for daily living? Thanks for any suggestions and for bearing with me...

[DonMarie and Picco]

It might be a good idea to set up a second or move (if possible) your pen where you want. Don't worry about his freedom, it might feel like you are being cruel ( I did) but this time passes quickly!

Ripley is so adorable!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

How cute! Looks just like Yogi at that age.
We used several gates and kept him penned in our main living area where we were most of the time. I admit we did have a few boo boo's on our expensive oriental rug, but I was willing and it did clean up nicely. The pup will want to be with his pack.
We are getting a second doodle first of July. I did buy a pen from amazon. Not sure how I'll use it yet though. I saw where someone on here suggested buying a piece of linoleum and putting it down, then the pen on top of it. That could protect your rug. The pen comes 36x36, and I bought two extensions. Now it's 5x5

Can't wait for you to get your puppy. It's almost time! Yogi is almost 10 months old now. We adore him.

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

George wouldn't leave our side at this age, that behavior didn't stop until about 16 weeks. She still rarely leaves our side but often goes to her crate to nap. So if she's MIA that's where we look. We didn't get pens or gates at all. She picked up potty training very quickly and our house is very open so kind of difficult to partition off. That being said she was never unsupervised and even if we were home we would put her in her crate frequently throughout the day to nap. I think you'll find that if you do that (they nap a lot!!!) you'll want to play with them when they're up and out of their crate. So I would put the pen wherever you spend the most time. And you can always move it. ;)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

This would be us to a " T". We have a very open floor plan and using gates was impossible. Enz was watched like a hawk, but never penned. If she was too quiet, we knew we'd better start looking for her, but nine times out of 10, she was curled up somewhere sound asleep. Sometimes even in her crate.
Agreed, you can move the pen from room to room if you can't be watching her...believe me...she"ll let you know know when you are out of her sight! ;)
When it comes down to it...you'll figure out what " works" best for both you and the pup.

[Toni Clayton]

We gated off the kitchen/dining room from living room, and then we have doors to shut and a gate for the steps..we spend free time in each of the rooms at different times, but I did get an ex pen that is attached to his crate., which has two doors. In the mornings after eating and before going out, it's just easier while I'm packing lunches for the kids and all...it's not cruel to crate or pen them..it keeps them safe...and us sane. There are times when it's his crate time, and I hang out for a little before going anywhere so he sees me..then I do what needs to be done, which sometimes includes a nap for me, before I pick my boys up from school, lol. George is also a little more on the independent side, so this works for us...I  think it's really important to find what works best for your family...which sometimes looks a little different than what everyone else does..

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

Hearing all these great, thoughtful responses does calm the nerves - thank you! I've decided to purchase the isis 3x3 pen for indoors that is portable, I think - and I did see a lg sheet of vinyl in home depot for $30 but I think my wood floors can take it, lol!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Cindy, the pen is nice, it's very light weight!

[Leita Hagemann]

Hi - I just brought home my first puppy too and also have a gate in my kitchen. He is only 8 weeks old so obviously house training is in process. We take him into the kitchen with us when we are cooking and for his meals. I also got a sweat collapsable hex pen on Amazon that has been a life saver. We keep one end on the side of the couch and it goes out and around to the other side giving him maybe an 8 ft half circle to run around and sleep in where we don't have to watch him constantly. This is where my boyfriend and I eat dinner, watch movies, talk, read, pretty much everything. We only let him run around the rest of the apartment when we both can watch his every move and grab him if he starts to try to go to the bathroom. Obviously mistakes will happen, so I'd say get a hex pen for sure, and watch him carefully if you do let him wander.