had a bone but chose the sheetrock and trim :/

[Hillary & Charlie]

So i know what most of you will probably say.  "He is toooo young to be left out unattended" But I just need to hear it.  lol. 

 

 So my Charlie is 6 1/2 months old...and I thought he was the most well behaved dog I'd ever met.  He was very quick to potty train...I got him when he was 4 months old and it took 2 days!  My husband has a weird work schedule but I work 8-4 everyday. We used to kennel him up at bedtime and while we were at work. Not long after  he was potty trained we started letting him stay out at night and he does great! So not long after that we put a gate up and let him stay in our very large mud room/laundry room while we were at work.  Charlie was accomodated with lots of toys and bones so he would not get angry or bored and want to misbehave.  And he had done rather well the 4-5 times we had done this.  No accidents of any kind!

 

..............UNITL TODAY. I came home in a wonderful mood let him out to potty and when I came back inside I notice a corner or the room was....well chewed on.  The sheetrock, the trim, it's horrible! And I look around and his bone looked untouched!  Just wanted some other thoughts.  I know I will not be leaving him out during the day for quite some time now.  He is obviously a puppy still and I was trying to let him have more freedom way too fast.  I'm sad that this happened because he has really never misbehaved,l other than getting a hold of dryer sheets!  I feel bad leaving him locked up :(  Will it be easier for him  to "behave" when he is older?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri is 16 months and we are just now giving her free reign of the house while we are gone. She has calmed considerably after hitting the one year mark. She still chewed a corner of a rug this past weekend, so she is not perfect!

My question - was Charlie left for a longer period of time today? Was it out of the norm?
Also, how long would he be in his crate? As long as it isn't too long and he is getting breaks, exercise, etc...I think it is the safest thing to do until he is more trustworthy. He is still in his bigtime puppy stage!

[Hillary & Charlie]

Actually yes it was a little longer than normal. Probably a lot longer in his view. Before my husband was going in to work later so Charlie was only left out for about 4 hours...today was more like 7. We both work 20 minutes away from home so there is no way to let him out mid-day. The longest he would be in the kennel is 8 hours because of my work schedule but it is usually shorter because my husband sometimes goes in later. Maybe I could only keep him out if I know it won't be longer than the time period he is accustomed to. I still HATE leaving him in there that long, it does help that he is out at night time. I just don't know!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

When we left Peri during the day, we were always able to come home for a midday walk. That really helps. I think 7 hours was just too long, and let's face it, they get very bored!
Could you get a dog walker? Or send him to daycare even once or twice a week? Peri isn't in her crate anymore and recently, DH got a new job and cannot help out during lunchtime. So we upped Peri's daycare to 2-3 times per week depending on my schedule. She may be fine for 8 hours (especially since she is not crated), but I just don't feel comfortable leaving her alone that long.
Bottom line, if 7 hours is not the norm, I think he would be fine in the crate or in the room. But at 6ish months, he really needs to be able to potty and get a little walk after 4 hours or so.
DH stands for dear husband in case you don't know yet!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I would ask if he is getting enough hard exercise when he is outside of his crate and by that I don't mean 2 or 3 walks a day. I mean time outside to run and run and run and run! (fenced backyard or dogpark)? My girls were not big chewers but did chew the edges of my braided rugs in the living room and dining room. Each time I could always attribute it back to they were not getting enough exercise (usually weather related). My girls are 2.5 years old now and I rarely leave them loose in the house if I'm gone for more than 2-3 hours. They aren't crated though, they are in their room which was one of our bedrooms that we puppy proofed when they were about 3 months old. This is where they have always stayed when we are gone. It has a doggy gate instead of the door that was on it so they can see out. I would trust them not to chew, but I don't trust them not to get bored and start chasing each other around the house if I'm gone a long time. Normally when I'm gone they just sleep anyway.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri has a problem with the edges of braided rugs too :) It is only every once in a while and I have decided it gives them an antique look. LOL

[Hillary & Charlie]

Charlie walks everyday and does play in the backyard. I live in Kansas and it is very hot and humid so he is a little limited right now because of the heat. We usually play fetch and play in the kiddie pool. I think I will just have to wait until he is older to leave him out for longer periods. Thank you both, I love new ideas and feedback!

[Hillary & Charlie]

I was trying to figure out "DH". I knew it must be something husband...I was like "designated husband" no no that can't be right..."doodle husband" I was confused! LOL....and about the doggy daycare...maybe I should open one. I live in a very small town....there is a bigger city ten minutes away but I know there isn't a dog daycare...and the closest BIG city is Kansas City and it is about an hour so that is out of the question too :(

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think you will figure it all out. It is hard working and having dogs at home! You just need to balance things so they get enough exercise and aren't left for too long.

By the way, "dear" husband can have positive, negative and anything in between connotations....

[Leigh & Allie]

Allyson, I remember having to ask you what DH meant. That seems like such a long time ago. Allyson's Peri was the model of the kind of dog I wanted. I would look at Peri's puppy pictures when I was picking out my Allie. I think they are both great now even though I have never met Peri. I would love to one day though!!

[BG and Gavin]

It has been a gradual progression for us as well. Gavin was kennelled till about 6 mons. He then got baby gate with access to our bedroom, bathroom and hallway at night and only bathroom and hallway when we were at work, then whole house at night and more rooms with baby gate while at work and then just this week he has had free run of the house all day. It was a bit sooner than I planned, but we left the baby gate at my parent's house on the weekend. So far, so good. Gavin will be 1 year old next week. We take him for a 40 minute walk in the morning and I believe he sleeps till noon when my DH comes home for lunch, fetch, run in the yard and a peanut butter and kibble filled kong for the afternoon. We usually don't leave him longer than 4 hours, but on the odd occasion he have gone as long as six hours. We have great neighbours next door with three teen boys. When we get jammed up at work or are going out for a long period, we hire them to let Gavin out to play. They are more than happy to do it. Do you have any neighbourhood children that could walk your pooch at lunch time?

[Leslie J]

Cocoa was a dry wall/ trim chewer too. She would do it even when we were home- she just liked the taste I guess. Wherever she did it I sprayed "Bitter End" spray (we went through quite a bit of it for a few months). I had to reapply it on the spots about once a week or she would return to them. She especially liked corners and edges. There must be something about the taste that some dogs like. We had some pretty badly chewed sections (down to the metal on corners) and they really stood out because our house was remodeled and painted only 2 years ago and the paint otherwise was perfect.

The good news is that she somehow outgrew it by 8 months and now seems to have no interest in chewing walls whatsoever. We patched the spots, painted the trim and now you'd never know all the damage she caused! Until then, you might try spraying all the lower walls, especially the corners and see it that helps.