At what age did your Doodle become a "big" boy/girl and not need their crate?

[Puppy Madness]

Lordy is a little over 5 months now and for the past few weeks we've allowed him to sleep on the bedroom floor instead of his crate at night. We really wanted him on the bed with us, but the poor little guy just could not get comfortable. We still crate him during the day while we're at work, but I'm considering letting him have full run of the house. He hasn't had any accidents in weeks, and it has been months since he destroyed anything, although my bras and house slippers have mysteriously disappeared recently, lol.  He is a giant doodle (over 60lbs now) and very mellow and lazy, so I don't think he would get into any trouble...

[Beth & Roux]

My little doodle girl is nearly 8 months old now and I started the process of easing her out of the crate at about 6 months. She's done great! We started small, I would leave her out for 30 minutes to an hour to run the grocery store, then 2, then 4, and now she's good for the 5 hour stretch that I'm at work. I think easing in is key! If you have a mellow doodle, I think you'll have no problems. They're so smart! Good luck!

[Anthony Leong]

I wish my ALD is mellow and lazy.

[Erin & Maizey]

Lordy is so cute!  This is so topical because today is the first day I have left my 13 month old Maizey-doodle out of her crate while I am at work (am patiently waiting for the dog walker to report in).  

Maizey stopped sleeping in her crate at around 4 months - she just hated it....  I started by letting her sleep in my room and then gradually gave her freedom and now she sleeps wherever (and seems to prefer the marble tile in the bathroom or in the window like a giant cat).  However, there have been times I've woken up to find various things destroyed... shoes, couch, paper products. But (knock on wood) those instances have been fewer and fewer.  And I'm better at putting things away (win-win!) 

I waited so long to trust her during the day because I was worried she'd be bored and destroy stuff.  That said, I've been slowly working up to a whole day (started with just a quick 15 minute run down to the corner store).  She's been great during all the shorter times.  I'm really really hoping I can put the crate away.  It takes up way too much space in my tiny little house (she's a 55 lb doodle so I have a jumbo crate) and she never goes in there on her own so I don't think she'd mind at all if it disappeared.  Getting her to go in there involves me struggling to drag 55 lbs of fur and resistance from under the table where she prefers to lay around.  Not so fun.

I'll update after the dog walker checks in.... FINGERS CROSSED!!  

As for Lordy - it seems like he might be ready, but as others have said, maybe start slowly.  

[Erin & Maizey]

Very happy to report Maizey passed her test... this is how the dog walker found her (she didn't even get up to greet him).  She's also a very lazy and mellow doodle...  I am very happy!  Now just have to make a few more hours after walk.  This is my first time including a picture so hopefully I did it right.
 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

So flippen cute!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

:-)

[Julie and Charlie]

At 8 months.... I still haven't done it yet! I actually tried the other day- gated him in the kitchen/family room, and started the car, backed out of the driveway, closed the garage door, and then walked up to a hidden area and listened. He was howling. He never does that in his crate, so I chickened out and went in side and led him into his crate. Silence, happy doodle.

My trainer suggested that I would know when it was time. She further elaborated that she would still contain them slightly- for instance, in one room/area and that the dog have no accidents in that area for a month. Second, she suggested that when he "hasn't found anything to destroy or chew in that area" in more than a month. We'll start easing into it again in a month or so. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We started Luna at around 6-8 months and did it slowly (one room at a time).

We started with her in our bedroom with her crate open, then she graduated to having the run of the house at about a year old.  She then destroyed some things, so she was back in just the bedroom for about a week... and she has had the run of the house since with only minor incidents (mostly our fault for leaving tasty tissues on the floor).

Mind you - Luna has never shown an interest in chewing furniture, nor does she have separation anxiety that might cause her to become destructive.

[Sheila & Finnley]

Never used a crate for my doodle. Finnley isn't overly mellow or lazy, but since she has come into our house, she has had the run of it. I started off bringing her into my room at night, and that worked out just fine. One day when she was about 5 months old, I had an appointment and they called and asked if I could come in earlier. So I just crossed my fingers and left her home alone. She didn't do anything bad, and it has been that way ever since. She is now 9 months old. Guess that is my lucky story !

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurley is 15 months and we still crate him when we are going to be gone.  He started sleeping with us at about 3 1/2 months.  For quite awhile he could not figure out how to get off the bed so we never worried about what he might be up to at night.  When he figured out how to get off the bed we still let him sleep with us but we closed the bedroom door so at least he was limited to a specific area.  Since around the time he was 8 months old we started leaving the bedroom door open and when he jumps off the bed at night he usually goes into the kitchen and sleeps on the kitchen floor.  At first, when we left him to his own at night he would get into the trash but that has stopped.  

Hurley is usually very laid back but our concern is that he might get bored if left to his own for a number of hours during the day or evening while we are gone.   Boredom can easily lead to mischievousness in our opinion.   

We plan to soon start leaving him alone in the house in short increments starting with 30 minutes and then building depending on how he does.

But Hurley goes into his kennel by himself whenever it appears to him that we are leaving so maybe he is more comfortable being in his crate than out on his own in the house.  

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I started to move my doodle from the crate to one room --our gated kitchen-- at 6-7 months.  Short periods at first.  Then kitchen and family room.  And by 15 months, he had the run of the house --although he still stays in the kitchen/family room by choice when I'm gone.  He's used to be a crazy one but now he's really mellow in the house. He's never shown an interest in chewing furniture, cabinets-- or anything else that's serious. He liked electrical cords as a pup so I unplugged things before I left until he got old enough to trust.But he never bothered with one when I was gone.  To tell you the truth, I think he sleeps and wanders over to the window now and then.

[Debi and Monty Moose]

Monty Moose is now 5 months old and has had the run of the house for a few weeks now.  There have been no accidents and nothing destroyed.  The only time we use the crate now is for "time out", which (knock on wood) is only used maybe twice a week.  :O   He sleeps in his own bed in our bedroom, but comes up with us a couple times a night....only to return to the floor when he gets too warm.  We started leaving him out of the crate and made short trips out..maybe a half hour or so.  Once he mastered that, we started leaving him in the house for longer trips.  He has done great!  We do, however leave the bedroom doors closed while gone and that keeps him in the great room and kitchen area only.  No sense in tempting fate. 

Di...I can't believe Lordy is 60lbs at a little over 5 months!  Monty is at the 50lb mark and I was told he was going to be huge.  Can't even imagine how big Lordy will end up!