Left alone free to roam the house or crate when I am gone ?

[Tammy and Violet]

Vilolet will be one on Sunday,I still dont think she is ready to be left alone in the house ..free... even when I am with her I have to watch her as to what she gets into,I have pretty much puppy proofed my house already ......does it just depend on the pup ?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Every dog is different. All of my dogs have had full run of the house from 3 or 4 months old. All were reliably housebroken by that age. House was always dog-proofed: No food left out in reach, no accessible trash. No socks or underwear left lying around, lol. Doors to kids' rooms and basement closed. 

Jackdoodle was 14 months old when I adopted him from a private shelter, and he had full run of the house from the 4th day he was here. 

So I really think it just depends on the individual dog. 

[Adina P]

Depends on the pup and person.  We used to let our dogs have free roam, but after getting Boca we just have never fully trusted her and so she and Rosco are gated in our 'mud room' -- Boca is in a crate in there but Rosco is free (however, it's not a large area.  Rosco is 7 and Boca is 3 -- doesn't hurt them and I send them there often through the day when the kids make a mess and I am afraid the dogs will trample their toys or eat a puzzle piece or other tiny toy they are playing with all over the floor.

[Sarah and Willow]

I have left Willow out when I was gone since she was about 9 months old. And only once have I come home to a chewed flip flop. And I feel I am to blame for that, I was held up at work at a 10 hour shift and I had a family member let her out a few times, but she just had too much pent up energy.

I feel like she tries to get into more stuff when I am here for attention than when she is here alone. There is stuff in our bathroom trash that she has no interest in while she is here alone, but when I'm sitting in front of the tv or computer, she'll bring out various tissues and toilet paper rolls.

I started with little increments in time. I'd step outside for 20 minutes and leave her inside, then I'd go for an hour or two. It was hard to do. Every time I came home I expected to see my couch torn to shreds or my computer knocked over :) 

Good luck!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

http://www.doodlekisses.com/video/who-ate-the-pillow  We still crate!  He turned a year old in June, and when we are home has the run of the house and generally behaves.  Too much time, this is what happened!  

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I agree, I think that it just depends on the dog, and the house.  What do you have in your house that you would mind if it got chewed up.  We turned a bedroom into a room for Lucy and Sophie when they were puppies.  We put down a laminate floor vs the carpeting.  That is where all their stuff is.  It also serves as the Den where our desks and computers are.  That way we spent lots of time with them as well.  When we leave the house we would put them in there room.  There wasn't anything in there that they could hurt.  After they became dependable and we could leave them roaming free, which we did on occasion, they still seemed to prefer to go to their room when we were leaving them.  Now however we have a new puppy.  We also have several thousand dollars worth of new desks in that room.  So, AnnaBelle gets crated in their room when we leave.  I'm not willing to risk her turning the leg of the desk into a chew toy while we are gone.  So, that's my take ... how mature is the doodle, do they get in trouble when you are home, and what can they chew up that you value!

[Christine & Shelby]

Agree... depends on the pup and the person. My Shelby had full roam of the house while I was gone (full work day) by the time she was 1. However, I had worked with her gradually to get there. She got free roam at night at 6 months... and then we started doing small practice sessions during the day - grocery store trip, and other shorter timed errands. Then we did half days and finally full days. Shelby was reliably potty trained by 3 months, and my house is very puppy proofed, but I am a first time dog owner and wanted to be sure. This worked for us... but it really depends on you and your pup! Good luck! I know I felt much better once I got Shelby to full house freedom!

[Tammy and Violet]

Thanks guys, I often wonder if I am being too cautious at stuff with her... 1st pup and all

[Heather Martinez]

Teddy did not start roaming the house until he was over 2 years old. He first graduated from his pen to the kitchen with a baby gate and had to prove he wouldn't chew the kitchen cabinets. After a few months of that we started letting him sleep outside our room with a baby gate so he was confined to the hall. Then finally we started letting him have freedom time in the house for an hour or two at a time. After proving himself he is now allowed in the house all day while we're at work. He's been good and not chewed anything since then.

[Becka]

When Sadie outgrew her crate at about six months or so, I started leaving her in the bedroom. Since she was already accustomed to sleeping in there with me at night (door shut), I thought it would seem "den-like" to her. She has two big windows so she can watch the backyard and the whole bed to herself. She's never cried or whined when I leave--I give her a kong toy with treats in it, tell her to be good, and close the door behind me. I don't think she would do anything bad if she had the whole house to herself, but she would undoubtedly get up on the couch and bark at passing cats, dogs, and humans.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

It depends on the dog for sure!  Libby was crated when we left until she was two.  In the beginning we crated her because she was a "major" chewer and that included furniture, rugs anything she could get her paws on.  That phase ended at about fourteen to eighteen months.  We left her in the crate after that mostly for her safety and I think "we" were just not ready for her to be out and about:)  When she turned two we started letting her out when we were gone for only a little time and just tested her out.  She proved to us that everything was ok and now she is never crated when we leave.  She is 2 yrs, 5 mos. We do have a cam that we can see her when we are gone and most of the time she sleeps in her our rocker.  I do close most of the doors to the bedrooms and our office just for her safety.

[Pat and Traveler]

Trav has been free in the house since he got past the teething stage.  It was gradual--first, I'd go out in the yard for a while, then make a quick trip to the store, etc.  He's never gotten into trouble while I was gone.  Mostly he just waits and watches--I don't believe he even eats or drinks.  I think he's an exceptionally good dog as far as boundaries are concerned.  He's never gotten into the garbage or trash, even when it's easily available; he's only counter surfed once, and that was for sweet potato fries which he believes I get for him.  :) 

[Theresa & Duncan]

Duncan stays in the laundry room when we aren't home. He is about 18 months old, and though he is well behaved I don't know if we'll ever give him run off the whole house. That room is dog proofed and free of  temptation so I know he's safe. Also if anyone with unsavory intentions toward my house decided to peek in my window, they'd see my hairy fur-best :)