shadow Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Hi, I am just curious to how can I know my BC pup is ready to stay out without my supervision. My boy almost 8 month old ,he is very good, he has had no accidents, rings the bell to go out to do his business, has not chewed anything in the house so far (pls dont do anything while I write this, ) other than his own bed !! He is generally a good boy, I leave him on his own when I am at home & he lays in his bed, or just walks around the house. He gets to play in the am, & walk, then play + train + sometimes walk in the afternoon. Then 5pm onwards he plays, hangs around, trains, dinner & walk then sleep... How can I try to check if he will be ok when I leave the house if he is not crated. And I have heard some horror stories of carpets being ripped.... so whats the best way I start doing it for example 30 mins in 1 room & then gradually give freedom? or any other advice ? what are your tried & tested methods? Any suggestions please. And is 8 months too early ? Shreds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katenjim Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Start with short times, like going to the store. I always have a routine, take for a walk, a little play and potty first. short duration's. I always say "I'll see you soon" or something to that effect that they"know" the message. I gradually left for longer periods. When I would go to work, I would leave in the kitchen with a crate door open and plenty of toys to keep them occupied. I would come home on my lunch hour and go for a walk and play. Soon I started leaving free after lunch, then later the whole house all day. Little by little I fully trusted my guys ( I've had a few border collies ) I only had a one that liked waste basket tissue's, ( liked to shread them) - no big deal, just put the baskets up. I never had any horror stories. start slow, going to a neighbor, store, stay with a routine, say the same commands. If you have a camcorder, you could set it up. I did that with my last dog and was surprised he howled for a few minutes after we left. 7-8 months is generally the time when I started leaving them loose. I am not a fan of crating all day. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChantalB Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 I go from crate to dog proof room. Sometimes getting the run of the house, depends where I live. He mostly just sleeps anyway the whole time. Start by going to do yard work for a few minutes, to a couple hours. Then leave the property to go to store, slowly extend time gone. I set up my tablet an video tape to know what's going on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 I would do that just a little at a time. Young dogs can get really overwhelmed if left out for longer than they can handle. They get bored and then start chewing on stuff. And they can forget they are housebroken. I was just taking care of a puppy (probably about 9 months old) and the owners left him for 10 days. That was way too long to leave a puppy without supervision. And it was too long to just leave him in his crate all the time. I was going 3 times a day and would put him in his crate for a while and then leave him out for a while. It was still too much for him. He still needed a lot of supervision. He started chewing up stuff and completely forgot he was housebroken. Even older dogs can get into trouble if they are left too long. If they get bored or stressed they will chew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 I wouldn't start trusting him yet. He is just entering adolescence and you may notice his obedience start to decline.. I start to trust males when they are about 18 months to 2 years old. Prior to that they are still foolish teenagers with lowered inhibitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow Posted April 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 Thank you, I have tried the 10-20 mins, in the yard kind of stuff, and he has been good. Like Liz said, 18 months to 2 years is what was my original plan was, but somehow, I have some trust in him (due to the 20 min yard sessions) But have that little "what if he is not ready" there in me too! So I wanted to know in general what is a good timeframe. And yes, adolescence was another reason. His obedience is still not declined, though he hasnt touched 8 months. Not sure if something weird happens to them as they touch that 8 month mark Like I said I have had a good experience with him so far, and would like to keep it that way. So its better to ask experts & do things than take a step & repent ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 My young guy was sleeping out of his crate at night at 12 months, this was decided as he had out grown the crate and we did not really want to buy a bigger one. By that time we knew he was the type of dog who just went to bed and slept. He kept his day time crate till he was 18 months. He had been a big chewer of things as a puppy but by this point he had not destroyed a toy for months, and since then has never done any damage to the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 My dog was bad about eating books - I think it's the paste in the binding. I had to pay for several library books that I forgot to put up when I left. Zeke is still awful about trash so I have to be sure that all the trash is out before I leave the house. And he is 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 I have a dog that's nearly 12 who will still get into the garbage if it's not locked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow Posted April 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 Mine just proved to me yesterday he isnt ready for the freedom !! He had an "accident" on the rug I dont understand why other than that, he probably went near the door & no one let him out so decided the rug was perfect ! This has not happened since we got him 4 months ago !!! I guess the 8 month switch is getting turned on ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChantalB Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 If it happened once I wouldn't worry about it much. Keep a close eye on him an let him out more frequently but other than that, sometimes you just really have to "go!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Momma Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 We started leaving Mr. Murray out of the crate while we were at work about a month ago (so he was ~9 months at the time). Our family room is pretty puppy proof (unless I leave my shoes around... they're a very tasty snack) so we didn't have any potty accidents, just the shoe chewing. Removed the shoes, and we're all set. We also started letting him free as a result of outgrowing the crate in addition to my parents taking a vacation and they were letting him out at lunch time. Tips: Kong with peanut butter. This usually holds Mur over for a couple hours. Deer Antlers/Bully Sticks: We pepper the room with OK chew toys to promote good chewing. Intractive Toys: We tried the IQ Ball but Murray somehow (I wish I had video) got it apart and mangled the middle piece. Still works with the two halves... just easier to get the kibble out. Wish you the best!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanda & Nelson Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 I'm sure it all depends on the dog / situation. I left Nelson alone in the house when he was about 6 months old and he was fine - he never, ever destroyed anything. I also thought I had to keep him crated until he was 2 years old, but he just isn't that destructive. I have to say though, thats usually not longer dan 4-6 hours at the time. He comes to work with me most day. We usually leave a Kong with cheese or peanut butter (which we freeze for a few hours so it keeps him busy for longer) and plenty of toys, but I am pretty sure he just sleeps while we are gone. We only left him alone after he had good excersize. The only 'bad' thing he does, is sleeping on the couch while he not allowed to, and always press his nose against the window when we leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_and_Karen Posted April 24, 2013 Report Share Posted April 24, 2013 Lots of good suggestions ! Like others have said, try short periods at first (20 minutes or less) and gradually try longer. Even if they show they behave unattended I would still use caution and make sure it is a puppy proof room just to be on the safe side. Make sure there is nothing they can get to that they shouldn't, not only at their level but what they can reach if they stand up on their hind legs, also if there are cubboards with unsafe things inside I would "childproof" them to avoid them figuring out how to open a cubboard. We used to keep her in an indoor X-pen even while we were home, but now have opened it up to use as a wall to keep her in the kithchen area as a steping stone towards having whole house freedom. It gives her a lot more room as we have a fairly roomy kitchen, and she can look outside thru the sliding glass doors. The floor is not carpeted in the kitchen so there is no rug to chew. So far we still do not leave her in there when we both are not at home, but put her in the crate if we both are going to be out at the same time (which is fairly seldom). I have a video cam set up so we can check on her from another room in the house so we can see how she behaves when she thinks no one is watching I also have have web cams set up so I can monitor both the inside and outside the house when I am at work so if my wife is busy doing something in another room I can help keep watch (we don't leave her outside unattended though) The crate is not too bad for just a very few hours, but if longer the idea about attaching an X-pen outside the crate might be better, but if you think she might be able to jump out of the X-pen you might have to attach some wire fencing on top to make it completely enclosed, and put chew proof flooring inside the pen. (does anyone know if indoor/outdoor carpeting is chewproof ?, seems like it might be since it is so flat and smooth, as long as they can't get to the edges) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaveProfesora Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 Pivo decided around 8-10 months that he was too much a "big boy" for a crate. He busted out of a soft sided one and then learned to zip himself out of the new one we bought that was better re-inforced (we caught him trying to zip himself back in when we got home). He'd let himself out and then just lay next to it. He's never destroyed anything while we were gone except for his dog bed (and we were gone for 5-6 hours). Now he only sleeps in his crate at night. I think it really depends on the dog. Try short bursts and see how it goes. Even as an unruly teenager, we could trust him alone in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Momma Posted April 26, 2013 Report Share Posted April 26, 2013 (does anyone know if indoor/outdoor carpeting is chewproof ?, seems like it might be since it is so flat and smooth, as long as they can't get to the edges) Murray was able to snag the indoor/outdoor carpet we have on our deck with his nails. I would suspect had I trimmed them a little shorter, he wouldn't have been able to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_and_Karen Posted April 27, 2013 Report Share Posted April 27, 2013 Thanks for reminding me of the nails, Xena's nails can get very pointy when not trimmed, so it is more than just the teeth we have to watch out for Murray was able to snag the indoor/outdoor carpet we have on our deck with his nails. I would suspect had I trimmed them a little shorter, he wouldn't have been able to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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