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When did you trust your pup to free roam?

3K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  Suki's Mom 
#1 · (Edited)
At what age did you let your dog free roam -OR- what signs did your dog display that made you believe he was ready to free roam?

We tried a few months ago and he did well for a week or two until one day we he absolutely destroyed everything. (We are gone for up to 8hrs a day for work). After that it was straight to the crate and then he started pulling on the blanket that we put over his crate and ripping up his bed which he has never done before. (Now his crate is bare) We have been meaning to get a new kong for him to help with the boredom. But we are moving to a smaller apartment/studio and would like to put the crate away as soon as possible as its soooo huge!

We generally left him to free roam in time increments that increased gradually as he did better- but its back to square one for us. Do you think a camera that allows speaking would work in correcting behavior while we are away? Perhaps even those with a treat dispenser.

Edit: Does anyone know of a x-large/large crate that's easily stored and put back up? Maybe that can be a good space solution-
 
#2 ·
He probably needs for entertainment when you are gone such as toys, and to be well exercised before you leave. At being gone for eight hours I don't know if I'd trust a puppy alone at that length of time. I'd probably crate train and keep the crate, you can get collapsible wire crates that work pretty nicely, that's what I have. Make sure the gate/opening has 2 latches though, not just one.

I don't know how old he is, but you could try leaving him out for shorter times while you leave, it can work. When my dog was a puppy we did that, but we were also only gone for a few hours max. If we came home and she'd destroyed something it was back to the crate for another week and then we just kept working on it. But we also have another dog, he kind of taught her what was up. The only problem with them failing the tests is they can potentially harm themselves by eating something they get into during a destruction period, and of course ruin a lot of your own items.
 
#3 ·
Sometimes they do better if they can be confined in one room with the crate door left open so they still have their familiar den to retreat to.Too much freedom too soon makes some dogs anxious.
 
#4 ·
Hi! He just turned one - and we do have the wire crate for him and he is crate trained. We currently only live in apartment but its more open space- for now we will most likely do the crate and collapse it when guest are over. Once we move a studio apartment we may let him sleep outside since we would be in the same room and i am a veryyy verrryy light sleeper. We will try the integrals like you did and hope he catches on soon :)
 
#5 ·
We have had many dogs and it totally depends on the dog. It was more of a gut feeling that usually proofed to be correct. But most of them were crated during my absence for at least the full first year. Looking back, I can say that the stronger their drive, the longer they were crated when alone. Not completely fool proof as Deja, who has been 100% reliable so far (3.5 years old) but just chewed a hole in my knitting project that required you-tube assistance. But she has been on 'idle' for a week because I have been down with the flu so she gets credit for that.
 
#6 ·
Edit: Does anyone know of a x-large/large crate that's easily stored and put back up? Maybe that can be a good space solution-

You can easily get a foldable crate online from Chewy.com. Or, if you prefer PetSmart or Petco they also sell them. Chewy is cheaper, tho. I've been researching prices as I'll be getting a pup in a few months. Hope that helps
 
#11 ·
I agree with the idea of fixing the crate up to fit into your furniture plan. You don't have to settle for just plywood and fabric. I had three crates that I trimmed out and skinned. You could do something similar. There are a lot of ideas on the web. Here is what mine look like.
 

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#12 ·
My current GSD.....6 months...maybe earlier.. she had free rein inside the house in our absence......the previous two....took closer to a year.....never did use a crate with any of them.

To the OP...."Do you think a camera that allows speaking would work in correcting behavior while we are away?".....only if you have complete voice command control....I'd make sure you have more than that in the beginning....so your voice has more "impact".

SuperG
 
#13 ·
I have had one GSD who could have been free roaming from about 6 months but loved her crate so much and got distressed when we tried to remove it, we ended up making a 'feature' of it until she was no longer with us. Current pup, the way she is going, will probably be in a crate forever haha. All pups are different.
 
#17 ·
It was different for all of mine. Misty was never crated, but now she is the first one to wander off and go sleep in an open crate. Tannor was out of the crate at 4 months(he is an amazing dog). Robyn was out at night at 4 months then permanently 6-7 months. Midnite was created when I got him for a short time. He broke out of the crate all the time and made a mess once-he enjoyed taking cushions off the couches. Got him at 10 months--out of crate at 1 year. Brennan was out of a crate by 6 months, he is almost 4 and is behind a gate in the laundry room--doubt he will ever be trusted out and about. Batman can not be trusted out of crate and he is 4. Apollo really was never in a crate. He gave me a hard time with the crate. He would go to the bathroom in it every time. Finally I took the crate down and all of the sudden he was potty trained. We now have a crate and rotate situation that works well.
 
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#18 ·
Max and Luna were about 8 months old. They were both house completely house broken by 5 months old- chewing was an issue. Max broke out of his crate around 6 months old and chewed the material in the arm chair when we were not home. By 8 months after he was tested and proven we can trust him we went away for the weekend and he was great in the house. 10 months we were gone for a week and the only thing he did was shred a paper towel.

Luna chewed our couch cushion around 6 months old. I walked in and saw Max lying on the couch cushion that was dragged on the floor and Luna chewed a small whole and pulling out goose feathers everywhere as if it snowed a half of an inch in that one room. Max had this full blown bs innocent expression on his face as if he was protecting the cushion by lying on it. I still have Luna's crate though and use it. She just came into heat this week and I crate her when Im not around. The 8 month mark is when she was trusted not to chew anything. They both seem to be in the same schedule that way.

Topper our chihuahua was the toughest to housebreak. The toughest part was to get him to potty when it was cold out. He was completely housebroken at 1 years old or a little over. He loves his crate and I have it open when home he often sleeps in it unless we are relaxing or sitting on the couch. He is a warm body seeker. When we leave the house I do crate him.
 
#20 ·
Next time we're in the crating stage I want to get one from BB Kustom Kennels (https://bbkustomkennels.com/ ) (Mods, please remove if I'm not allowed to place links). They are made to be a piece of furniture you can proudly display in your home. Of course, I will have to start saving now :(
 
#21 ·
wow, and I thought I was doing good just draping color coordinated sheets over my crates. I like the quality of these and the do fold down pretty nicely.
Dog Cages & Crates: Drs. Foster & Smith Great Elite Classic 3 Door

I guess I could get a nice bit of finished wood to put on the top of the crate I have in my living room. She-pup is 19 months old but has so much energy, especially when I haven't had the chance to take her on a long walk. I still crate her so that she doesn't pester our big-boy while we are not home.
 
#22 ·
I started experimenting with letting Copper free roam about as soon as she was completely potty trained, maybe 4-4.5 months? It was easier for me because it was winter time and both my husband and I have jobs that are flexible and dont work as much in the winter so if I wasn't home he would generally be in and out of the house throughout the day. Also we have a very securely fenced in backyard in a very safe area so she could come go in and out of the house thru the dog door. Did did destroy a few things, brand new digital camera, husbands glasses, but in all honesty this was "our" faults for leaving them where she could reach them. The only time she is crated a lot is when she's in heat.
 
#23 ·
We got Diva when she was 18 months old. She was crate trained, and for a long time we would crate her when we left the house. Finally, one day we had been gone for a few hours and had to pop out again for about an hour (after a play session in the yard), and we thought this would be a good test to leave her uncrated in the bedroom, with access to the ensuite bathroom and a water bowl.
We came home an hour later to find that she had done great. Suki, on the other hand, who had freedom in the other part of the house, had taken a baseball cap off the counter and shredded it!
 
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