Bailey's first time home alone... can't claim success (?)

[chelle]

I'm dumb. Dumb owner, me. I came home at lunch from work today, as usual. I let all dogs out for potty breaks. Then I got a bright idea.

Why not leave Bailey out free for the rest of the day?

Because I have two other dogs and I don't trust them all alone together, I put the two others in the bedroom together and gave Bailey free roam of the whole house.

As soon as I backed out of the drive and got down the street, I thought, you idiot! I know we should've worked up to a 4.5 hour period with smaller increments.

I could not WAIT to get home from work. Pulled up the drive... there's Bailey in the window.

Walk inside... kitchen is how I left it. Ok. Dining room is fine... Living room is great! Wow! And then I do see the result of his afternoon:



This is at the door of the bedroom where the other two dogs were. This is the same area, where, as a pup, a couple of times, he had started digging at an unravelling section. He'd been told NO and had never touched it again. (He's never chewed up anything in the house, not one thing!)

Sooo clearly he wanted the company of the other dogs?

Is this a success or a failure?

[qbchottu]

I would have to put this in the "still learning" category. I don't want to call your handsome boy a failure! I wouldn't allow him full roam of the house. Maybe start in a closed room and work your way up to longer times and bigger areas of the house? He's still so young. I trust a couple of mine, but I still kennel or crate when I leave to avoid any issues. I don't care that much about my stuff getting destroyed, but I don't want them harming themselves accidentally.

[GatorDog]

I wouldn't call him a total failure until he eats something like a coffee table or game console like mine did.

I agree with the smaller space idea. After Aiden's relapse with the coffee table, we tried the open crate inside a smaller room with less valuable items, and then gradually increased the amount of room he was allowed with time. Taking it slow seems to do the trick. I think that they kinda don't know what to do with themselves if they are given too much freedom when they're still young.

[chelle]

My real concern is that it was obvious he was wanting to get to the other dogs, to be with them. I'm afraid if I trade it -- but him in that room and them on the *other* side of the door -- he'll do the same thing from the other side of the door!

Sure wish I felt confident enough to leave the three together. But I don't. I probably never will.

[qbchottu]

Do they need to be together? My dogs love being together and playing, but it isn't crucial. They would rather be with me. When I'm gone, they are all crated or kenneled separately. Why not just crate or kennel when gone? I think dogs appreciate containment. Like Gatordog said, when they have too much space and stimulation without their leader to give them a sense of what to do, they go south and start doing dumb things they never would have done in your presence. I would crate/kennel now and reconsider free roam when he gets older like a year or so down the line.

[GatorDog]

Originally Posted by chelle

My real concern is that it was obvious he was wanting to get to the other dogs, to be with them. I'm afraid if I trade it -- but him in that room and them on the *other* side of the door -- he'll do the same thing from the other side of the door!

Sure wish I felt confident enough to leave the three together. But I don't. I probably never will.

I still don't leave mine together. Typically Aiden stays in the bedroom and Penny gets roam of the house. The first few times, I would come home and find Penny at the bedroom door, but now they seem to get the routine.

I think that after a good, solid routine of a few weeks, Bailey will eventually just learn to accept the fact that he'll have to wait to see his friends until you get back. They do dumb things when left alone to themselves, and it could end badly without you there.

[paulag1955]

Shasta is so good when I leave her in the car, I was starting to consider leaving her free in the house for short periods just to see how it would go. I think maybe I'll stick with crating her.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by qbchottu

Why not just crate or kennel when gone? I think dogs appreciate containment. Like Gatordog said, when they have too much space and stimulation without their leader to give them a sense of what to do, they go south and start doing dumb things they never would have done in your presence. I would crate/kennel now and reconsider free roam when he gets older like a year or so down the line.

Bails has always been crated. I come home at lunch for breaks twice per week, (bf's work hours let him be home the other days, so shorter crate times) because I just cannot let myself, in good conscience, let him be crated for 8+ hours. It's wearing me out. I've been doing that since July. Work is a 25 minute drive away. And not just about me, but he is such a bundle of energy on the longer crate days.

Originally Posted by GatorDog

I still don't leave mine together. Typically Aiden stays in the bedroom and Penny gets roam of the house. The first few times, I would come home and find Penny at the bedroom door, but now they seem to get the routine.

I think that after a good, solid routine of a few weeks, Bailey will eventually just learn to accept the fact that he'll have to wait to see his friends until you get back. They do dumb things when left alone to themselves, and it could end badly without you there.

I think he will, too. I screwed up by making the first attempt such a long period. It really surprised me that he was so intent on getting in the room with them.

[qbchottu]

Do you have a small room in your house? Like a laundry room? You could put a crate in there, leave the crate open, throw some toys/chewies in there and it could be a little makeshift indoor kennel of sorts. He can use his crate like a den and play in the area outside the crate, but you know he's contained and safe. I have a setup like that for my dogs and they love it. I make sure to exercise them hard before I leave and they pretty much snooze the whole time. But then again, I don't leave them for more than 6 hours because I have one that can't hold it for longer than that. But when she's older, I'm sure she'll be fine for 8+ hours. And once the weather is better, I'm thinking of getting an outdoor kennel set up for them. Not sure if any of this works in your situation, but hopefully some of it does!

And I completely understand not wanting to leave him for that long. When my dogs were younger, I used to rush home, potty break and exercise and rush back to work. For lunch, I think I ate nothing but cereal out of the box in the car on the way back to work for 5 months straight! The things we do for our pups...

[Germanshepherdlova]

I love how you described walking from room to room seeing what you would find. That reminds me of how I used to feel when I'd get home and my dogs were in the beginning phases of being trusted. I'd brace myself before walking in the house and then as I entered each room I'd be practically holding my breath wondering what I would find!

BTW, the laundry room idea is a good one-but beware that he may damage your door. Mine did that one before.