[baumgartml16]

This post is more directed to those moms and dads that work all day...

Koda is 8 months now, we are still having her eat a lunch and people are coming by at lunch time to feed her/walk her. We would like to start taking the lunch away and feeding two meals and then leaving her for longer periods during the day since we are starting to feel we are burdening people.

I am not entirely comfortable leaving her in a crate that long and we have started toying with the idea of giving her parts of the house while we are gone so she isn't so confined.

What do you all of you do wtih your pups? Are they out and about or crated all day? Do they have someone to come walk them?

Ages of these dogs would be helpful too!!

Thanks!

 

[mayapaya]

My husband and I are fortunate enough to work from home offices, so we don't have a problem letting Maya out at lunch (although we stopped the mid day meal at about 6 months--she just gets a treat ball at lunch). However, with out first Golden, we both worked full time in an office. Not sure if you have this flexibility, but when we lost our mid-day dog walker/sitter when Jamie was 8 months old, we were able to adjust out start times at work (he went in a bit later and I went in a bit earlier, so the span of time she was alone was closer to 7 hours. There were times when she was in her crate for the full 8. Out first golden was not out of her crate when we were gone until she was almost 2--and she was a REALLY good dog! I know alot of people try a little bit of freedom earlier than that, but my experience with Maya is she cannot be trusted, and it's for her own health and safety that she stay crated. Koda may not be as "challenging" as my Maya, and ready for some more freedom--suggest you try leaving for very short periods of time (15 minutes, then increase) and see how she does. Good luck!

 

[Sally's Mom]

If you are going to give her more space make it gradual. When I start with my dogs, at first they are loose when it is an hour when I to go to the store, then I gradually increase the length of time I am gone. As i have said before, I can take my dogs to work for those bad days. I feed my dogs twice daily starting at 4 months(adult food at that).

 

[abowman]

Our golden is 7 months , we just had the discussion regarding giving up the lunch meal. He now stays uncrated in our first floor. All is well so far. We do have to pay attention to what is out like shoes, belts, scarves and paper. He truly shredded my daughters homework!

 

[Bella's Mama]

Bella is 8 months and hasn't had a lunch meal in probably 5 months. We do come home at lunch for an hour and play with her. We both work 8 hour days which is not ideal for Bella, but we try to provide for her as best we can when we're home.

 

[baumgartml16]

Do you crate Bella?

 

[lgnutah]

We never used a crate, and until Brooks was a year old, we had someone coming home every 2-4 hours (there were 4 adults living in the home, all with different schedules). Still, we kept him in a mudroom when we were gone, which had nothing in it but his bed, toys and water dish.
When we were home, we let him be in the house with us, but always kept every single thing picked up (except his toys) and all door to bedrooms, closets closed.
We waited until Brooks was a year old to try him unattended in the house, but actually it wasn't planned. What happened was that we had to make an emergency trip to another state as my m-i-l went into the hospital.
Brooks, of course, couldn't come to the hospital and it was July in the midwest, so not safe to leave him in the car for even a moment. So, we had to leave him alone at my m-i-l's house with no one there......and the house was FULL of all sorts of little trinkets on shelves, stuffed animals and dolls all within reach. And guess what? Brooks didn't touch a thing!
We decided then and there, that he had earned the right to be alone, unattended at our own home when we got back home. And, he has never bothered anything in our home either.

 

[Bella's Mama]

Do you crate Bella?

Sorry I forgot to add. Yes we crate her. She is way too curious to be left out and loves to chew everything. But when she gets older, we'll start by keeping her in the bathroom with nothing on the floor. She is so good at misbehaving.

 

[bowdense]

Our golden is 7 months , we just had the discussion regarding giving up the lunch meal. He now stays uncrated in our first floor. All is well so far. We do have to pay attention to what is out like shoes, belts, scarves and paper. He truly shredded my daughters homework!

Oh, we couldn't leave Remington alone yet...he just turned 7 months, too. He's way too chewy! I haven't given up his lunch meal yet but plan to soon. I don't know exactly how long I could leave him....he's never gone more than 4 hours, since we come home at lunch. Too spoiled?
abowman, what part of Maine are you from?

 

[OutWest]

Tucker (6 months) is crated at night and when we're out of the house for more than an hour. We've been easing him into being loose in our kitchen/dining area. We leave him with a Wobbler or a fresh chewy. So far he's done really well. I think for up to an hour. We're going to keep extending the time. I hope to go back to work in a few months and I suspect he'll be going to daycare however. I think he'd get very bored at home without us and outside the crate and a bored dog is a dog that finds trouble to get into. .

 

[Wyatt's mommy]

This post is more directed to those moms and dads that work all day...

Koda is 8 months now, we are still having her eat a lunch and people are coming by at lunch time to feed her/walk her. We would like to start taking the lunch away and feeding two meals and then leaving her for longer periods during the day since we are starting to feel we are burdening people.

I am not entirely comfortable leaving her in a crate that long and we have started toying with the idea of giving her parts of the house while we are gone so she isn't so confined.

What do you all of you do wtih your pups? Are they out and about or crated all day? Do they have someone to come walk them?

Ages of these dogs would be helpful too!!

Thanks!

At 8 months she should be fine in a safe gated off area. Say the kitchen for instance. My Wyatt was outside (yes a safe fenced area) at that age while we worked. Is she crated while you work full time now?

 

[Deber]

Both of us work and for the first few months we had a college student either stay at our house or come over and play/feed the pups. About 3 mo ago, we lost her back to school, so we gated off the den/kitchen from the rest of the house. We have tile, made sure everything was picked up, sheet over the old couch, left food and water and prayed a lot. The dogs have a doggie door to the garage, then another to the side yard. We close the gate to the backyard unless we are home. They have done really well. Crates are still set up in the den, but dogs only sleep in them now and doors are left open.

 

[abowman]

I live in Waterville.

 

[bowdense]

I live in Waterville.

I am in Berwick. Too bad we weren't closer since our pups are the same age!

 

[baumgartml16]

Yes she is crated now for about 4 hours at a time as we have people coming over during the lunch hour to walk her/feed her/play.

Our plan is to start very slow. This weekend we are blocking off our hallway and putting her crate in our bedroom doorway for a half hour and see what happens. WE might just go hang out outside so we can make sure nothing happens...we are concerned she will not the gate right over.

I really think she would be well behaved in a confined area. We would like to give her the living room or kitchen so she can sit and watch outside the windows but I just worry she will do something naughty in her boredom. We are going to work up to this freedom for sure though. She still has people that can come let her out and walk her but we may start getting her on a two feeding schedule now.

I just wonder if she will like this less than just being in her crate. I think she feels safe in her crate. If we run to grab the mail or somethign real qucik and leave her in the house free she paces and barks...this might be because she can see us and wants to be out there too but i just wonder if she doesn't feel safe without us in the house with her..

 

[Capt Jack]

We leave Jack on the first floor but we have a wire less electric fence & he can go outside when he wants to on nice days but I agree you have to keep everything but toys put away if you want it

 

[Wyatt's mommy]

Yes she is crated now for about 4 hours at a time as we have people coming over during the lunch hour to walk her/feed her/play.

Our plan is to start very slow. This weekend we are blocking off our hallway and putting her crate in our bedroom doorway for a half hour and see what happens. WE might just go hang out outside so we can make sure nothing happens...we are concerned she will not the gate right over.

I really think she would be well behaved in a confined area. We would like to give her the living room or kitchen so she can sit and watch outside the windows but I just worry she will do something naughty in her boredom. We are going to work up to this freedom for sure though. She still has people that can come let her out and walk her but we may start getting her on a two feeding schedule now.

I just wonder if she will like this less than just being in her crate. I think she feels safe in her crate. If we run to grab the mail or somethign real qucik and leave her in the house free she paces and barks...this might be because she can see us and wants to be out there too but i just wonder if she doesn't feel safe without us in the house with her..

Try the gates while you are at home and see if the gates will hold her. I think she will love the extra room as I can't imagine being crated all nite and pretty much all day too.....however I would do it and leave the home as long as you know she won't break thru the gates. They pretty much know that you are still home even when you are outside peeking in......their sense of smell is remarkable lol! Also you can put the crate in the gated area. We were on the 2 feeding schedule when I had to return to work when Wyatt was 4 months and he did fine

 

[baumgartml16]

Try the gates while you are at home and see if the gates will hold her. I think she will love the extra room as I can't imagine being crated all nite and pretty much all day too.....however I would do it and leave the home as long as you know she won't break thru the gates. They pretty much know that you are still home even when you are outside peeking in......their sense of smell is remarkable lol! Also you can put the crate in the gated area. We were on the 2 feeding schedule when I had to return to work when Wyatt was 4 months and he did fine

Thanks for this advice! That is a good idea to test the gates with us there. Her crate will definitely be in whatever gated area she is in. I want her to have her safe place still.

Will that affect her to move it if, let's say, we keep her in the kitchen. Her crate is usually in our bedroom so if I move it to the kitchen during the day will that make her feel less safe to go into?

 

[Wyatt's mommy]

Thanks for this advice! That is a good idea to test the gates with us there. Her crate will definitely be in whatever gated area she is in. I want her to have her safe place still.

Will that affect her to move it if, let's say, we keep her in the kitchen. Her crate is usually in our bedroom so if I move it to the kitchen during the day will that make her feel less safe to go into?

Maybe someone with crating experience can answer this. We never used or seen a need for a crate. We used an x pen (which he loved) when Wyatt was younger, then he went into a gated area and now is outside while we work. They are creature of habits. I think once you get your schedules down they adapt wonderfully.

 

[Sally's Mom]

I have so many crates, there is one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. I don't think she'll be afraid of the kitchen crate.