Open House? I was wondering how all of you accommodate your pup when you're not home? Baby girl has always been left in her pen while we're gone (it's a 3 ft by 3 ft square "play pen"). She loves it and goes it in right away. It has her bed, water, food, toys, etc. She will be 2 years old in April, and I know they generally say after a year old, they are fine to be left out around the house when you're not there. I just worry because she is only 3 lbs, and I am overprotective if you cannot tell :) I'd like to move her pen, because it's kind of bulky and we are redecorating, but she's had it there since she was born and I don't want to upset her. Sometimes I think she finds comfort in going into it when we leave, because she knows we're actually leaving (not just going outside really quick). Just wondering how you guys handle it. I am gone on average for 6 hours a day because I go to school in a different city. We can close off the bedroom to where she only has access to the den and kitchen, but she's small and it's a big open area. She loves to look out the window and bark her head off, so I also worry about that. I don't want her going crazy at every butterfly that goes by. PS- she does not have separation anxiety at all, so I would not be worried about her tearing up the house. Thanks in advance! |
If she's happy in the play pen and gets plenty of exercise while you're home, I don't see why you would want to change that. I don't think it would be a big deal to move her pen to a new location -- maybe you could try moving it and leave her for a short time to see how she does. |
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My 2 dogs (both 3 yrs old) have full run of the house while we are gone, they have earned it. My roommates dog (6 years?) however is confined to one room because she tends to have accidents when she is free to roam. When she was a puppy, Lexi was confined to her kennel during the day. I would generally come home at lunch to let her out and play. When she was about a year I felt I could trust her enough to let her have full roam and honestly, she hasn't broken that trust. She is 10lbs. You could always try letting her have access to sections at a time and see how she does. Make sure the area she is confined to has nothing she can get into. |
I completely understand your dilemma!! I work 8 hours a day (coming home in the middle of that for lunch) and Chloe stays in a play pen that sounds just like what you're talking about. She also goes right to it in the mornings and afternoons when she knows it is time for me to leave. But I still feel bad leaving her penned. My previous dog, Zach, was a male toy poodle and he had free run of the house at all times and did great. Chloe, on the other hand, is just not as cautious as Zach was. She expects her humans to take care of her so she has no concern for her own safety. I can totally imagine her rolling off the arm of the recliner or something while we were gone! I've finally just accepted that she is more comfortable and safer in her play pen than she would be with free reign. Similar to what you said, I think Chloe realizes that when she's in the play pen it means I'm going to be gone for an extended period of time but when she's just left out that means I'm coming right back inside. So she feels more secure in the play pen. Besides, she just sleeps when I'm gone anyway and then gets all her playing out after I get home in the evenings! She might as well be sleeping in the play pen as in the living room floor and I'm sure the same goes for your little girl! -C |
I agree with what boopster said. If she seems happy and content in it while you are away, then continue on. If you plan on moving it, maybe try confining her to one or two rooms while you are gone with a baby gate at the door. That is what I did with my almost 3 year-old yorkie when I still lived with my parents. She would have full run of my room and bathroom (with door to the toilet area shut so she didn't get into anything). She had her food, water, toys, and a weewee mat on the floor of my bathroom. Now that I have an apartment (about 600sqft) she has full run of the place, except for my bathroom. She loves to steal toilet paper off the holder and tries to get into the trash though it has a lid. She seems to mostly stay in my living room and naps on the couch and brings her toys in here. |
I think what you are doing is great! Not only are you keeping her in a large enough area, she is happy and you are keeping her SAFE! If you were using a small kennel or a "cage" kennel maybe you should rethink it-even putting her in a spare room-unless you convert it into a dog room which would be ideal for everyone but whom of us have a room we can completely convert into a dog play area completely safe for them to play eat potty and so on in. Hate when people just put the dog in the laundry room or a back porch and call that the "dog room"...really-? is it completely dog safe in there?..or was it just convenient so that the dog is not running around the house which is also unsafe in my opinion. Personally, I have to keep my Princess kenneled the same way you do-I can't trust her she'd thrash the house (we call her Monster for a reason), and I also have to separate Scoobers with Princess kenneled in one room and Elvis by himself (if Elvis doesn't come with me) because he has seizures and I don't trust Scoobers to not harm Elvis during a seizure if I'm not here-instinct rules and Scoobers growls and avoids Elvis during his seizure episodes they are perfectly fine otherwise but I think it actually terrifies Scoobers to see Elvis that way and we all know what fear can do... |
Mine has full run of the house, but I'm never gone but a few hours. She's with me the rest of the time. |
When we were living in a house with a fenced-in yard, Levi was allowed free roam of the whole house while I was gone. Now that we are in an apartment, I worry more about the possibility of escape, so I keep Levi confined in my bedroom. When I am gone, I close the door to my bedroom and Levi is allowed to roam freely throughout my rooms (bedroom, bathroom, and large closet). I keep everything neat, make sure anything potentially dangerous is put away, and fix all of his beds, crate, water bowl, etc. Levi is almost 3 and this arrangement works well for us. He is usually alone maybe 4-6 hours on Monday-Thursday, and rarely alone on Friday-Sunday. My brother's dog that also lives with us, however, has severe separation anxiety and only does well alone when crated, so he is crated in my brother's bedroom while we are both gone. |
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