Question:
: : You could certainly crate the dog for 9 hours. It shouldn’t be a : : problem. The dog will either be napping or tearing things up for the : : time you are out… personally I would rather she nap than distroy my home. : I agree that you could crate your dog with no ill effects, but let me tell : you about our solution. When we are not home, our 2-year-old dog is : allowed free run of the tiled kitchen, dining room, hall and bathroom. All : other doors are shut and the living room is blocked off by a baby gate. : We have a crate for her as well, but the door is left open so it’s more : like a "den." In this way she has a measure of freedom without access to : furniture and tasty knick-knacks. I don’t know whether the layout of your : house permits this, but it worked for us. : P.S. We tried giving her access to the living room at one point, but she : ate a portion of the couch! : — : Linda B. Fairtile : New York University What kind of dogs are we talking about here. I have a 4month old yellow lab, and I haven’t had any of these problems. Before her, I’ve owned 5 other dogs. They didn’t last very long because of those problems you all are mentioning. I had a golden retreiver that I "locked" in the kitchen and dining room with his toys, food and water. The only thing this did was, he got bored and chewed the corner of the wall between the dinning room and the kitchen. I cannot stand stupid dogs. Brandy, my lab, is the best tempered dog I’ve ever had. At 7 weeks old, she could come, sit, stay, and heel. Now at 4, she heels without a leash, will lay, stay for hours, and gets off on command and the show of a palm. Have either of you tried labs? Donnie Annis — FREE PAGER* Call 1-800-724-3637 Monday – Friday 9am-5pm Pacific Standard Time and redeem Gift Certificate Number #1040254 Satisfaction Guaranteed *activation required at time of redemption
Response:
> What kind of dogs are we talking about here. I have a 4month old – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> yellow lab, and I haven’t had any of these problems. > Before her, I’ve owned 5 other dogs. They didn’t last very long > because of those problems you all are mentioning. I had a golden > retreiver that I "locked" in the kitchen and dining room with his > toys, food and water. The only thing this did was, he got bored > and chewed the corner of the wall between the dinning room and the > kitchen. I cannot stand stupid dogs. Brandy, my lab, is the best > tempered dog I’ve ever had. At 7 weeks old, she could come, sit, stay, > and heel. Now at 4, she heels without a leash, will lay, stay for hours, > and gets off on command and the show of a palm. > Have either of you tried labs? > Donnie Annis
I’ll try to hold my temper in. Really. But it’s not easy. Donnie, please promise never to have any children. They might turn out "stupid". You know, sort of like their father. I don’t think there was much wrong with any of your 4 other dogs — except for having you as an owner. Getting "rid" of them was the best favor you ever did for them. Grow up and understand that dogs, like humans, have to be trained. And it’s not their fault if *you* are too lazy or stupid to properly train the ones you got rid of. Lyn
Response:
writes: >Before her, I’ve owned 5 other dogs. They didn’t last very long >because of those problems you all are mentioning. I had a golden >retreiver that I "locked" in the kitchen and dining room with his >toys, food and water. The only thing this did was, he got bored >and chewed the corner of the wall between the dinning room and the >kitchen. I cannot stand stupid dogs.
This is a troll, right? Or maybe he has found a new breed of disposable dogs… keep trying until you get a "good" one. Ugh. Poor dogs.
Response:
: You could certainly crate the dog for 9 hours. It shouldn’t be a : problem. The dog will either be napping or tearing things up for the : time you are out… personally I would rather she nap than distroy my home. I agree that you could crate your dog with no ill effects, but let me tell you about our solution. When we are not home, our 2-year-old dog is allowed free run of the tiled kitchen, dining room, hall and bathroom. All other doors are shut and the living room is blocked off by a baby gate. We have a crate for her as well, but the door is left open so it’s more like a "den." In this way she has a measure of freedom without access to furniture and tasty knick-knacks. I don’t know whether the layout of your house permits this, but it worked for us. P.S. We tried giving her access to the living room at one point, but she ate a portion of the couch! — Linda B. Fairtile New York University
Response:
Of course, don’t forget that age of the dog makes a difference. At 3 months, Shomer was crated whenever I couldn’t watch him, and the door of my second room was closed to make certain he didn’t get out of sight. By 4 months I could trust him at night; he slept by my bed, and at most I’d wake up with a Dobe puppy on the bed. However, not until he was 6 months or so did I leave him uncrated for as little as an hour when I’d leave the apartment. (By the bye, there is reason to suspect that most of the damage a pup does when left alone is in the first few minutes or half hour, when he is feeling most insecure.) Since the time he was a year old, the only time he is crated is when I vacuum the apartment, or wax the floors. He spends a lot of time in his crate, on his volition, when he wants to snooze in comfort and I am rudely taking up most of the room on the captain’s bed in my living room. Avrama & Shomer — * SLMR 2.0 * If I have but one life to lead, let my lead be on a Dobe!
Response:
In response to the woman who felt guilty crating her dog for 9 hours a day… I really believe there is no need to feel badly about this as long as: 1. You give your dog a good exercise session for 20-30 min. each day, rain or shine, no matter how tired you are 2. The dog is healthy and isn’t suffering from bladder or kidney conditions that would make it uncomfortable being in a crate and holding its urine that long ( this would be an issue for a very elderly dog). I have crated my dogs during the workday for years. I started because they were destructive when I first got them at the ages of 1yr and 8mos, respectively. Now, they are 9yrs and 8 yrs old. I recently "tested" one of them by letting her be out during the day, and my neighbors complained that she barked a lot in the back yard. When she is crated, she simply sleeps unless someone pulls into the driveway, or tries to open a door (in which case she barks like she’s going to finish them off). I started crating her again, and she is perfectly happy. Some dogs outgrow their need to be crated, and others just like it so much that they have no desire to do otherwise. I suspect (no, I *know*) that if I were to let my dogs have the run of the house, they’d hang out on furniture they are not allowed to be on. And remember, you cannot correct for a behavior very easily if you are not there when it happens. So I’d relax about crating her– keep doing it, but don’t feel bad about it. And give your dog a big hug. Diane
Response:
: My Samoyed (1-1/2 years old) is also chewing up every bit of furniture it : can reach. I feel sorry if I leave it in its crate all day while I’m at : work (9 hours). Does anyone have experienced with long term crating of a : dog? By the way she loves her crate and often when I’m home I find her in : it with the door open. You could certainly crate the dog for 9 hours. It shouldn’t be a problem. The dog will either be napping or tearing things up for the time you are out… personally I would rather she nap than distroy my home. You could also design a nice dog run, or pen for her. This way she could move around more or play with chew toys while you work. I saw a clever design where someone penned off the driveway. The dog could spend a few hours safely outdoors while the family was out.
Response:
I have a 7 month old 1/2 Boxer & 1/2 doberman. She will literally chew everything in site. I have tried giving her toys to chew on and have told her NO everytime I catch her. I just hate keeping her in her house instead of being out. I have though of a muzzle but am not sure if this is the right thing to do. I f anyone has suggestion please let me know. Thanks
Response:
> I have though of a muzzle
Don’t do this please. Dogs can die if left along with a muzzle — it inhibits the ability to breathe and to pant (thereby cooling off). get a crate. —
Response:
My Samoyed (1-1/2 years old) is also chewing up every bit of furniture it can reach. I feel sorry if I leave it in its crate all day while I’m at work (9 hours). Does anyone have experienced with long term crating of a dog? By the way she loves her crate and often when I’m home I find her in it with the door open.
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.