# Experimenting with non-crating



## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

Hi All,

I may be crazy, but we' just started experimenting with leaving Rollie out of his crate while we're gone (or showering, etc). So far we've tried this for about 30-45 minutes at a time about 3 or 4 times. My mom has also had Rollie at her house for a couple of hours with her dog. And so far, no problems. Most of the time if we're not entertaining him he's napping or watching the neighbors out the window.

I should say that Rollie has been reliable with housebreaking for many, many weeks and has the run of the house when we're at home with no problems.

My mom comes during the day and we're going to start experimenting with her coming at different times leaving Rollie uncrated. We'll start with just a little while and then gradually extend it to see how he does.

How old were your pups when you started this? How'd it go? Anything surprising happen? Am I crazy?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jessegirl said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I may be crazy, but we' just started experimenting with leaving Rollie out of his crate while we're gone (or showering, etc). So far we've tried this for about 30-45 minutes at a time about 3 or 4 times. My mom has also had Rollie at her house for a couple of hours with her dog. And so far, no problems. Most of the time if we're not entertaining him he's napping or watching the neighbors out the window.
> 
> ...


The only thing surprising that happened when we left Kodi loose was that we'd come home to find him tucked inside his crate (attached to his ex-pen) ANYWAY. Since he obviously felt more secure there, we just went with it, and he always goes in the pen with a cookie when we leave the house. But if Rollie is comfortable loose, and behaving himself, why not?:biggrin1:


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

How old is Rollie? I don't let mine have full run while I'm away. I leave them in a gated area with some piddle pads. And even after over a year of training mine sometimes will still miss the pad and hit the rug. so I'm either a really bad trainer or they are just not getting it. Most of the time they are only left alone for about 4 hours. once it was 8 hours and one of them piddled on my bed.
I think it sounds like you have a good plan to give Rollie a bit more freedom.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

eeeeeiiiiiaaaaaaa.... I have been thinking about the same thing Jessica!!
Tillie has always been crated (with a Kong) while I am gone during the day and she sleeps in her crate at night. I was brave a few weeks ago and threw her kong in her crate, didn't close the gate and left. for 3 hrs. LOL ( I FORGOT that she wasn't crated! ha ha) thankfully she happily (and VERY proudly) greeted us at the door SMILING. 
She has been reliably potty trained since she was 5 months old. My worry is her somehow getting into something and getting hurt or something. I haven't had her loose since then while I am gone... Because of my nervousness and paranoya rather than her getting into trouble. I am SUCH a worry wort!!

Not sure what direction we are going with this. I think since she is safe and doesn't mind the crate in any way, we'll probably keep using it while we are gone. well, most of the time. LOL


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

TilliesMom said:


> My worry is her somehow getting into something and getting hurt or something.


That's my concern also. I know the chances are small, but since he's happiest in his pen anyway, and we have the room for it, I see no reason not to continue!


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

Sissy and Smokey were a little over a year when we started experimenting with leaving them loose in the house because they love sleeping on the back of the couch and/or recliner. We never had any problems with them. Then along came Misty and their freedom was gone. My bf decided one day to leave them all out while he ran an errand (maybe 30 minutes) and Misty chewed everything she could get her little teeth on......luckily no damage to her...we always kept the other two in a room with baby gates and their crate and toys in the room with them and had no problems....when Misty came along she started chewing the door frames and base boards so we had to get a gate that goes all the way around the room so she has no access to wood....the bf thinks she is part beaver lol...anyways my point I guess is once they are potty trained the only way to find out is to try it but I would only do it for very very short periods of time at first.....good luck!

I should add like Karen we found Smokey and Sissy in "their room" in their beds or crates lol even though they had the freedom on the house.....


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## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

I agree with everyone who worries (or worried) about them getting into something they shouldn't and getting hurt. But he seems fine when we're home and we've really gotten relaxed in the last few months. We even keep the bird out all the time (on his playpen/cage - but not when we're out of earshot) and he leaves the bird alone. I'm going to start very slowly. 

Karen, Rollie puts himself in his crate too! I love that - it's hilarious.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

We gated Augie in the kitchen until we brought Finn home. Then, we needed a place for Finn, so Augie graduated to the lower level of the house. Like others have said, it was mostly so he would not get hurt or into something. He was 2.5 at his graduation and he has been pretty good about not getting into things. Except the time he got onto the dining room table and ate all the treats during the night. I am still wondering about that one - as it has 'Finn' written all over that.....but I digress. Augie just usually goes in his crate - and it is one of those small travel crates - or sits on his favorite chair.

As far as Finn is concerned, the crate is still MY best friend. :biggrin1: And I do NOT foresee any change in that relationship for a good long while. He cannot just be gated in the kitchen. He gets himself into all kinds of situations. And he cannot be allowed in the whole house unsupervised, or I have caught him marking on the piano bench and a couple of other things.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Bumi doesn't use a crate at all. I packed his crate when he was 1 year.

When we are not home and during the night, he is in the game room. The room is right off the kitchen and is about 8 x 20 feet, I put a gate by the entrance.

Toby is in that room now, but he is in the Xpen with his crate and litter box there. He will also be granted full run of the room when he earns it.

PS: The times I have forgotten to put the gate, Bumi has moved through the house but he has never chewed or peed anywhere.


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## CrazieJones (May 28, 2011)

Roshi has gotten quite mischievious. Sigh. He climb on things to get to things. Silly dog. I think he's better confined. At least I know he's safe and trouble free


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## kristin08 (Oct 11, 2011)

Sawyer has had the full run of the apartment (minus the bedroom) since he was 12 weeks old. Which was less than one full week after I brought him home. He was such an escape artist that it was safer for me to leave him out than it was to leave him in his pen! It didn't go as I planned that is for sure. I wanted him in his gated off area while I work 12 hr night shifts as a nurse 3 nights/week. He had other ideas... 

The first time I left him alone was for 13.5 hrs :jaw: I came home expecting to find pee and poop everywhere, possible a knocked over Christmas tree, chewed up furniture,etc. Well he sure suprised me. Peed on his pee pad all night, pooped on the tile in the kitchen and didn't destroy anything!!! There were toys EVERYWHERE though. I think it helps that I have another dog who is soooo good about being home alone and just sleeps the whole time. I also made sure that everything that could hurt him or he could get into (cords, shoes, food,) were picked up and put out of reach. He is 6 months old now and I think he has only destroyed a cork coaster that I forgot to put up, and shredded a few pee pads. I have been very lucky! And luckily I only have to work 3 nights a week so I am home most of the time. Good luck!!!


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## Lilly'sMom (Jan 28, 2010)

I know I'm weird (or maybe old fashioned), but I've never crated my dogs. My house is fairly small and safe. I have hard wood floors that aren't in great shape so the thought of an occasional accident doesn't horrify me. I leave puppy pads out for Lilly and Prim. Lilly has faithfully used the pads since she was several months old. Prim has an occasional accident on a rug but I use that as an excuse to buy new rugs! She hasn't had an accident on a new rug. I do keep the bedroom and bathroom doors closed and they have a lot of toys to play with. I work full time and my husband usually is able to stop at home a couple of times a day.


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

I did it gradually as well, starting at the age of 2.

When leaving, I would eventually bring Henry to his crate and not close it up, then later bring him to his little bed. But, always "placing" him somewhere that is his before I left.

Now that he's all grown up at the age of 5 1/2 he good to go, and I usually find him curled up on a re-arranged throw-rug(!) upon my arrival home.


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## curly_DC (Nov 27, 2011)

My concern isn't that Sergio will potty inside while I am gone. He jumps! If I leave him in an area with too much space I worry he will run and jump on the furniture and get hurt. I feel better leaving him in an ex-pen. I don't mind when he bounces up on my sofa, 18 inches off the ground. But a couple times he's jumped on my bed, more like 24 inches high. What if he tried to jump and hurt himself and I wasn't there?

Plus, putting him in his ex pen in the morning is a routine and a ritual. He knows I will be gone for the day. It seems to ease his anxiety.


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## luv3havs (Jul 27, 2007)

I think it is a good idea to keep my dogs used to being crated. They are very reliable when left "free" on the first floor of our house when we go out. But I do crate them in our bedroom at night because we can't have 3 dogs in our bed due to DH's allergies.
I feel good that they like their crates, because they may need to be crated at the vet or groomer's or in a hotel or at dog training class etc. in the future and they won't be upset about it, and will be comfortable.
Just my 2 cents.


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## MicheleS (May 9, 2011)

Cappy was completely and reliably house-trained at 6 months. We started leaving him for short durations and gradually built up. We crate trained him during house training and he still sleeps in his crate in our bedroom at night. He'd be fine with the run of the house, but he rings a bell to go outside and he LOVES to go outside so my husband doesn't want him ringing his bell at 2 am  He's a year now and has never had an accident in the house or gotten into anything. Having had other dogs (not Havs) that were not reliably house trained, I can really appreciate how great this is! My suggestion would be to not let your pup have the run of the house alone until you're convinced that he wouldn't get into anything or have an accident.


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## Blue_Persuasion (Jan 4, 2012)

I guess we're some of the rare ones. Bobby is about 5 1/2 months old, and though we don't go out often, we have begun at times going to dinner for a couple hours and leaving him out. This started close to a month ago. I don't know if it's because we have an older dog, but Bobby is amazingly docile when it comes to messing with things he shouldn't. We only had one episode a couple months ago with some drapes of mine that had tassels where he ate some of them off. But I leave shoes out and haven't "puppy proofed" by pulling up any and everything he could touch. I guess it's because he has SO many toys...? Personally I think he's been fine. We have had him completely bell trained since he was 2 months old where I don't believe he's had any accidents. Now my older dog, on the other hand, is on diuretics and I've found a couple very recent spots that I am sure are his.


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## rlewis (Sep 20, 2011)

I am amazed at how many people get by with gating a doorway. Kobe would jump right over it. He started jumping out of his x-pen at 4 months. He has even tried to jump onto the kitchen counter a couple of times and he is REALLY close to making it. I think if it was slick he could!!


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Karen I am old-fashioned also. Rosie has never been crated. I did use a child's playpen for the first month or so when I left the house. I was afraid she would fall down the stairs. But she learned to climb out and that was that. I put her in the bathroom a couple of times and made sure all the cabinet doors were secure and really over proofed it. I didn't know that people crated their dogs until my old schnauzer's bladder began to leak. The vet suggested I crate her at night and when I left. She had allways slept with us and so I put the crate beside the bed. Heidi was really old and she had a seizure in the night that led to a stroke. I held her until the vet opened. I don't think that she even knew when he took her from me. Anyway I thought that crates were for traveling with a dog--you know putting them in the back of a pickup or to tie on the luggage rack on the top of the car--sorry just a little political humor. Seriously though with a puppy there are going to be chewed up chair legs, shoes, lots of toilet paper strewed around the house, but that is just what puppies do and I didn't mind cleaning up after her. Bitter apple spray helped with the chewing and I put up the lamp cords when leaving her then. Now she just sleeps on the back of the chair until we come home.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I've never used a crate and never will, and we don't have any real problems with her getting into things, never have. She will sit at the front door and look out the window and watch for me to come home, occasionally nap right there but pop up if she hears a car on the road. Taking a shower, she'll usually lay at the door and nap, the good thing about the velcro dogs is they stay underfoot so you would be able to see them chewing up a shoe..lol or whatever it is that some of them get into  I know a lot of people are big believers to cage them for their own safety, but I think it depends on the dog's personality and what he/she gets into, I don't think all of them need to be protected from themselves (not trying to be controversial or anything, as I know some dogs do much better with the confinement) just saying if they are behaving, why not give them more roam and freedom.

Kara


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## Rene831 (Mar 25, 2012)

Charly is 6 months and has graduated to the kitchen, dining and family room while we are away. We took it one room at a time and use bitter apple on the cords from one outlet she has access to. Her "cave"(crate) and expen are in the dinning room. We didnt use crate potty training but we did close the pen door. She has a bell to ring to go potty outside and learned to use it the first day. We have the fake grass potty spot we bring indoors when both of us are working in case she cant hold it that long. She uses it outdoors under the eve overhang when it rains. She takes naps and prefers to sleep in her crate. At night the expen door is closed and she stays in her cave until we get up.


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