1st time dog owner

[drummamamma]

I crate mine but do leave him confined to the Laundry room with toys food and my big dog if I am going to be gone longer than usual. This weekend someone left the bathroom door ajar and he managed to get in there, shut the door and lock himself in the bathroom!…....with a brand new roll of toilet paper........wow what a disaster when we got back. Luckily no permanent damage but he was so scared he was shaking and so nervous. I think he would rather have been in his crate!

[alkite]

Ha! My dog was left in the bathroom and he ate the shower curtain, rendered the door in need of a new paint job and chewed the corners off my built in.

I thought my husband may actually stroke out or kill Giz. Luckily Giz gave us his "I'm too adorable for words" look just in time

We crate both of our dogs (on B and one Terrier mix). Giz, the Basenji, took a while to get used to it, but he is fine in the crate now. We accidentally left Angel's crate door open one day and she was so confused that when my hubby came home for lunch, she was crying and pacing. She ran straight for her kennel and waited for him to shut the door before she would calm down! haha. Our house and our dogs are safe when we aren't there. If you have dogs that don't get into things when you are gone, great. If you don't it isn't something to feel guilty about when you crate them. IMO.

[drummamamma]

I just think it is easier for them and it makes them feel secure when you have to take them in the car etc. I had mine in the car in the crate and in trying to get him out and leashed for a walk he got scared and ran back in there. Also I had a workman at my house with all the crawl spaces open, in and out the front door etc and my b found solace in the crate and I felt that he was safe while there were people working. I just wonder if he lays down while I am gone, it seems he is always standing ready to exit when I approach hopefully he is not like that the whole time I am gone!

[youngandtired]

When I got Sahara she was 8 wks. old and I crated her, now that she is 1 I never use the crate. I work only 3hrs. a day at night, so I never crate her. She uses the doggie door and I close the door to my living room and bedrooms, bathrooms. She stays in my den with the tv on of course to keep her company. Even if I am gone for the day I don't crate, she sleeps alot on her special blanket in the recliner, and spends alot of time outside. Lots of times when I come home she is outside watching the cats and dogs. I have underground electric fence to keep her in the yard. She gets into my things when I am home, not when I am gone. I look around before I leave to make sure everything is up high and not where she can get them. Knock on Wood, So Far, So Good!!!!!! haha!!!!!!

[gbroxon]

Although I wish I could crate my B, he has mild separation anxiety and though we worked to overcome his crate problems, he always, when alone, would get anxious, mess in it, "clean it up" (if you know what I mean) and then usually get sick from the clean-up. So, in return for agreeing to let my husband expand his pole barn, he built Magnum an indoor/outdoor kennel in our lower-level laundry room. Magnum can now be inside or outside, depending on his whim. He's got room to roam in either place to work off his anxiety, and I don't have to worry about him getting into things he shouldn't.

If we could have gotten him comfortable in his crate, though (we worked with him for months on it), it woulda been a lot less expensive!

[jys1011]

I just wonder if he lays down while I am gone, it seems he is always standing ready to exit when I approach hopefully he is not like that the whole time I am gone!

I have doggie cam & they do actually sleep ALLLLLL day long. I worried that they would stress all day but they do settle down. I like the doggie cam so I can keep an eye on them & make sure they're ok while I'm not home.

[Quercus]

@gbroxon:

Although I wish I could crate my B, he has mild separation anxiety and though we worked to overcome his crate problems, he always, when alone, would get anxious, mess in it, "clean it up" (if you know what I mean) and then usually get sick from the clean-up. So, in return for agreeing to let my husband expand his pole barn, he built Magnum an indoor/outdoor kennel in our lower-level laundry room. Magnum can now be inside or outside, depending on his whim. He's got room to roam in either place to work off his anxiety, and I don't have to worry about him getting into things he shouldn't.

If we could have gotten him comfortable in his crate, though (we worked with him for months on it), it woulda been a lot less expensive!

That sounds really nice! We had the same situation with Querk. He is very trustworthy in the house…and has been since he was about 1-2 years old. We knew when we tried leaving him loose for the first time that we might be buying a new couch, though. But he did fine. Not every B can be trusted like that, but some can.

[ChaseandZahrasmom]

Jys,

How do you view the doggie cam while you are away from home? This sounds like a great idea.

Thanks.

[jys1011]

My techie husband got it to work…so I'll do my best to explain. We bought a camera to attach to our computer about $35 and then a software that takes pictures & uploads it to a website. You can create a free webpage with Yahoo Geocities. So the camera takes a picture every 15 sec & automatically loads the a pics up to the web page and will be replaced every 15 sec with a new pic that is uploaded.

Not a bad deal $$ wise either

[Mantis]

I crate mine when I go to work or leave the house. I am in total agreement with BDawg. It's safer for your dog and your sanity to have them sleep in the crate while you aren't around.

I agree. I now take Caesar and Cairo to work with me and all they do is sleep. Caesar and Cairo are in a kennel when I am out of the house. There is always an adjustment period where there is a bit of whining, but it is a nice thing to train them to do if you go out of town and have to have them in a kennel.