When to stop crate training

[roffutt1]

Hi all,
I am a first time owner of a basenji. I crate my 8 month old pup when I am at work. I normally come home at lunch to let her out for 30 min. When can I start leaving her out while I am at work? She doesn't chew on furniture because I give her bully sticks while I am home. She did pee on my bed 2 weeks ago while we were playing. Normally she goes to the door when she needs to go. Is she ready for more freedom during the day?

[Timesthemyth]

It's really dependent on the personality of the puppy, if you're willing to sacrifice some household items in the event that the dog isn't ready, and reality.

What I did was set up a time on my offday.....letft skype and webcam on so I could watch the process "away from home"...and left him for several hours alone. But, could come home immediately if things weren't going well... However that might not be an option for you.

You could always just try things out and experiment. My one dog reached his full adult status (personality) by 8 months. The other one I couldn't trust until she was over a year old.

Provided your dog doesn't have anxiety issues or is hyperactive there really isn't a lot to worry about. However, anxiety can lead to costly destruction damage....

[eeeefarm]

You might want to start off slowly, by restricting the areas she has access to when you aren't there. And make your first few absences brief in case things don't go as planned. Some sort of distraction when you are actually going out the door is good, e.g. give her a bully stick or toy to keep her busy, and never, ever, make leaving a big deal! Or returning. Be as matter of fact as you can. You want her to feel it's normal and nothing special, so don't make a big fuss of her after your absence.

[DebraDownSouth]

It depends. I've never had to crate another breed forever, but my one basenji would get destructive if left alone.. the 2nd one would pee on my bed. So crating it was. However, I'm home so they were rarely crated. My current basenji is fine loose as long as she's alone. So like they said, do it slow, confine to an area that is safe and see how it works out. But if you need to keep crating, most dogs sleep far more than people.. up to 17 hrs a day. Just exercise before and lots after so they aren't bored.