Crate or gate off the kitchen....

[LAYLAMOMMY24]

They might not be able to jump but they can climb. Layla would climb over the baby gate. We tried to crate she hated it so we blocked her in the kitchen. Then she started climbing over the baby gate so we crated but she was potty trained and housetrained(pretty much) by the time she was 3 months old. She will hold her pee and poo all day and wont go in te house she will however shread an unsepecting peice of paper.... That is the only problem we have we close the bedroom door b/c it has the computer in it and the bathroom door and 10 out of 10 times when we come home she is laying on the couch looking out the patio door. Sumo is still being crated.. Dern bulldogs..

 

[iBoxer]

I agrea at that age a crate would be best. I also used a gate and you guessed it Blue climbed out. Our boxer girls/boys are too smart for that

Blue was great when she had the run of the house (at 7 months) and a noon dogwalk, but at least twice a month or so if I got caught in a traffic jam and didn't get home at the exact time she wanted and she would tear things up. So I bought some new furniture and we're back to crating.

As lmyhand said, after 18 months or so and you don't mind replacing things that are destroyed or you have a very predictable work schedule then try it out then.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

When Maggie was 8 weeks I baby gated the bedroom off because of her shoe fetish. Well, it took her all of about 15 minutes to figure it out. She still isn't a jumper (always crawls up on the couch, etc.), but she figured out that if she butted that gate with her head and body, and/or pounced and bounced on it, she could loosen it enough to slip out or knock it down.

Don't let their size fool you. They are MUCH smarter than you think. I think Mandy's story pretty well sums it up.

Good luck.

 

[carole]

We used baby gates to keep Star out of places.

She is 14 months now and has only just discovered if she nudges them a certain way they open. She cant open a door from the inside yet but has mastered the gate:D

As everyone says they are smart!!

 

[Lael]

What about a little ex-pen?

The link below shows the "ex-pen" I am talking about. You could then let your pup romp around in a small area, without risking damage of walls or cubbards... or the risk of the puppy getting into cleaning supplies under the sink (never assume they can't do it!).

Click here to see example of ex-pen

I know there are lots of different kinds. It might work for a while! I think 7-2pm is a little too long for a 9 week old, but every pup is differnt.

Cat & Lael

 

[sar_good]

I started Laila in a crate when I got her.... she hated it and made a mess of herself whenever left in it for awhile. So I started leaving her in the kitchen and I thought it worked great.... She still had potty accidents sometimes, but at least she wouldn't be wearing them when I got home. But, as she grew she began to get taller and would counter surf.... she likes to shred paper towels..... and whatever else she could reach. So it was then that I decided to start crating her, which worked out great. She no longer had accidents in her kennel and learned to deal with being in it. So my suggestion is maybe do a little of both.

Sara G.

 

[Jan]

An Ex-pen can work great, especially if can't crate for some reason. You can also get a top for them if you have climber.

 

[BellasMum]

Well, I leave Bella is our bedroom and the hallway. Personally (and I know that MANY people disagree), I think that a crate is cruel as they can't move around much. Bella loves to roll around everywhere and to stretch out and if I left her in a crate I would feel VERY bad as I would be confining her too much to too little space.

Bella is left with one room and the hall and has access to the bed and her water as well as some toys. We also leave treats such as a kong and close all the doors to the other rooms. We try to make sure that everything is out of reach as she can get things off cabinets etc! We also leave the TV on so that she has some company!

When we are careful, we don't have any problems! Bella is 9 months now and has never been crated, she is well behaved and we felt that rather than crate her then take her out when she was older, we would train her right from wrong from the start.

Of course you should do whatever works best for you. It took us a while to learn what things we needed to put away etc but for example, on Saturday night we had a wedding and Bella was alone for 4 hours. She didnt move a thing!

Good luck with whatever you choose to do anyway!

Kaye, Jon & Bella xXx

 

[debbievfr]

defo crate

we crated our two from day one.we have a crate in the car ,in the house and one at my parents the boys see it as there safe place now and will happily take themselves off to bed when the mood takes them.Were lucky it not often their on their own but if they need to be secure its not a problem now.