Want to start letting 8 m/o stay in bedroom instead of crate while not home-Help!

[sonomagirl]

I want Sonoma to eventually have free roam of the house when we're not home so I want to start training her now. She's crate trained and has no problems with it. I don't know how to begin this process. She's 8 months old, is housetrained and has never chewed anything but her toys. Her crate is now in our bedroom and we have no plans of moving it.

Any suggestions on how to do this without causing either one of us too much stress!

 

[gmacleod]

The best way is gradually If you give her too much freedom too soon, that's can be setting her up to fail (especially with an adolescent).

You should start leaving her out of the crate when you leave the house for short periods - just a few minutes. It would probably be best if she didn't have the whole house too, but that does depend a little bit on your exact setup (at least shut bedroom doors so she can't wander in there). I tend to think dogs do best if left in the family room or central area of the house, rather than shut away in bedrooms. Puppy-proofing is also a must - keep anything you don't want chewed out of temptations way.

Anyway, leave her frequently, but for short periods only. You can gradually start to increase the length of time you leave her, until that time is several hours. Don't get lax on the puppy proofing though Even if she's always good, she's still an adolescent and always prone to testing a few boundaries. Murphy's law says she'd choose a time when you're not around to see if it's OK to chew your remote control LOL

 

[schads]

Funny you should ask that question. I started at that same age with my zoey and she did good for the first 2 days, but then the 3rd day she tore up my couch cushion. It was all chewed up and spread all over my living room floor. So back in the crate she went for another month. I then tried again at 9 months, and the same thing happened, so, back in the crate again. Then at 10 months I tried again and she did it for the 3rd time (that little stinker). Those poor couch cushions of mine!! So, I wasn't going to give up because I wanted her to have the run of the house like you do. So, I locked her in my kitchen and put her bed in there, not the crate, and she seemed to do better in the kitchen. So that's where she stayed until she was about 1 year old. I put away the crate for good and then I started to let her have the run of the house and she did real good at 1 year old. She had a few little situations, but not too bad. She's now 1 1/2 years-old and she NOW has the run of the house and is a very, very good girl. So, I'd give it a try and see what happens. Maybe you could lock her up in one room to start with and go from there. But I'd definitely try, because it's really nice letting them have the freedom of the house instead of that crate. My Zoey hated that crate! I don't feel so guilty when I leave her alone because she can go anywhere she wants to make herself feel comfortable instead of the crate she hated so much. Good luck!

 

[deesboxers]

wait

I kept Justice crated for the first year, then started allowing her to stay out for 1 hour while I was out for errands. She did great, so I increased the time I let her stay out. At 1.5 yrs of age she was no longer bond by a door on her crate but when I would return from work that is where she would always be. I had several people tell me when they came over while I was gone she would greet the door then go back to her crate. She also left evidence of being out during the day, eating her food and drinking water, her toys in different locations, and such. She has never been destructive, thank god. So I would suggest not doing away with the crate, but allowing your boxer to decide when it should be used. hope this helps with your goals.

 

[HMaonlnlay]

That is soo good, do you think it would be okay to do two babies at the same time or put them in separte rooms?

 

[WV*Boxer]

Kinda funny you asked that question. My DH and I just started letting Tessa have run of our bedroom. She loves it!! Now, she has a greater view out of the bedroom windows. This is her 2nd week, and so far, things have been great. We both got home later than usual from work one day, and we were both a little worried, but nothing was out of place. Tess is a bit older than yours, but I say give it a try, but start slowly. Let her stay in there while you run to the store or something: try to break her in. Eventually, we want to allow Tess to have run of the house, but we're taking baby steps. I say go for it...hopefully, you will have good progress like we have.