Is it ok to leash our puppy in the house (instead of a playpen)?
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Anonymous
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Our puppy is five months old and has outgrown his playpen (he can jump right over it).
We have three kids and sometimes it's just too much to have the puppy running around freely while I'm trying to get the kids dressed or fed etc. We recently tried leaving him on his leash, and tying the leash to the kitchen island. We put a little bed for him there too and some toys. That way he can only roam freely in a 8 foot diameter or so. Is this okay? As long as we are monitoring him? (I wouldn't want him to get wrapped up in his leash...) I feel like I *should* be training him to behave more calmly with the kids but honestly it's just a lot to focus on the kids themselves sometimes! |
Anonymous
| Isn't this where a crate comes into play? |
Anonymous
| Yes. I always keep puppies and new fosters on a leash in the house when I don't want to crate them but also don't want them wandering off. Portable dog fencing, belly bands for boys, and crates are also valuable in puppy management. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thanks for the replies. Our puppy does okay in the crate at night, but not in the day.
I'm reading all these things online about how bad it is to "tether" a dog up, though mostly this means outside and of course we're leashing him inside and at the center of all the action. It seems okay to leash him for a few hours (like, while I'm cleaning the kitchen and cooking) just like I would have put him in his playpen before, but I just want the opinion of more experienced dog owners! I'd love for him to just roam freely but he requires so much supervision! |
Anonymous
| Get a bigger playpen. |
Anonymous
You have 3 kids- train him to go in the crate on command for all times of day. Any special items use for going in the crate, staying in the crate, staying where you tell him to stay in other spots. If you give him banana or peanut butter for example don't waste the training opportunity at random. Cut up the banana into 1/2 inch sq chunks or even smaller. If you give him greenies or bully stick type stuff create the sitation where he only gets it for going in the crate, doing a down and stay, etc. Walk him on leash around the house doing heels, sit etc evrry 3 feet. We did that with all of ours - labs and herding breeds great by 5 months although still worked on off leash heel at that time. You can do sit stay down come - no reward if dont do it. |
Anonymous
| I think it's ok. It's often recommended to tether a dog to yourself when you are housetraining. Another option would be baby gates on kitchen doors. |
Anonymous
| We tethered the puppy to one of us around that age. I know it's a little more of a pain, but it was great for training. And then we kept the crate in the kitchen where everyone one and used it liberally (with special treats and toys) when we couldn't supervise him directly. |
Anonymous
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OP. for your mental health, you need to train that pup to get comfortable in a crate during the day.
[NP] |
Anonymous
+1. "Tether" is used for two entirely different things. Tethering to yourself is a great training technique for house training, supervision, bonding, and manners. Tethering in the sense of tying a dog up outside and leaving it is what people object to and what laws are increasingly forbidding. |
Anonymous
| Yes. We did that when we had a young puppy. |
Anonymous
| crate - its a place to sleep and a place he can be calm |
Anonymous
Do you put the dog in the crate or is the door just left open and the dog chooses? What does an average day look like…how times let day for how long/how many hours in a crate? |
Anonymous
| I have a 6 month old puppy that I would crate in that example. Put a frozen peanut butter Kong in the crate so she’s occupied. |