Letting your dog roam the house

[Anonymous]

At what age do you think it's okay to give a dog the run of the house? My dog has always stayed in the kitchen when I'm gone. Yesterday, she broke out. I found her asleep in my knocked over hamper when I got home. Normally when I get home she cries and shakes and wants to be held. Yesterday she was excited, but not excessively like usual. I'm tempted to give her half the house while I'm gone today.

At what age or point did your decide your dog was ready for some freedom?

[Anonymous]

I've always allowed dogs full roaming privileges when they were house broken. It REALLY upsets my dog to be locked in a room, cage or area and he's pretty happy roaming free.

[Anonymous]

My dog has full run of the house. He only ever gets into the trash, so we bought a trash can that locks and as long as we remember to lock it, we never have problems.

But he also has NEVER been one to chew up shoes, furniture, etc. Only his toys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always allowed dogs full roaming privileges when they were house broken. It REALLY upsets my dog to be locked in a room, cage or area and he's pretty happy roaming free.

+1 it's not age-specific. it's dog-specific. if your dog is housebroken and doesn't eat/destroy things and you don't leave poisonous substances lying about, then I'd say it's fine.

with one dog, we did have to "babyproof" cabinets, because he figure out how to open them and we'd find various items in a pile on his dog bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always allowed dogs full roaming privileges when they were house broken. It REALLY upsets my dog to be locked in a room, cage or area and he's pretty happy roaming free.

Same here. Why would you lock them in the kitchen if they are housebroken? Do they destroy things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always allowed dogs full roaming privileges when they were house broken. It REALLY upsets my dog to be locked in a room, cage or area and he's pretty happy roaming free.

Same here. Why would you lock them in the kitchen if they are housebroken? Do they destroy things?

She's not a destroyer, but she is young. I leave a pee pad out just in case she can't wait, but she rarely uses it. I really think she sleeps 6 of the 8 hours I'm gone. She has started stealing and hoarding things in her bed, but that's no big deal. The half of the house I would give her there is nothing she can get into trouble with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At what age do you think it's okay to give a dog the run of the house? My dog has always stayed in the kitchen when I'm gone. Yesterday, she broke out. I found her asleep in my knocked over hamper when I got home. Normally when I get home she cries and shakes and wants to be held. Yesterday she was excited, but not excessively like usual. I'm tempted to give her half the house while I'm gone today.

At what age or point did your decide your dog was ready for some freedom?

She knocked over the hamper and slept in things that smelled like you. So she was happy and comfortable and didn't get anxious about the fact that you weren't physically there because she had so much of your smell around her.

[Anonymous]

OP he missed you! He looked for yo y but found your scent, relAxed and went to sleep. Let him roam or leave tshirt with your scent in his bed.

[Anonymous]

I can't keep mine off the sifa. Thinking of putting her back in the basement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP he missed you! He looked for yo y but found your scent, relAxed and went to sleep. Let him roam or leave tshirt with your scent in his bed.

Was just going to post this. Agree totally.

[Anonymous]

we lock our 5 year old dog up in the sun room/kitchen where everything is out of her reach - loves chewing and eating anything left on the ground and with a one year old's toys everywhere - it is just safer to keep her in the cleanest area of our house. It's all dependent on your dog.

[Anonymous]

We adopted our dog at 2 and she has roamed the house since then. She spends most of the day napping on the couch but takes some time to bark at the mail carrier mid-afternoon. She has never done anything problematic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't keep mine off the sifa. Thinking of putting her back in the basement.

You need a Scraminal. Totally worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP he missed you! He looked for yo y but found your scent, relAxed and went to sleep. Let him roam or leave tshirt with your scent in his bed.

We tried leaving clothes in her bed and she still went bananas.

[Anonymous]

My dog has been free roaming since we got him at age 2. He really doesn't like being stuck in a room. I think you just need to know what trouble your pup might get into and plan accordingly (my dog was never a chewer, but the second we leave the house he prowls for anything food related, so we had to take steps to make sure trash is secured and there isn't any food accessible).