# Leave out or crate?



## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

So for awhile now (a few months) Jinx has been getting left out while I go shopping and of course has been out for months at night. I'm normally gone no less then an hour and haven't been gone for more then 3 yet however tomorrow I have training for a new job and will be gone from 11-5. The times she has been left out there have been cookies on the counter, left over hamhocks and other goodies in the trash, and various other things and she has never gotten into any of them and never gets up on the counter for stuff no matter if I'm here or not. I don't think I have anything to worry about but nervous mommy mode has kicked in being gone for that long and debating crating her or just leaving her out. Any opinions from people here?


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

I would probably try her, but I would make sure I checked as thoroughly as I could that there was nothing life-threatening she could get into. Or can you come back for lunch? Can someone else come halfway and check on her?


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

unfortunately it's only hubby and I and hes in Iraq so it's just me and I won't get a lunch break I'll be in training the entire time. When I actually leave there is nothing life threatening out maybe some cookies and butter on the counter but thats it and while I highly doubt she would get them (she has NEVER been a counter surfer) if she by some chance did I wouldn't be angry because I did leave them there. The hamhocks in the trash were overnight not while I was gone and generally if she gets off the bed I wake up because I'm a light sleeper and tomorrow is trash day so there will be no trash and there is nothing left on the counters (theres a stick of butter on a plate but thats up even higher on the microwave) so theres really nothing for her to get into and she has her toys all over the place. My thing is she has been left for 3 hours and absolutely nothing normally she lays on the living room floor and doesn't move til I come back (I've videod it) the last time I left I know she moved because there was a carebear on my bed so I'm sure she went back there and took a nap with it (she likes to sleep with them) Personally I doubt she will do anything because she has always been good about not getting into stuff and even as a 10 wk old puppy she never put her mouth on anything that wasn't hers (shoes cords furniture etc...) but paranoid mommy mode kicks in and worries about who knows what.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

ok, so you're going to leave her out. make sure she
can't get anything off the counter. when i first started leaving my dog
out of the crate i did it gradually. he was always out of the crate when i
was home except for when we went to bed. in the begining
i would leave my dog out of the crate for 5 to 10 minutes while
i left the house. 5 to 10 minutes turned into a 1/2 hour
and a 1/2 hour turned into 45 minutes and so.


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## SARAHSMITH (Sep 19, 2010)

My dog was great as well, so at about 7 months we let him have the house to himself. Things went great except for the occassional paper he would tear apart. Then my daughter and I were off for the summer, and when we returned to school he started being destructive. Now we gate him in the mud room. We can't even leave him his dog bed as he is tearing that up. Just a warning that even though they were good, maybe the teenage years cause some misbehaving.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

doggiedad I don't think your understanding me. She is always out when I'm home now and out while I sleep. She's out whie I run all my errands and go grocery shopping etc.. She hasn't been in her crate at all for a few months now (occassionally at night she'll go in willingly but its open) She has been left alone for up to 3 hours numerous 1-2 hour trips etc.. and we did start off doing short trips and then gradually making them longer. However this is going from 3 hours to 6 which is why I'm questioning it but I'm thinking if she's good for 3 hours nothing will change at 6 that she wouldn't do in the first 6 (so I'm hoping).. not sure why you haven't read the fact that she has been left alone for hours and its not that I'm just leaving for 6 hours and expecting her to be good.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Holmeshx2 said:


> doggiedad I don't think your understanding me. She is always out when I'm home now and out while I sleep. She's out whie I run all my errands and go grocery shopping etc.. She hasn't been in her crate at all for a few months now (occassionally at night she'll go in willingly but its open) She has been left alone for up to 3 hours numerous 1-2 hour trips etc.. and we did start off doing short trips and then gradually making them longer. However this is going from 3 hours to 6 which is why I'm questioning it but I'm thinking if she's good for 3 hours nothing will change at 6 that she wouldn't do in the first 6 (so I'm hoping).. not sure why you haven't read the fact that she has been left alone for hours and its not that I'm just leaving for 6 hours and expecting her to be good.


I'm going to be dealing / trying this soon. Is there any way, maybe on weekends, that you could test the theory and go 4.5 hours? Not sure where you'd go that long  but you could do a whole lot of shopping?  Maybe you could try that a couple of times. ??


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I would put the cookies and butter away and see what happens. I've had dogs who were reliable from a young age. I've also had relapses but you'll never know until you try. 

I do agree to triple check to make sure there is nothing harmful for her to get into.


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## Capone (Jul 14, 2010)

Just make sure you exercise the dog before you leave.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

chelle thats not a bad idea but my only question is what in the world would change after so many hours that a few more would change besides not going potty but thats not a concern of mine really. 

I would definitely make sure nothing was out except for her toys. I probably wont make my decision until right before I leave but she eats dinner at night so it's not like she'll have a bunch of food in her tummy making her have to go potty and thankfully it's at 11 so I have plenty of time to run her some in the morning and tire her out. I think I'm leaning a bit more towards leaving her out. She hasn't been forced to be in her crate for months (once or twice while having the doors open bringing furniture in) and I have to admit part of me feels kind of bad throwing her in her crate for that long even though I'm sure she would settle in and sleep the entire time anyways I just feel bad she earned her freedom up to this point and then taking it away from her without her doing anything to break the trust she has earned. Also, no matter what happens if she does something I wouldn't get upset because I know I'm taking a risk leaving her out it would just mean next time she gets crated.


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## Kyad02 (Oct 21, 2011)

Go for it. Sounds like shes already 99% there


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Holmeshx2 said:


> chelle thats not a bad idea but my only question is what in the world would change after so many hours that a few more would change besides not going potty but thats not a concern of mine really.


I wouldn't really think much would change, it's just double the time. Just a really cautious approach, I guess. Sounds like she's doing a great job.  Sounds like she's pretty used to a three hour time span. Dogs seem to have a somewhat innate sense of time? I don't know if it would panic her to have the time doubled? 

I'm a paranoid dog owner.  Does sound like she'll do just fine.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

lol glad I'm not the only paranoid one. She has NEVER messed up shes been completely potty trained since 3-4 months old, like I said before has NOT touched a single thing that wasn't hers ever in her life same with counter surfing, never gotten in the trash (if it was full and food right on top she would sniff it then look at me but never actually took anything out) and even if I make a nice steak and leave it on the coffee table and leave the room she will either come with me or sit next to it but leaves it alone (doubt shed do that while I was gone but its just the point) So she's never given me a reason to not trust her but I'm just paranoid.

The poll is staying 50/50 which is so not helping make up my mind lol. Heck I give her a milkbone before I leave and the first few times I left I would come home and find it on the floor she wouldn't eat it until I got home then would run over and eat it super quick like she had been waiting forever to eat it lol.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Holmeshx2 said:


> lol glad I'm not the only paranoid one. She has NEVER messed up shes been completely potty trained since 3-4 months old, like I said before has NOT touched a single thing that wasn't hers ever in her life same with counter surfing, never gotten in the trash (if it was full and food right on top she would sniff it then look at me but never actually took anything out) and even if I make a nice steak and leave it on the coffee table and leave the room she will either come with me or sit next to it but leaves it alone (doubt shed do that while I was gone but its just the point) So she's never given me a reason to not trust her but I'm just paranoid.
> 
> The poll is staying 50/50 which is so not helping make up my mind lol. Heck I give her a milkbone before I leave and the first few times I left I would come home and find it on the floor she wouldn't eat it until I got home then would run over and eat it super quick like she had been waiting forever to eat it lol.


Well, FWIW, I voted for crate before I actually read the entire thread and understood your girl has done well outside the crate. So my vote doesn't count, hehe. Really sounds like you're on the right path!!!


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

well since the poll stayed 50/50 I had to make the decision on my own lol. Today I left for work at about 10:30 and got home about 5:30 so 7 hours and my girl was a perfect angel. I had some dirty dishes in the sink from dinner last night and butter and stuff on the counters and she didn't get into a single thing nothing out of place no accidents nothing. I love my girl of course it is raining and she was outside acting a fool when I finally got home but thats fine. I love my good girl


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Woo Hoo For Jinx. She's a " big girl" now!!!!!!! 

Though I will echo what was alreadysaid, I would put the butter in a cupboard when you are gone. It only takes once for them to "loose their mind", and butter can really reek (sp) havoc on their system.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

good point.. guess I didn't think much of it since its not on the counter.. on top of our counter is a tall microwave then on top of that is the butter on the back against the wall so the only way to get to it is to fully get on the counter then on top of the microwave to eat it and while I know it only takes once I just don't see her doing that this is the dog who ignores bags of chips on the coffee table while I'm gone for 3 hours (forgot they were there when I got the call to run out) but it can't hurt to put it in a cabinet while I'm gone will have to find somewhere to put it tomorrow as a just in case precaution.


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## 2GSDmom (Aug 4, 2011)

Some dogs are tempted by everything and anything...others are good as gold and never take anything you haven't OK'd. Sounds like yours is the later. Relax and stop worrying. If the worst occurs deal with it then. You can't control every variable. You've got a good dog--trust her.


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## Hercules (Aug 1, 2010)

Juno stays home without a crate, if I forget to leave her SPECIAL bones out for her while I'm gone, she will throw a tantrum and basically destroy the whole house. I have come home to ripped up trash and furniture all over the house so many times. I would leave Jinx out but I would be sure to leave things all over that would keep her busy so she doesn't get bored and start destroying things.


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