[sully]

Well came home last night to my living room couch all torn up. I left Oggie alone for a few hours.  He's always well behaved, I confine him to the living room with the tv and I've left him for 5 or 6 hours before and he's fine.  I was unable to crate train him properly because he had really bad separation anxiety when he was younger.  I trained him out of that, he can be left alone now.  But he still hates the crate.  I'm thinking of buying one of those wire pens that confine like a crate but give more room, he might take to it if I set it up in the living room when I'm gone.  Since I work from home I'm not gone often, but obviously he can't be trusted.  I do have a room in the basement that would be confining and puppy proof, but it's a little cold down there in the winter. Can anyone recommend those exercise pens for indoor confinment?  I'm worried they are too easy to break out of.  He's still small at this point though.  I also take him for daily walks, and yesterday he got an extra special long walk so I'm baffled!

thanks

 

[HannaBanana]

Kash is a couch destroyer.   We then tried to put him into the kitchen / diningroom - Livingroom was now a priveledge!   However, he started on diningroom chairs.  We walk them exercise, do everything.

He needs something to entertain him while we are gone.  We started freezing kibble and yogurt into the kongs and giving them to them before we left.  Sounds standard but because it was frozen it took them longer to eat.   Long time eating means less time to chew my furniture.  

So they are still in an area where they can do limited damage.  However I in the mornings hide treats so they can play a game of fine it, and just started having my dog walker give a frozen kong in the pm.  SO far, no destruction (fingers crossed).

 

[sully]

I originally stopped giving him kongs/treats because I was afraid he'd then have to go potty in the house.  But he's getting better at holding it so maybe that's a good idea.  What area of the house do you give your dogs free reign of now?  I'm just worried what happens when the kong is empty!   Honestly I don't really want to lock him up in a crate if I can help it.  I know I know, it's not cruel, it's their den, etc etc.....I'm just not a big fan.  Yes, my puppy is spoiled

 

[maddy_mae]

We keep ours in the kitchen, with baby gates at the doors(I do fear one day they will figure out, they could easily jump them) and leave them with a couple frozen marrow bones! That keeps them occupied for the most part and we just started freezing the kong with yogurt/banana/pb mix in it, they love that as well. Mine haven't ever really been couch destroyers but anything else....most recently a TV remote :?

 

[HannaBanana]

We are not crate people either - we tried it when Kash came home, however he NEVER STOPPED BARKING to the point that the neighbors had to come into the house to make sure everthing was ok.  Hanna is houdini and broke out of her crate, then would intagonize the little guy.  I just feared for Hanna's safety.  

Right now when we are gone they get kitchen, hallway, and diningroom.   The diningroom is the only room with carpet and I have their bed in there.  They get Tv or radio.   I dont see too much potty accidents on the carpet because this is also where they sleep.   We used to give them full run, until they decided how to play tug with accent pillows.  Hated reading notes from the dog walker on how it snowed everyday in the livingroom.   Now the livingroom is a priveledge.   So they are only allowed in it when someone is home.

There are also lot of toys that you can stuff treats into or that are time released that can make for longer activity.   Either that or we have learned to get a good run in, walk or play, then we go out to run errands.  That makes for a lazy pup.  Classical music also seems to work sometimes, as retared as that sounds.

Melting cheese in kongs is long lasting due to the fact it hardens making it a bit more difficult.  And on some occasions, I do give fresh bully sticks to chew on.   Only fresh when we are not home for a couple of hours since they are 12 inches and no way in hell they can take them down!

Its a battle to find new things too - so I am interested too in anything people say.