Expert: Have4Paws - 1/22/2009

Question
I have a 7 months old beagle mix puppy, and I was wondering a what age I can start leaving him outside of his crate and in bigger spaces around the house. I started leaving him in confined spaces like a hallway, with lots of toys, but he started biting on moldings, so I had to put him back in his crate. I would love for him to someday be able to be freely around the house while I'm gone, because I work and can only come for lunch and then I'm back at 5 or six in the afternoon! When will get done with chewing? and when is a good age to start leaving him in bigger spaces?

hank you for your help

Vanessa

Answer
Hi Vanessa, the answer to your question varies based on when a pup is ready to be left out alone. This is one of the reasons I personally don't crate my dogs because I think it delays this process but others wll tell you that it is a wonderful and safe way of containing your dog. I think that only works if you conitnue to crate them though.... I don't think either is right or wrong. Since your pup has been crated he doesn't have the experience of being loose. I know that sounds simplistic but it is the basis of the problem. If he was never crated he would have learned to go frm a small area to a bigger area  to be loose, but this would not have been without incident. Because I don't crate mine I go through a lot of chewing issues when they are young and alone tht you escaped by crating him. However mine were ready to be trusted out alone earlier because they got a lot of practice and training early on on how to do it and what not to do...... make sense? Each dog has a different personality much like we do as people and some are quicker to learn than others and others slower. Some may learn and forget and then end up relearning and being more reliable than the dog who learned earlier. I am not trying to be confusing here, I am trying to show you all the variables that affect this situation. SO..... your's is 7 months, has been crated most of it's life...... good bad or otherwise the reality is he will still have to go through that exploration time of chewing on things and messing with things. If you were home and watching 24/7 that could be reduced to a short period of time but obviously that isn't possible for anyone. OK so here's the real answer...... accept that there will be setbacks, chewed molding, eaten shoes or furniture or whatever, start by doing it for very short periods of time. You will have to plan this out since you work every day but the fact that you can come home at lunch is a BIG advantage. STRIP THE ROOM OF anything tht you think he could access or be interested in and be creative in your thinking because he will be! The hallway is a great place to start because maybe the only thing he CAN get to is the molding. Leave him with some special toys that he only gets when he is left home alone. I like rawhides and stuffed Kongs. They come to associate your leaving then with something fun and good. Pick it back up when you get home so it remains a coveted item. At 7 months he is now re-entering a BIG teething stage where his molars ae coming in and he will be almost driven to chew anyway from like 7 -12 months. Be patient, don't get angry with him because after all he can only chew what is left there for him to chew. If you don't see himin the act you cannot and should not discipline him for it because dogs have like split second attention spans, he will not be able to relate it what he really did. When you are home put him on a long 10 foot lead or rope and keep it tied to you so you can react and pull him back at any time. If you catch him in the act of chewing something or peeing or pooping you respond immediately while the act is happening or the moment has passed. And the only correction is to tell him Un Uh and redirect him.

Sorry this is so long but I have a lot of thoughts about this and try to make it so pet owners understand what is behind the advice. The more you understand about dog behavior the better the owner you will be and the better the dog. Feel free to write back with any questions.