Quote:
Originally Posted by Slothead56
[*]Yes, he is crate trained but I want a house dog;
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Our dogs are house dogs, too, but when they are young, until they learn to be trustworthy, they are crated with something good to chew any time they cannot be supervised. For us, this means our goal is that 100% of the time, a puppy - and by "puppy," I mean a dog of any age who hasn't yet learned not to destroy the house if no one is looking - is either a) watched or b) in his crate.
(I say this is the "goal," because of course I have on occasion screwed up in the supervising part, and done something like answer the phone and not realized the puppy was shredding the bath mat or chewing the woodwork. . . . When that happens, I resort to punishment - of myself, by beating my head against the wall as I resolve to do better.)
As you know, this is a ton of work, especially with smart, high-energy dogs. It takes time, energy, and planning every single day to get those dogs the physical and mental stimulation they need. But I don't want my dogs to have the chance to rehearse bad behaviors - that'll only make it harder for them to get to the point where they can be trusted with more freedom.
I should mention that all of our adult dogs still have crates. The doors on them are usually open, and the dog go into them all the time by choice when they want to rest. They really do like having their own spaces.
Good luck, and hang in there.