# Crate or free to roam



## maggie1951 (Apr 20, 2007)

My dogs have the run of the house at all times.
Both are rescue dogs and one had been shut in somewhere and i think if i was to try a crate her it would really frighten her.
But they are both good to left roaming the house so i see no problem and they do like to play with their toys in the day as well.

Maggie


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

I looked through the poll posts and I did not see a poll asking this. I let mine have free access to the house as well but I was curious to see what the poll numbers might be from the board members here.


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## Nan (Jul 21, 2007)

I guess I'm with you. I leave Honey loose when I'm gone. She gets a treat in her cong and I have had no problems yet with her. She's 10 months old now.


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

*I have two Golden Retriever Rescues*

and both of them have been caught going into their crates on their own. 
There are crate pads for comfort and toys can be brought in too.


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## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

we went through all the stages - crate during the day and at bedtime; crate just during the day; baby gates to block her off from certain rooms; then the baby gates moved to give her more and more room, etc, up to now when she can have the whole house.


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## Nicole&Zack (Feb 27, 2007)

Zack is not allowed upstairs. I have a gate on top of the stairs. There are to many toys laying around. Bathroom doors are never closed upstairs.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Oakly was a free range dog from about 7 months on. That first day of Free Range Puppy I was very nervous when I came home but all was fine. We will see what happens next week when Caue (AKA Evil Puppy) comes home.


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## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Merlin's in his crate when I'm not home. I might run to the neighbors and leave him free, but that's the only time. I've thought limiting his area and leave him free......but just not ready to trust him that much yet!!


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

I hope some day to let Rookie have free range of the house, but for now, he doesn't even get it when I'm home. He's a pretty heavy duty chewer and could do some serious damage. Better safe than sorry!


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

My dogs have free range of the house when I'm home and when I'm not home. There is a baby gate to prevent them from going into the upstairs and also the toy room. I haven't had any problems with them at all--they are usually fast asleep when I get home.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

I always crate Charlie when nobody is at home. It's very rare that he is ever alone though. I usually stay home so he won't have to be by himself.


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

I voted other. Carson has up until this point been crated when we leave. Since he was neutered we've been leaving him out upstairs with the door closed, because he won't move when he has the E-collar on. :doh: I think we are going to try that after he's done with the collar and see how it goes.... I'd like to be able to let him roam free during the day...


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

My shepherd has open access to all the downstairs rooms. My Golden pup will be crated.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Mine have full run of the house, at all times. 
They're both really good boys and I never worry about them getting into anything. I do still put some things up, though, when I leave (like CDs, etc.) just in case Riley would decide to chew. I know darned well he won't, but it's not worth the risk.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Mine are now 4 & 9...they have free range...

However when they were under a year they were always crated while we were not in the house...then slowly we allowed more and more freedom while we were away...


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I voted other because Bama is crated if we are gone for long periods of time but the other two are not crated. They are old folks and very mellow. Havent chewed on anything in years.


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## Kzwicker (Aug 14, 2007)

Murphy stays in the kitchen with a baby gate when we are not home, then he sleeps under the bed at night. We are thinking of taking the crate away since he dosnt use it anymore..


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## jm2319 (Dec 14, 2007)

Jensen roams free now, but use to always be in the crate when we were gone under 2 years old. We stopped using the crate about a year ago at night. He's 6 now and sleeps so much better outside of the crate.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

We've worked up to Jersey having free roam in the house... I'm hoping that when we eventually move, it'll be an easy transition and I can continue to do so. I just worry that he'll be bored not having other dogs to keep him company, but I don't think I'll be ready for a new puppy yet.

Julie and Jersey


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

Sam has had free roam of the house (with bedroom door closed) since he was 10 weeks old. granted, at the time, we had a VERY small 1bed/1bath beach cottage so it really was only the kitchen, bathroom and small living room area that he was in during the days. we put a peepad in the bathroom (where he ALWAYS went potty) and he used it religiously until he learned he could just hold it until we got home from work (at about... 4.5 months or so..). he never once chewed up anything but then again, we were VERY careful about what we left around and had completely puppy-proofed the house. he was such an easy puppy and i never once did not trust him home alone. although now he has an annoying habit of finding mail we may have left on the kitchen counter and ripping it to shreds LOL now we are in a little larger house but still close off the bedroom and bathroom doors while we are away and he's got full run of the rest of the house.


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

I put "other". 

We have a baby gate up across the hall way keeping Samson in the LR/DR/Kit area when he is left alone. Delilah is crated....she's a little naughty :uhoh: and then my old boy Tag, he's almost 13. Tag had full run of the house before the gate went up for Samson.


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## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

He has an exercise pen. I can put his water and toys in there and the damage is contained to 16 square feet.


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## LOVEisGOLDEN (Jan 4, 2008)

Layla goes everywhere with me. She has always had the complete run of the house when we are home (and at night) but if she must stay home she stays in our bedroom for less than an hour, if more than that she is crated. she has never been left for more than 3 hours though. She was crated at night until she was 12 weeks (that was the end of the potty training)


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Sunny's had free roam since 5 or 6 months and Mister came to us at 7.5 months having been crated most of his days and nights, so we didn't want to crate him. They both are wonderful and never chew anything up. When fosters are around, we usually gate off the upstairs, but my new guy is so great, that I can leave the gate off while I'm home.


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## Molly's Mom (Jan 1, 2007)

Molly has earned her freedom. She's almost 15 months old now and has the entire downstairs & the kitchen to call her own while we're gone. I have an indoor invisible fence system so she stays out of my living room/dining rooms and the upstairs. She touches nothing while we're gone.


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

With four of them it is crates while gone. I have one avid counter surfer the other three would be fine but I am a little afraid they would get bored then start wrestling and break soomething.


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## Mrs_B (Jan 21, 2008)

I voted free to roam.

But, I have two dogs and the 8 year old is free to roam and the 7 month old is crated. The plan is when he stops having accidents, he will be free to roam.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

Champ is free to roam the house. He used to be in his crate at night to sleep when he was a puppy, but I can trust him all the time now.


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## ShadowsParents (Feb 27, 2007)

Mine have full freedom - with the exception of the master bedroom and bathroom. For some reason Shadow just finds slippers and tissues too great a temptation to resist. Other shoes, he leaves. Go figure!

Shadow was crated for the first year or so until he 'earned' his freedom. His first birthday present was a night of freedom, but he kept the crate for days for a few months after that.


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## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

My old boys had the run of the house while we were gone. Daisy cant be trusted yet though, we think shes Fergus's littermate! She has a nice big dog run outside and the weather is beautiful right now so she only comes in when Im there to contain the damage (Im hoping shell have relaxed a little bit by the time summer comes!). I also have about a small area blocked off with a baby fence in my bedroom for her to sleep in at night.


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## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

None of ours have ever been crated until now. Cole is crate trained because we intend to show him and he needed to learn how to stay in a crate when traveling/showing.

We've never had a problem leaving ours. All of our problems/damage has happened while we were there........within 50' of them, just not paying attention.

They are in specific areas of the house, and are not allowed to free-roam. Their areas have tile floors, and are dog-proofed. However, most are well past the destructive stage and are fully trustworthy in their rooms (the huge FR, Laundry Room and BR).


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## Jake'sDad (Oct 20, 2007)

We use a baby gate because Farley is fairly new here (~6 wks. He's 6+ years old and thoroughly housebroken), but we're hoping to advance to free roaming very soon.


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## Drew Coats (Feb 3, 2008)

We crate trained Beau and he stayed in his crate when we were gone and at night until about 4 months ago. Since then, he has free access to the upstairs (not the kids' rooms) at night, stays in a bathroom if we are gone, and goes in his crate when we are flying our small plane. We will likely get him a new soft sided crate to hang out in when we need to leave him in a rented vacation house on an upcoming trip.


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

Mine are crated when we are gone. We had plans to add baby gates last summer and to slowly get them used to being free in part of the house but had to change our plans due to an accident that left me in a wheelchair for a couple of months.

Since then, I have been going back and forth with the idea. Some days I think we really need to allow them more freedom; they are housetrained and not destructive (at least in our presence). Some days, I think their crate is the safest place in case of a fire (they could be pulled out more easily) or when I see Flem getting still so excited during bitey face play time (what if they have their first serious spat while we are gone).


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

My two are free to roam when we are gone. Cosmo hasn't seen the inside of his crate since the day he flew into Seattle... Samson hasn't since he was around 6 months old....


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## nellie'smom (Dec 27, 2007)

I already voted in this a while ago. I would like to change my answer.  I had selected free to roam. Well as of yesterday we are now going to be crated always. Went grocery shopping and cam home to upstairs bathroom garbage all over the place!:yuck: BAD NELLIE!:doh:


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## Gold Elyse (Jan 6, 2008)

My yorkie is free to roam in the kitchen and the spare room, everything else is blocked off.


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

Tinkerbell was crated at night from 6 weeks to 8 weeks and then we gave it up and she just slept on my bedroom floor at night next to the bed. She was never crated while we were home only when we were gone. And at about 12 weeks started to leave her out when I was going to be gone for 15 minutes and by the time she was 5 months old we didn't use the crate.

She can be a very heavy chewer and loves paper and socks. But she only tends to only chew on that stuff when we are home.


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## Gwen (Aug 9, 2007)

Oliver, 2 1/2 has free reign of the house but Nygel, 10 months, is crated when I'm away from the house for work & no one else is home. Nyg still has the puppy tendacy to get into things and I crate him for his own protection. 

I must note that Nygel hasn't been crated since Dec 21/07 (except for when he was at the Elgin County show) as my husband is laid off work for the winter. As well, we have a simple life and the boys go with us when we visit family/friends, go to the grocery store, to the arena, etc., etc. and they're great in the car.


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## Adriennelane (Feb 13, 2008)

Lucy's "crate" is our third bathroom. She did stay in there while we were at work (I or both of us come home at lunch) and at night. Now she's outside while we're at work when the weather is nice (today it's not), even though she'll still curl up in her house. At night, she's starting to sleep with us for the first few hours either in the bed or on her own blanket by my side of the bed. Then she goes to her room until the morning. Unfortunately she's started thinking that 4:30 am is time for me to get up. So she gets to go outside again for a bit. I let her in after my morning shower (I don't want the company in the shower), she wakes up her daddy, watches me get ready for work, we go for a short walk, then she goes in either back outside or in her room. I just started keeping her outside all day except for a lunch visit this week. She loves it. Last week I would put her out after lunch, since that interval of time is shorter. I'm ready for warmer, Spring days so she can enjoy them more.


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## MyDogMason (Aug 4, 2007)

Mase is crated at night, esp if i'm working a night shift (I work in EMS, so he's become really tollerant of my schedule- 12 or 18 hours, 3-4 days a week). If i'm on a mix (noon to midnight) or a day shift he's in the fenced yard. if its raining or i'm just running errands doing non-work things he hangs out in the house. NOW dont think i leave him for 12-18 hours, my bf is around too, they can be found after he gets off work napping in the living room with the kitties. bf on the couch, one hand down on mason's head and the two kitties on the bf's chest. we both take him to do in-car errands- bank, post office, picking up take out.


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## daisyzmummy (Jan 30, 2008)

*We close the bedroom dorrs, but she is free to roam the rest of the house and go in and outside as she pleases.*


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## MILLIESMOM (Aug 13, 2006)

Millie is left free stopped crating her at four yrs. Pearl is crated while we are gone and at night during the week. they raise too much hell when we are gone.[/I]


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## twogoldenboys (Mar 3, 2008)

Alex is almost 12 yrs. & my house is his. He had a bad experience while being crate trained as a puppy, so he doesn't like the crate. My next puppy, soon, will be crate trained in both my house and car.


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## Mandy's Dad (May 27, 2008)

Mandy has free access to the kitchen and breakfast nook, but is gated out of the rest of the house. Funny thing is - that she can get through the gate whenever she wants to - kinda like having laws, but knowing that you can break them without too severe a punishment (we don't even scold her when she gets out!).


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## Eupher (May 9, 2008)

Belle is a 10-week-old pup, so there is no way we are going to let her have the run of the house.

She is already a frenetic chewer and while she happily chews away on her Nylabones and other toys, she is always a nanosecond away from attempting to lunch on our furniture. So she's usually leashed while in the house, unless we are 100% supervising her.

Once in the crate (collar and leash off, of course), we can relax. But not until.


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## cinnamonteal (May 16, 2008)

At 5 months, we always crate Caleb if we have to leave the house. If I'm working in the office (off limits to the pup) I'll let him roam for an hour or so but we're all not ready to give him more freedom at this point.


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## Ronna (Mar 24, 2007)

Karlie was crated as a pup and we once left her for an hour and she chewed my wicker chair. I was so upset I could have cried. That was six months ago. Now at 16 months she has been left twice with no incidents. I believe I can trust her now and am not in fear of destruction. I always exercise them before I go out, if I am going for an extended period in the day.

Ronna
Dallie & Karlie


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