Transitioning from Crate

vscrivano23 · May 2013

Our dog is about 10 months old, but we have only had her for one month. She is doing very well inside her crate - doesn't whine, goes inside willingly. She has had a couple of accidents which lead me to believe she is not ready to be left unsupervised inside the house. How did everyone make the transition from the crate to full freedom inside the house? How long did it take before your dog earned that freedom? She has a lot of Kong toys that keep her preoccupied inside her crate, but they don't last all day.

RedheadBaker · May 2013

We started transitioning by leaving our dog out of the crate for short periods of time, say, while running a quick errand.

After several successful attempts, we tried half a day. We had a dog walker come mid-day, so we'd crate the dog in the morning, she'd take him for a walk, and leave him out of the crate.

After several successful times doing that, we pretty much stopped using his crate. We still limited his access to the house with baby gates, and made sure we kept all tempting objects put away and/or out of reach.

LuckyAngel07 · May 2013

Our tactic was very similar to RHB's. We started leaving Zoey out for brief periods when we weren't home (running an errand, grabbing a bite to eat, seeing a movie). Once she was good on weekends when we were out running around, I tried leaving her out when I left for work. DH gets home much earlier than I do (often his day barely equals half of my day), so I could leave Zoey out when I went to work, and he'd be home by around lunch time.

There were certainly a few setbacks, when we'd leave something out, or she'd get into something that we didn't think about moving (a piece of paper on the arm of the couch, or the remote control on the arm of the couch, ouch!!).

She's pretty much been able to stay out of her crate for a full workday of mine (with a midday potty break) for close to a year now (she just turned 2).

Just start slow, and put her back in the crate if she hits a length of time she has too much trouble staying "good" for.

sandollar1010 · May 2013

I did pretty much the same thing with my two dogs. Short trips getting longer gradually. I remember one of the times I left them in the beginning, I was literally gone for 20 minutes. I came home to the stuffing ripped out of one of the couch cushins and a poop on the floor! I couldn't believe it! They went back in the crates for a another month or so, then we started over. They are completely fine now, but they are a little older. They have only been allowed freedom for the last few months. One is 2 and the other is 5. The 2 year old can be a trouble maker if she gets bored, and the 5 year old has a little separation anxiety and will sit by the door for hours waiting. I think it all depends on the dog. Some dogs can't be trusted and will always be crated for their own safety. Just start with short trips, and see how she does. Good Luck!

RedheadBaker · May 2013

I also want to add, there's nothing wrong with being a "lifer." Some dogs just don't do well with that much freedom, and feel safer in their crates. They are den animals, after all. My exH's lab is 5 years old, and will likely always be crated.

MrsD2006 · May 2013

Same as the others, we started leaving her out for short periods of time and gradually increased to several hours at a time, then a full day. She has been fine- hasn't gotten into anything she isn't supposed to. We keep the kitchen closed off, otherwise that might be a different story.

She was just over a year old when we started leaving her out full time during the day, it's been about 6 weeks and she has been fine.

Transitioning from Crate

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