dog left at home

klew356

My dog is happy in his crate (jrt) whilst I am at work, I go home every lunch time and he gets plenty exercise. Id just rather he wasn’t in his crate, or rather the crate door was left open for him so he has the choice. The problem that I have is he doesn’t like it. Even if I go upstairs to get dressed on a morning and leave him with the run of the kitchen living room he scratches at the door to get up to me. he panics more having the room to himself whereas hes completely at ease in his crate? How is best to go about this? hes 19 months old :money:

sheramber

Is he scratching because you are in the house?

Have you tried leaving the crate door open and going out. Listen at the door or set up a computer to see what he does.

I f I am in the house my dogs want to be where I am but is happy in the kitchen when I go out.

I do have a leaving routine so he knows I am leaving the house.

klew356

Thanks for replying!, I think he is scratching because im in the house, however im not sure what he does when I go away, I tried to leave the house without him once, just for a few minutes but I made the mistake of picking up my bag and he knows what that means

I do have a camera but im unsure whether to shut him in the kitchen (where his crate is) or give him the run of the living room too

Whats your leaving routine?

bmthmark

Dogs love routine, you need to establish a leaving routine. Once you get it right, the dog will behave the same way every time.

My dog is a crazy 22 month old cocker spaniel.

My leaving routine is as follows:

- Get shoes on (don't say bye or anything)
- Get him to sit in his bed
- I then give him a kong filled with treats. I don't let him have it yet.
- I then go to front door (dog is starring at treats - tail going like mad)
- He is then told he can have it. I then leave and say 'Be back soon'

He now associates me leaving with a lovely treat filled kong.
Every time I leave I do the same thing.
I never go over the top when I leave, literally leave without saying much.

When my dog was young he was in a play pen when I left him, as he got older I gave him more freedom. We now allow him to roam downstairs. But only you can judge whether you think your dog will be safe doing this. At the end of the day it’s about keeping the dog safe.

Good luck, I know it’s not easy.

sheramber

I started the routine with the puppy in a crate then moved to leaving him in his bed in the kitchen.

I have used with all my dogs over the years-7 in all- and never had any problem leaving them.

I also worked so the dogs got walked before work, my husband called at lunchtime to let them out in the garden and have his lunch.

I put the puppy in his crate telling 'you stay home' and give him a treat in his crate. i use a Bonio biscuit which he doesn't normally get so it is a special treat to him or a fill kong. IF a smAll breed a smaller treat or part of a Bonio but something that lasts mote than one swallow.

He would run into the crate when I lifted the kong to fill it.

At first I locked the crate.

A round 18 months I start to leave the crate unlocked but by this time the dog is used to staying his crate so just stays there and sleeps.

After a while with no problems I removed the crate and left his bed in the same place.

When I moved house the dogs were adult, and the kitchen small so they were left in the living room with access to the kitchen. their beds were in the living room.

When i got a puppy her crate was in the living room and then removed when she was okay with being left. Having the other dogs for company helped.

Where I live now the kitchen is large and both dogs have their beds in the kitchen and go there when we go out. they could have the freedom of the house but the kitchen is at the back of the house so away from the noise at the front, callers at the door etc.

My 13 year old still runs to his bed when he hears me open the tin with with the Bonios.

I tell them 'you stay home' and leave.

He gets upset if left free in the house as he thinks he has been forgotten but leaving him in the kitchen settles him. He does like routine.

Red-Squirrel_2

My dogs used to have Kongs stuffed with a portion of the daily allowance of wet food and then frozen, they would be put down as I was leaving the house and then lifted straight up when I came home.

Kept them busy working on them and created a positive association with being alone.

They also always have each other for company which definitely helps but I wouldn't recommend getting a second dog just for that reason.

klew356

I think I might be half way there because in the morning when I leave he gets his antler and to be honest half the time when I come home from work at lunchtime im waking him up, I can tell by the eyes he has slept the morning away.

In the afternoon to get him in his crate I give him a kong with either peanut butter, primula mushed up veg that kind of thing the minute before I leave to go but I lock the crate door, he likes this and expects it. He races back into the kitchen for this part of the routine. Maybe I will try on a weekend leaving him this way but not locking the door? And build it up from there? Camera on so I can spy?

I know cos I have seen him he is able to open the door again of his crate if it swings shut and he wants BACK in. His crate is in the kitchen, I think he likes it in there and sleeps well because its quiet and a bit of white noise with the fridge etc. I could leave him a few toys in the kitchen and maybe invest in another kong to have in the kitchen so he has to find it for himself? Im thinking ‘keep him busy techniques’?

At the moment his bed is the crate with blankets or sometimes he has a cheeky sleepover with me – I bought him a lovely cosy bed which he thought would be nice to dig at etc and try and pull the stuffing out of it – so its hidden in the spare room for now.

Do you think I have left it to late or still workable? Hes 19 months next week.
:j

klew356

bmthmark wrote: »

- Get him to sit in his bed
- I then give him a kong filled with treats. I don't let him have it yet.
- I then go to front door (dog is starring at treats - tail going like mad)
- He is then told he can have it. I then leave and say 'Be back soon'

he/i definitely needs to work on the stay/have it. Hes actually pretty good to train but stay is one we have difficulty with, he will wait for a treat etc but stay is something - il start working on it again

bmthmark

klew356 wrote: »

I think I might be half way there because in the morning when I leave he gets his antler and to be honest half the time when I come home from work at lunchtime im waking him up, I can tell by the eyes he has slept the morning away.

In the afternoon to get him in his crate I give him a kong with either peanut butter, primula mushed up veg that kind of thing the minute before I leave to go but I lock the crate door, he likes this and expects it. He races back into the kitchen for this part of the routine. Maybe I will try on a weekend leaving him this way but not locking the door? And build it up from there? Camera on so I can spy?

I know cos I have seen him he is able to open the door again of his crate if it swings shut and he wants BACK in. His crate is in the kitchen, I think he likes it in there and sleeps well because its quiet and a bit of white noise with the fridge etc. I could leave him a few toys in the kitchen and maybe invest in another kong to have in the kitchen so he has to find it for himself? Im thinking ‘keep him busy techniques’?

At the moment his bed is the crate with blankets or sometimes he has a cheeky sleepover with me – I bought him a lovely cosy bed which he thought would be nice to dig at etc and try and pull the stuffing out of it – so its hidden in the spare room for now.

Do you think I have left it to late or still workable? Hes 19 months next week.
:j

Definitely workable. 19 months is nothing, most dogs love to be given tasks/training.
Mines 22 months old and i'm currently training him to lay on his side and stay there. Its not something I would use anywhere, he just loves to learn stuff and it keeps his mind working. The treats always help as well.

sheramber

I only started leaving the door open at 18 months so no, you have not left it too late.

klew356

This is all reassuring I will keep you all posted