Where Do You Have Your Puppy When Your Home?

[angelnkids]

hi everyone, we getting use to the new pup now, but still finding out lots of info.

We leave him outside now in his area, if it isnt too hot, but i was just wondering what people do when they at home?

I still have him outside if im busy, or the kids are around, unless i can watch them all 100% i dont trust any of them.

I feel a little cruel not spending more time with him (which will change when we can take him for walks), but obviously we all have things to do and i have 2 little uns to deal with. we try to take him out on regualr intervals and play with him for a while and then put him back in his area

tracy

[poodlefan]

Inside - always. Mine have the option of inside or out once toilet trained.

A dog can't form a social bond with the family if its separated.

I'd put puppy in a play pen or crate when you can't supervise but I'd want him inside observing family life for at least part of the time.

[minxy]

I've had my pup for just over a week, and so far we have had him inside almost all of the time. He has on occasion been in the yard for an hour or so, as we are looking after the in-laws GR for the moment, so we have been letting the two of them play together. The rest of the time he's inside with us. Our boy sleeps most of the time anyway, but as PF pointed out, it's much easier to bond with your pup the more time you can spend with each other. I like just having him in the house with me as I can still go about my business, but still keep an eye on him and give him cuddles or pats whenever I/he wants.

[angelnkids]

Inside - always. Mine have the option of inside or out once toilet trained.

A dog can't form a social bond with the family if its separated.

I'd put puppy in a play pen or crate when you can't supervise but I'd want him inside observing family life for at least part of the time.

we have a crate, so i might put him there, hes not toilet trained properly yet, and house is too open plan to trust him yet, plus the kids wont leave him alone, and when im busy i cant trust them all.

I never thought of the social bond, so much you have to learn and think of when you get a dog, thats why this forum is sooo good, so much great advice

thanks

tracy

[poodlefan]

Inside - always. Mine have the option of inside or out once toilet trained.

A dog can't form a social bond with the family if its separated.

I'd put puppy in a play pen or crate when you can't supervise but I'd want him inside observing family life for at least part of the time.

we have a crate, so i might put him there, hes not toilet trained properly yet, and house is too open plan to trust him yet, plus the kids wont leave him alone, and when im busy i cant trust them all.

I never thought of the social bond, so much you have to learn and think of when you get a dog, thats why this forum is sooo good, so much great advice

thanks

tracy

It doesn't have to be all the time Tracey but both pup and kids have to learn that having each other around is just part of the routine. Constant exposure (with controls) can help to lower excitement levels on both sides.

I'm not one for long spells in a crate but he could be inside to sleep, after play time and just chilling out with a chewy treat. A child lock on the crate door will solve any issues of unsupervised access.

A balance of inside and outside would be best I think. He needs access to sunshine and fresh air and to learn to be on his own. But if you're all inside watching telly, he can be too.

[angelnkids]

Inside - always. Mine have the option of inside or out once toilet trained.

A dog can't form a social bond with the family if its separated.

I'd put puppy in a play pen or crate when you can't supervise but I'd want him inside observing family life for at least part of the time.

we have a crate, so i might put him there, hes not toilet trained properly yet, and house is too open plan to trust him yet, plus the kids wont leave him alone, and when im busy i cant trust them all.

I never thought of the social bond, so much you have to learn and think of when you get a dog, thats why this forum is sooo good, so much great advice

thanks

tracy

It doesn't have to be all the time Tracey but both pup and kids have to learn that having each other around is just part of the routine. Constant exposure (with controls) can help to lower excitement levels on both sides.

yeah totally agree, i dont like havin him in the crate(apart from at nite) beacuase i feel its too confined for him, its just tryin to teach my 21 month old toddler the rules with the dog is very difficult, they get too excited. I always let him in with me and my partner after the kids are in bed, i guess its just keep teaching the kids, be persistent, and get the right balance for everyone, we will get there

thanks

I'm not one for long spells in a crate but he could be inside to sleep, after play time and just chilling out with a chewy treat. A child lock on the crate door will solve any issues of unsupervised access.

A balance of inside and outside would be best I think. He needs access to sunshine and fresh air and to learn to be on his own. But if you're all inside watching telly, he can be too.

[chi4me]

we have a crate, so i might put him there, hes not toilet trained properly yet, and house is too open plan to trust him yet, plus the kids wont leave him alone, and when im busy i cant trust them all.

I never thought of the social bond, so much you have to learn and think of when you get a dog, thats why this forum is sooo good, so much great advice

thanks

tracy

I dont know how old your kiddies are, but we have a puppy arriving in a couple of weeks time, and what I've done with my kiddies is work out an area that my children are allowed to take turns with Charlie (My girls are 9 and 11). Our kitchen, dining, and living is open plan, but I have bought some gates to place into the doorways that dont have doors and that I dont want Charlie to have access too.

Basically for us its a corner that I can view from any of these 3 areas. If I have to do something out of there - Charlie goes into his playpen, and my kids already know that this is an off limits area. The other rule I have laid down, being that a chihuahua puppy is so small, is to reinforce to my girls that even though tiny, first and foremost he is a dog. Dogs play and react differently than your friends. Another rule is and I know this will be hard when he first arrives, is that Charlie must approach them first - at least until he has had time to settle and get more comfortable with his surroundings.

I think one of the biggest things I have learnt from DOL is that routine is a must, yet its never to late to implement one

Good luck!

[angelnkids]

we have a crate, so i might put him there, hes not toilet trained properly yet, and house is too open plan to trust him yet, plus the kids wont leave him alone, and when im busy i cant trust them all.

I never thought of the social bond, so much you have to learn and think of when you get a dog, thats why this forum is sooo good, so much great advice

thanks

tracy

I dont know how old your kiddies are, but we have a puppy arriving in a couple of weeks time, and what I've done with my kiddies is work out an area that my children are allowed to take turns with Charlie (My girls are 9 and 11). Our kitchen, dining, and living is open plan, but I have bought some gates to place into the doorways that dont have doors and that I dont want Charlie to have access too.

Basically for us its a corner that I can view from any of these 3 areas. If I have to do something out of there - Charlie goes into his playpen, and my kids already know that this is an off limits area. The other rule I have laid down, being that a chihuahua puppy is so small, is to reinforce to my girls that even though tiny, first and foremost he is a dog. Dogs play and react differently than your friends. Another rule is and I know this will be hard when he first arrives, is that Charlie must approach them first - at least until he has had time to settle and get more comfortable with his surroundings.

I think one of the biggest things I have learnt from DOL is that routine is a must, yet its never to late to implement one

Good luck!

my children are a lot younger than that, 4 and 21 months, so its quite difficult to teach them anything about the dog, what they should do, what they shouldt etc, as soon as they both see the dog, they get soooo excited, then the dog does, and they wont leave the dog alone, try to pick him up etc, so thats why i have them seperated from the dog unless i can watch 100%

[angelnkids]

i was thinking of maybe getting a playpen for inside, then he can stay with us, and hes got room to play and they kids cant get to him,

does anyone know how much they cost, is it worth getting one?

thanks

tracy

[jazawayaya]

I just always leave the door open so they can decide where they want to be.

[sheena]

i was thinking of maybe getting a playpen for inside, then he can stay with us, and hes got room to play and they kids cant get to him,

does anyone know how much they cost, is it worth getting one?

thanks

tracy

Just scroll down this list of topics to "Play pen & treats" ...probably answers your questions,

Edited October 28, 2010 by sheena

[chi4me]

i was thinking of maybe getting a playpen for inside, then he can stay with us, and hes got room to play and they kids cant get to him,

does anyone know how much they cost, is it worth getting one?

thanks

tracy

Heres a link

Deals Direct

Hope that helps

[W Sibs]

I have a doggie dog so they have access inside and outside.

They are kept inside as young puppies though.

[Guest RosieFT]

I waited till my youngest was 3yrs and my oldest 5yrs before we got Rosie, so around about your children's ages, although that extra year from 2 to 3 does help. Rosie has always had access to inside via a dog door, but when i go out she only has access to laundry and outside as i she seems to take liberties on the furniture etc when we are not home.

ANYWAY, from the beginning the very firm rule i had was that the children could not go near the dog if she was in her bed, and double that if she was asleep anywhere or eating.

When i was trying to toilet train I was very vigilant because i have seen the problems my parents' have with their bichon and i didn't want that. I used a crate in the living room for when i was making dinner, bathing the kids or couldn't be watching her 100% I only did this for the first 2 to 3 weeks and by then she was toilet trained (She was almost 12 weeks when we got her so an older pup, but she had been kept penned on a veranda with her litter mates so had not toilet training).

My three your old would still occasionally climb into her bed with her (for which he was told off for, and then i explained why etc.), and it also took him awhile to stop wanting to pull her onto his lap for cuddles, so i had to still watch their interactions for awhile. but being older, my kids learnt the rules quickly.

I played games with Rosie, which helped her learn 'bite inhibition' and she very quickly learnt what 'gentle' meant. I could play a high activity, 'roughhousing' type game (never in front of the kids), and then could tell her gentle and she would stop mouthing, and calm right down. The kids were never allowed to play rough games with her, but my eldest really enjoyed 'training' her with my help, getting her to retrieve toys etc.

I think it is very good for kids to learn how to interact with the dog and the dog with the kids. You just need to be aware of where everybody is.

Once kids are in bed you can relax and play with your pup :-)

[fuzzy82]

Both my dogs are inside with me when I am home. One is 15 months and the other 3.5 months.

The only time they are put outside is when we are not home, because puppy isn't fully housetrained and might chew cords etc, so it's not safe for him. Once he's housetrained they will both be inside when we are out (our older dog always used to be inside before puppy came along).

I don't have kids, and I work from home, so it's easy for me to supervise him. But if I couldn't supervise because of kids I would set up a playpen or similar for him, so he could be inside with us as much as possible.

A dog that is left outside will not become housetrained, he will simply learn that 'anywhere is good', and apply the same thought indoors. He will also probably develop bad habits as he grows up, digging, jumping the fence etc, and he will not bond with the family properly. He will never learn how to behave indoors if he's never let in.

[MavericksMission]

Inside when I'm home

My boys are outside when I am not home as they like to chase the cats and they are very destructive dogs..

They are good when I am around, but I would hate myself if anything happened while I was out.

They do stay inside while I am not home if I know that it is going to be really hot or if there is a storm coming.

Edited October 28, 2010 by MavericksMission

[Nushie]

I'd put puppy in a play pen or crate when you can't supervise but I'd want him inside observing family life for at least part of the time.

I agree, we had a play pen set up in the lounge room so that when we couldnt supervise him he could still be with us and watch what we were doing so that he is still apart of the household.

i was thinking of maybe getting a playpen for inside, then he can stay with us, and hes got room to play and they kids cant get to him,

does anyone know how much they cost, is it worth getting one?

thanks

tracy

Go to Bunnings and buy two of their wire composte bins. They are essentially mesh panels and you get 4 panels for $25. Zip tie them all together and you have a make shift puppy pen. Much cheaper (and i think sturdier) than the puppy pens you buy in some pet stores. We took the pen apart since Jager is toilet trained and we still use the panels for different things around the house.

Edited October 29, 2010 by Nushie

[Nahla + Teddy's Mum]

Our puppies are almost 7 and 8 months old and we both work full time so during the day they are outside with toys and treats and dog beds for nap time! Then as soon as we get home they are in the house! We have a doggy door so they are in and out all night.

When we first got them we had those wire compost bins from Bunnings we turned into play pens so they could be inside but not allowed free access of the house. Our house is very open plan so we just popped them in there when we couldnt watch them or were having dinner etc. They loved it because they could still see us and we could still interact with them. Now they are older and fully toilet trained we dont use them anymore and trust them to roam free around the house, most of the time we have 1 on the couch and 1 on the floor sleeping. We still keep all doors closed when they are inside exept for our room because they like to sleep on our bed ( we are so soft!!)