# Where do you leave your 'poo when you leave?



## ilovelucy (Nov 19, 2011)

I was just wondering where everyone leaves their puppy when they're gone. We have only left Lucy alone a handful of times. The 1st few she was in her crate, and then we tried the x-pen. She screams bloody murder for most of the time we are gone (we've videotaped her) which is something I am desperately trying to fix. I've been trying to train her to like the x-pen using videos I've seen on youtube and stuff I've read online, but so far it doesn't seem to be working. Even when I am in the same room and she is in the xpen, she still whines and wants to get out. I would like to just let her have free run of the house but am worried about her getting into trouble or peeing somewhere inside and ruining our housebreaking success. I don't know if she would be less anxious if she wasn't penned off from the rest of the house..
Where do all of you leave your dogs/puppies and what method have you used to get them used to being left alone? We have to leave her for longer than we have been since my husband had to go back to work, and I start school soon. HELP! This has been causing me (and Lucy!) so much stress.


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## Laura(L)Izzie (Sep 9, 2011)

When we knew Izzie was toilet trained we started giving her the run of the house (close the dining room door & all the doors upstairs) so she had the kitchen, lounge & the hallways, all Izzie does when we're gone is lays on the back of our sofa in the lounge window sleeping or watching people pass, she loves it! Haha.

With Poppy now, we don't want to risk leaving her with Izzie yet because we don't want them playing too rough while we're out & can't supervise & also not 100% sure Poppy wouldn't wee on the carpet, so we keep her closed in the kitchen, but we now put a big furry blanket (that she sleeps on most nights upstairs) in with a few toys & she seems much happier in there with that  She used to cry loads when we left before we started putting the blanket it, so it's better for her.

Good luck! Hope you sort something out because it must be awful knowing she is distressed whe you leave  x


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Hi, when Weller was very small we used to put him in his crate, this was a covered crate, as he too hated being caged but was ok if it was more like a cave that a cage 

Then when he was a little older we would leave crate door open but shut the kitchen door so he had freedom but couldn't detroy anything. Oh and left radio on for company.

Now he is all grown up, he is 2 on the 31st of Jan, we leave him the whole house, he has a lovely new bed which he curls up in when we leave but he is always on the sofa by the time we get home.

Its hard to offer advice when your pup is all grown up and behaves (you tend to forget alot of the bad stuff.........I am sure weller cried when left alone while he was so young but we just got on with it and didn't make a fuss over him when he cried, they are very very good at learning how to get what they want and comforting a crying pup will reinforce that behaviour. We are lucky though as we have doggy neighbours on both sides so I wasn't worried about upsetting anyone.
Have you tried stuffing a kong to leave with her? This could help keep her occupied for a bit.
Good luck, I am sure you will get there 
You could drop Sezra a line she had issues with leaving her lovely Daisy and has made amazing progress with her


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## Enneirda. (Mar 5, 2010)

'Lo started being crating at 6 weeks with her other litter mates, and was left in a x-pen (with pad, food/water, bed (in a crate) and toys) when I went to class, a good 5 hours from 3.5 months to around 6. After she was around 8 months she'd stay free in my room with D if it wouldn't be over 4 hours, else penned again.

She never stressed or yelled much. If she did seem worked up that day she'd get a frozen peanut butter kong when I left her. When I did she'd forget I even existed. 

Check out Kikopups vids, both leaving dogs home alone and calming signals for sure, but her stuff just rocks in general. http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

It'll get better with age, no worries.


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

I work every day and have to leave Betty until the dog walker picks her up...
I started off by giving her the run of the kitchen and the hall but found she used 
to wee most days....I think the area was to big for her to ''guard''. As soon as 
I just left the in the kitchen ( which is reasonably small) it stopped. She seems
very happy and have no issues.


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## Morph (Jan 28, 2010)

When Darla was a puppy she had her crate and a small ish pen. As she got bigger and we felt she needed more room we extended the size of the pen. (it was actually a childs playpen that you can adjust/change)
Then when we felt she was toilet trained and she wasn't going to chew the sofa etc we gave her the run of the living room, making sure she couldn't get to any electrical cables. (living room has laminate flooring, so easy to clean if there was any toilet errors)
Eventually she got the living room, hallway and bedroom but we still shut off the other rooms.


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Betty has most of my flat to run around now. I only shut my spare bedroom door so that I can leave anything I don't want her to touch in there! Betty hated being penned in and kicked up a huge stink but I came home one day when she was about 5 months old and the pen hadn't been closed properly and she was fine in the flat. She's usually curled up on her blanket on the sofa when I get home!! Like Karen said, as Betty is 2 in April you forget what it was like when they were tiny!! I know I used to leave a puppy pad by the front door when she was little but she didn't often use it but it was there if she had to go!!


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## Soo (Dec 16, 2011)

My two are left loose in the kitchen with paper by the door and their crate open.

I think its important to give a little time each day wherever you will put them when you do go out so that they are accustomed to it. Popping them in and then going into another room and doing something noisy lets them know you are still around. Do it after they have been exercised so they are tired and ready for a sleep and leave a high value chew/kong that is only given when you are doing this to keep its value up.

We occasionally get a short complaint but most of the time they just settle straight off. I homeschool my boys so shut the pups in for a couple of hours in the morning weekdays while I'm doing school as my two are prob add and mildly autistic so any disctraction and I have no chance LOL They also spend their nights in the kitchen in the same way too. They love their crate and at the moment are curled up together sleeping in it while Im at the kitchen table.


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## jamsB (Sep 13, 2011)

when we go out we have always left charlie with her open crate an a penned off area in the breakfast/ study part of the kitchen - we have been pretty lucky with no mess and virtually no wee since day one - not sure if she whines when we gone but she certainly gives us the sad eyes when she knows were going then as shes just turned 6 months the last couple of days whilst ive been out 3 to 4 hours iv left her access to the living room where she has watched us go through the window ( even sadder eyes i think!) then when i return she is still lay on the windowsill waiting!! no mess, destuction or problems so far - feel like it must be more interesting for her watching people come an go down the street


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## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

Personally I feel dogs get stressed if they have too large an area to patrol/protect. Hattie is left in her 36" crate covered on three sides and is always quiet when I return. Once I can trust her she will have a bed in my kitchen when I go out but for kitchen read quite small space. Dogs who have the house to roam around do not seem to settle so easily in my opinion!


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

Pollypiglet said:


> Personally I feel dogs get stressed if they have too large an area to patrol/protect. Hattie is left in her 36" crate covered on three sides and is always quiet when I return. Once I can trust her she will have a bed in my kitchen when I go out but for kitchen read quite small space. Dogs who have the house to roam around do not seem to settle so easily in my opinion!


Yes I agree with this. Is there an age when they can cope with this?


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Weller has been able to be trusted and left free in the house for the past 6 months. He just sneaks on to the sofa..............and sleeps!


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Betty was about 9 months when she got the run of my flat. Owing to work issues she was at my parents on and off for a couple of months a year ago and had full run of their house with no problems. She usually goes upstairs to their bed for a sleep when they are out.


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## Mouse (Dec 7, 2011)

Kirby has the run of the kitchen I leave the ipod on shuffle for him


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## ilovelucy (Nov 19, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your replies! 

I can't wait til the day where I forget what it was like to be going through this! It makes me hopeful though that that day will come. 

Enneirda - I LOVE kikopups!! I have tried the video she has about getting your pup to like being left alone, but it hasn't worked yet. I'll keep at it though.

I definitely agree with maybe not letting her have free run of the house yet, so have decided to have her in an xpen so she has more room to hang out than just in her crate. I would love to eventually let her have a whole room or two though. 

From day one I have never given her any attention or let her out of her crate/pen if she was barking or whining, so I dont know why she still does it so much! It never gets her anywhere.

I have been working with her a lot today and almost broke down crying cause it was so stressful. I tried just putting her in the xpen with some kongs and toys and sitting at the kitchen table with my back to her, but in the same room, but she wouldn't stop staring at me and whining!! I kept going over to her or throwing her treats when she was quiet (which was rare) Even when I went to the bathroom she barked non-stop. I have been crate training since we got her and thought we were doing a good job putting her in it by herself once in a while, but I guess it hasn't been enough. I feel like a bad puppy mom for letting her get like this. 

I start school tuesday and am free until then, so I am going to be working with her tons until then and building up to leaving her for longer and longer each day. I bought the book I'll be Home Soon: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety by Patricia McConnell. After reading it, I realized she definitely has at least mild separation anxiety and needs serious help. The book has a great training plan that I will be following and hopefully that will work! I'll keep you updated


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Dexter has had the whole run of my house when I go out since he was house-trained. He can't bear to be shut in anywhere and if he is allowed to run free then he sleeps till I return. Bonnie is not house-trained yet so when I go out I leave them both shut in the kitchen. Dexter is not impressed by this but Bonnie screams blue murder if she is parted from him!


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## Scarlett (Dec 15, 2011)

I absolutely hate having to leave my baby home by herself. We don't leave her home by herself that much, and if we do, it isn't for long periods of time. I am on shift work so it is only once a month that hubby and I are on the same shift. We have been very lucky and our family has helped big time - someone will come and play with her, take her outside to play, etc. when I am on this shift so that she isn't left alone. But to answer your question, when we do leave her, she stays in her crate. She has a little bed in there, and her bowl of water, plus a couple of toys. She cries when we leave, but she does get over it and settles down. I am too afraid to let her roam the house, there will be something that she could find to get into and nobody would be there. This arrangement has worked for us so far. I think once she gets a bit bigger we will let her have the kitchen and a small room off of the kitchen - she can't get anywhere else, and we can make sure that everything is cleared out that we don't want her to have. 

I am sorry that you are having a rough go with this, I hope that you get it worked out soon.


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## paul1959 (Aug 3, 2010)

Jess has always been left in the utility room with the 4 cats for entertainment. I leave the DAB radio on 'Planet Rock' so she gets a proper prog rock education! lol. She still fits through the cat flap, so has the run of the very secure garden in which to dig in!!! Oh and chase cats!


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Daisy has the run of downstairs. She either looks out of the window or lays behind the lounge door (which leads to the hall) until we get back. I gave up trying to crate her during the day as it was too stressful, once we realised we could trust her not to chew anything we didn't worry.


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## glitzydebs (Jun 10, 2011)

I agree with all the above posts but I would add that I give pushca a chicken wing (raw) and she is so occupied with that I can sneak out. She is always curled up on the sofa ( I peek through the window) when I get home. try also leaving your pup for short times then getting gradually longer. I always leave the classical channel on too for company....
Your pup will be fine I think we miss them more than they do us you know ...But she is never on her own for more than 4 hrs.


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

Billy was in his crate if we went out for the first couple of weeks, he then had the crate door open with a puppy pen round until a few weeks ago when we started letting him have the run of the kitchen. So far so good - nothing chewed and when we come back he is usually curled up in his crate anyway!
H x


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## paul1959 (Aug 3, 2010)

I forgot to add, Jess still uses her covered crate as her regular bed.


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## ilovelucy (Nov 19, 2011)

Hi everyone! Good news! Today was the big day when I went back to school and the 1st time we've left Lucy alone again since a few weeks ago. The past 4-5 days I have been working really hard to get her used to her pen. I left the room frequently throughout the day, and leaving through the front door frequently, always saying "Ill be back!" And giving her lots of treats when she's in her pen, only letting her out when she is calm and settled. 
She was only alone for 2 hours, but when I got home from class today and watched the video recording, I was shocked! She whined/barked for maybe a minute, then just fell asleep! She woke up a few times and howled a little bit, but then went right to sleep again. There was a stuffed kong in there which she payed absolutely no attention too, but hey, I consider it a huge success and think she will do great once she gets used to it.  Hopefully the next few days will be just as successful and maybe she will finally relax enough to enjoy her treats too


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## Laura(L)Izzie (Sep 9, 2011)

Aww that's brilliant for little Lucy  Well done! Looks like you've cracked it  Hope it all continues to go so well for you both x


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

That is fantastic!


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