*lol@quirky*

Moonie, Please stop laughing. It's so not funny. :-)

beeane... It is soooo very funny. And I can handle at least a few times a year. Barfing, I mean. :)

All joking aside.. please, no barfing in my bed. Down, boy, down!

LOL All joking aside? Yea...right :-) You're too funny.
And Quirky, in all honesty,I almost spewed my keyboard when I read your post.

SOME RUDE PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM. IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHAT MY HUSBAND AND I DO IN BED, QUIRKYQUERCUS. THAT WAS SO OFFENSIVE AND THE ONES THAT THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY, I AM NOT IN THE LEAST BIT AMUSED. THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE A DOG FORUM AND NOT FOR SOMEONE TO POKE FUN AT SOMEONE'S LOVE LIFE, ETC. I HAVE BEEN MARRIED 37 YEARS, MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING RIGHT. YOU CAN HAVE THIS FORUM. I REALLY HOPE IT MADE YOU FEEL GOOD, REAL GOOD TO HURT ME AND MAKE FUN OF WHAT I SAID. IT HAS GOTTEN TO WHERE SOME PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM ATTACK THE PERSON WRITING THE POST INSTEAD OF THE ISSUE. I DON'T NEED IT.

The potentially offensive question was posed "how do all the married folk"...

and I doubt he meant to target anyone out specifically... there have been many discussions on the fourm where many people have said that their pets sleep with them. I think we had an entire thread about that once.

My dog is in bed with me every night unless she acts out of line and wants to bug me with her crying. Then, I just open my door and let her free roam the house. she usually ends up in my mom and dad's room and sleeps with them. She's fine without being in a crate. My previous dog needed one at night though. she was clearly nocturnal and we enver got any sleep because she cried and whined and chewed things up in the middle of the night.

A little humor's a good thing.

In all seriousness,I don't think anyone was being RUDE. I agree with Joepyeweed, I didn't think you were targeted. I thought I was. :-)My husband is tired lately from working over time, so the remark about married people hit home.
It's funny how some people with certain personality quirks (myself included) thinks everything is about them?
We just need to realize that 99% of the time, things are not about us.

Um, where's the fire? Whoah.

Aaaaaanyway - I'm the queen of hearing the beginning of barfing and throwing the dog off the bed or into the bathroom or whatever. But my dog gives warning - kind of like a cat - "Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, bleaaaackkk."

Actually the doxie is not allowed to sleep with us anymore because 1) he kept lying sideways and pushing DH and I off to the sides with his little legs, and 2) he started getting up at 3-4 AM to groom himself - "slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp, etc."

My dog is the luckiest dang dog in town - he goes to work with me. When he has to stay home he can be uncrated. We used to keep him in one room with the door closed because he would go to the nearest window and cry and bark at passer's by and neighbors thought he was in trouble. "What happened?" "Is he okay?". Drama queen!

But now he's more mature, he can have the run of the house when we're out. He ends up sleeping the whole time and doesn't bother with the window pleas for help anymore, LOL.

No offense meant to you rthummer. Or any married folks.

â¥â¥â¥Will you accept my apology?â¥â¥â¥

Hmmm. As I scanned upthread I noticed no mention that the propensity to "den" is manifest in most canines. Protracted stays in den sites, constricted and elementally less comfortable than a warm dry cage, are the norm rather than exception, and by canine choice rather than any semblance of conscription. I have two dogs I dote on probably more than I should, and even if I set the incentive of convenience aside when commanding "kennel up", I still have reason rather than emotion as the basis of being able to hold the practice as beyond self-reproach.

Al

Wow. Someone has no sense of humor.

Ya think? :-)

quirky.... awwwww, the hearts made that an extra sweet apology.

beeane.. I was kinda targeting you so hope you didn't take offense because I did censor myself when I was gonna -really- poke fun. It doesn't seem as if you did and I was thinking your sense of humor runs parallel to mine. *whimpers* I think.

rthummer... I've been married 30 years myself. Nobody was trying to have fun at your expense. Hopefully your post didn't mean you were so offended you wouldn't be coming back. I haven't been coming to GW for very long and would hate to think that I was a part of something that would keep you away. Posters names are becoming familiar to me and a few of them I can remember what kind of pets they have but I don't know anyone personally or communicated with them away from these forums. Still, I wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for anything in the world... whether I know you or not. I'm really sorry my joking around was offensive to you.

Well.....you did hit below the belt.

"below the belt" *not sure whether to snicker or hang head in shame*

okay, dang it! I'm snickering! *lol*

OK Moonie, you can snicker if you must. :-)
I do think we got wayyyyyyyy off topic.
What was the topic? Oh yea, Gurley thought it was wrong to keep your dog in the house while you work etc.
Well IT IS NOT WRONG, IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO and most seem to agree. Hey the OP never even returned. Oh well, she started an interesting, informative, and humorous thread.
There, I'm back on topic now. I'm new here and not sure how strict they are about staying on topic.

I am just a wierdo stranger on the internet. Nothing more to anyone here than a series of 1's and zero's. Don't let what I'm typing spoil your day. It's an internet forum not an operating room, no need to take everthing so seriously. Then again maybe I took someone else's reply too seriously. Oh well. In the future if anyone wants to give me some of their mind please feel free to cuss me out in an email by clicking on my page. I promise I won't hold it against you.

Point I was making is that if my spouse wanted to have dog(s) sleep in the same bed, I would not be cool with that. Don't get me wrong, we have the ocassional slumber party but it wouldn't work on a daily basis.

I've been follwing this post and am ready to put in my 2 cents. I have a dog who stays in most of the day and sometimes all day alone. It can't be helped. He's not neglected at all. He sleeps most of the day on the back pillow of the couch. Most days hubby comes home to let him out but sometimes it's not possible. Cody does make an occasional oops but always in the same place. On the throw rug in front of the frig. Not hard to clean it up.
As for the bed, Cody has slept with us since after the first week we had him. He was very easy to housebreak. During personal moments Cody waits in the hall. No need to scoot him off the bed, he just knows. Hope that didn't offend anyone.
He was only been crated the first week we had him. He was 6 months old and kept in a cage with 2 other pups at the kennel. He didn't even know what grass felt like. He couldn't go down or up steps and had no social skills. He was a puppy mill rescue. He wasn't my idea of the Maltese dream dog I always wanted. But I fell in love with him from the first time I held him.
Sorry this is so long.

Welcome dirthappy! Your post wasn't long. No need to apologize.

thanks beeanne. hard to type with a 15 lb maltese relaxing on my lap and arm

That baby needs a diet! LOL or did you mean a 1.5 lb maltese?
This minute, my only problem is Josh 65lbs just dripped on the floor after getting a drink of water. No problem, it's only water and it can evaporate on it's on.

Our dogs have full run of the house all day, except for their grandpa's room. His room is dog-free, but he is out of his room often and lets the boys out and in several times a day.

To the OP (where ever you are), when the day comes that he can't, a dogsitter will come once a day to let them out for a break.

As for QQ's question, in my experience, the dogs are disgusted by such behavior and retreat to their own beds. Megan used to leave the room in a huff.

They understand "Scoot, scoot" whenever told and will get off my lap, down from the furniture, off the bed, out of the car - whatever.

Gurley, back up a second. I have 4 dogs. None of them want to stay outside when it is hot, cold or otherwise. They are "house dogs." You have heard of that term haven't you? They sleep while I'm gone as they would do if they were outside. I have 2 small dogs and 2 large. All enjoy the comforts of being house dogs. That's what they are. They never make messes in my house, ever. That's called "being housebroken." They are left with the TV on Animal Planet, of course, have food water, toys and chews available.

I am a dog trainer, and say if predators are not an issue put in a dog door. The dog can come and go as needed, wont chew things up usually either when given this option because they are not so bored. However as an alternative I see nothing wrong with crating a dog. I too hate when people complain about a dog messing in the house but think crate training is cruel, they are poorly informed. Dogs are den animals and feel safe in their crates, you should provide a water bottle and chew toys to keep them entertained. My dogs hang out in their open crates all of the time, the prefer them to just laying on the floor or their dog beds! I don't work so I only kennel them when I need them to be quiet, they immediatley stop barking in the kennels because I trained them to. My one dog even runs to her kennel when she starts to bark!

For those with puppies who are not house trained yet, please don't put food and water in the crate while the puppy is crated. It only will cause the pup to have to go. I wouldn't put food or water in the crate until the dog is totally housetrained and can be trusted not to do its business in the house.

That said, I have my youngest dog who just loves, loves his crate second only to lying across my feet at night. He goes in when he sees one of the others getting their ears cleaned. He sees it as "his" place. I think I didn't put it away soon enough as he is now 3 and I don't want to take it away from him.

Not a problem now, but will at some point be getting a new puppy and then will have 2 crates going, won't that be fun??? At least only one will contain a pet that is not housebroken for a short period of time (I pray).

Labmomma says....That said, I have my youngest dog who just loves, loves his crate second only to lying across my feet at night. He goes in when he sees one of the others getting their ears cleaned. He sees it as "his" place. I think I didn't put it away soon enough as he is now 3 and I don't want to take it away from him.*******************************************************************
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I've seen this happen many times.Isn't it funny that so many people think crating is "CRUEL" and we think taking the crate away is what is cruel. So we just go on with those extra pieces of "funiture" in our homes. They do make ok end tables and cup holders, if you aren't into fancy stuff.

beeanne, totally agree.

Fortunately, I have a spot in my office that is just right for my middle guy's crate.

The new addition whenever it comes will need a crate somewhere closer to the back door for training purposes. That one will be challenge.... I think we could think of a million things to use our crates for. I've seen my daughter lay out a school project on the top of the crate to organize it LOL:).

Crating or leaving a dog inside all day is NOT cruel. Glad to read so many posts from informed dog owners.

Locking them outside where they yip and bark at the door all day IS cruel....I work from home and see and hear the neighbor's dogs misery on a daily basis.

I recently was visiting a friend and her dogs stay in her apartment while she works. She does a nice long walk before work and immediately after. I had ample opportunity to observe that they did, indeed, sleep most of the day while she was gone. I took them out one day, mid-day but neither of them had to relieve themselves.

My dogs are all adults who were confined to a large divided crate until they were able to hold it all day. My dogs stay in all day (8-9 hrs) but they go outside for an hour in the morning & when we come home and always go to the park every evening, rain or shine. They never go potty in the house unless they are sick. It is too dangerous to leave ours outside because the Golden has sound issues and will break down a secure fence with his massive weight alone if he hears something that scares him like a boom, backfire, thunder, whistles, fog horns,! He breaks it down and leaves and never comes back. Our Shibas are smart enough to stick around or come back but could get killed too. Too risky and I refuse to kennel them outside when I have a nice home and attached solarium for them to hang out in all day. I have web camera's with audio and all they do all day after tiring of kongs & bones is sleep. Sleep on the beds, or the couches. Occasionally they bark at the mailman, stranger or delivery guy and then back to sleep.

Liz

Have a house fire while your dog is stuck in it's crate. The results....not pretty.

ahughes798: Somehow, I don't think house fire statistics and crate use have been studied - if you have some reliable data, please post same.

Your solution to potty training a puppy without using a crate? Please do share...

If it was studied, I doubt there would be much difference between crated dogs and dogs loose in the house to survive a fire. However if a study was done on crated dogs remaining in the same home for a lifetime,as opposed to those who were never crate trained, I'll bet the percentage will be way up there for the crate trained dog.

House fires aren't pretty, period. Chances of any pet surviving without the intervention of the homeowner of fire fighters is slim to none.
That said.....
I actually had a house fire 8 years ago. No one was home at the time. All 3 of my dogs were crated. All 3 were saved. The firemen told me repeatedly how many more animals would be saved if they were confined - just grab the crates and drag them out. No hunting for the animals. No trying to restrain a panicked animal. Their turn out gear is pretty effective at preventing a bite, but a very large, very frightened dog can easily knock down a man. No worries about the dogs running away or just plain getting in the way once they were outside. i also had 3 cats who were loose in the house at the time of the fire. 1 ran out of the burning building. 1 was captured by fire fighters and taken outside. He then escaped. Luckily, he returned home after 4 days. He oucld have easily been killed by wild life or hit by a car during that time. The 3rd cat died in the fire - I assume of smoke inhalation since he was found under a bed on the second floor. I am grateful that fire fighters took the time to try and find my cats, but i don't expect them to stay in a burning building for any amount of time to try and find my pets. I don't expect them to find leashes, carriers, etc. I don't expect them to find suitable containment for my animals once outside. I don't expect them to deal with very frightened animals who don't like strangers on a good day (I own LGD's) In this instance, crates saved my dogs and the fire fighters were able to do their job more effectively.

The number of dogs who would be without homes if no one who worked full time could have them would be insane. I have three greyhounds. They're home alone 8-9 hours often during the week. When I'm home instead (during the work week), they don't ask to go outside, they sleep mostly as they've adapted that schedule. :) Greyhounds are particularly lazy dogs and don't seem to have a problem with my full time work schedule. Additionally, greyhounds are particularly sensitive to hot & cold weather conditions due to their thin skin and lack of body fat. They are not meant to be outdoor dogs.

This is an old thread, but I wanted to weigh in on this-I was one of those people who thought crate training was cruel & unusual. My sister & I got our dogs at about the same time-my golden mix was never crate-trained, her JRT was-I was able to be home w/ my dog, she worked full time. I think the biggest impact is when they are young-my dog chewed things (once it was a bag of kitty litter, a bag of charcoal, & a bag of garbage-that was the worst). Both of our dogs lived out a full life-Kashmir (my golden died at 13, bladder cancer-he was a great dog!) & Dexter (her JRT, died at 16).
This summer, some wretched person dropped off a black lab at my sister's house, who turned out to be pregnant. Baby had a litter of 4 pups, & I think it was predestined that I would take 2 of the puppies (Kashmir had passed away almost 2 years ago), I didn't think I wanted another dog, but my sister certainly didn't need all of them-she kept Baby (the mother) & 2 puppies, while we drove down to NC & picked up Taz & Bella at 10 weeks.
I borrowed a crate from a neighbor & purchased another-that's where they sleep, from about 9 to 6 am. They're huge & still confined to the back of the house (although yesterday they learned they could jump over the baby gates.) I'm home with them, but after a flurry of activity in the morning, they like to sleep on the couch. I couldn't survive w/out crates, they still have to be supervised whenever they're out, they're 4.5 months old. I now realize how valuable crate training is...

I no longer worked outside the home on a regular basis when we got our lab, who is now 9 years old. We crate trained her because labs are power chewers and if I wanted my furniture and other belongings to remain intact, I knew I better learn to love the idea of crate training. It was a cinch to crate train her - whenever I left the house - to shop, to do yard work, to sit outside at a time it was too hot for her to be outside for too long a period of time, she knew that it was time to get "into your bed" and did so without qualm.

It was her piece of safety I do believe, it was her comfort zone also once she got used to the idea. It was not an area of punishment -ever. It was a place to be safe when alone, plain and simple. Once bed wetting was obviously not an issue (within a week we knew it was not) we bought a fat, comfortable dog bed and stuffed it into the crate - and that was it - she was in doggy bed heaven and has remained of that frame of mind ever since.

After she turned three years of age, I started to leave the door open and she would just go in on her own. It was her bed to use when she chose, we only closed the crate door when we would be gone from the house and the property for a longer period of time.

She gets a new bed stuffed into her crate about twice a year, she is older now and she likes them to remain fluffy for her joints. We removed the crate door from her crate years and years ago, when the power chewing stopped and she was obviously fine being left alone in the house for any reason or any length of time.

Her crate is and always has been the great big durable, hard plastic travel crates made for large dogs, that is what we liked and what worked for us and for her. Her crate was first kept in the living room so that she could be in the crate but also be in the center of the life of the house, aware and able to see what was going on if she was put in there for other reasons when we were at home - which she was. During dinner or dinner prep - when we had company we always crated her - when I was cleaning the house and didn't want her underfoot until my chores were complete- all this during her puppyhood through her young adulthood.

Now it resides in the bedroom and this is where she will go when she wants to sleep which is the majority of time. She took to that crate and the training from the start.

Often what might seem cruel or unloving is very loving and protective.

The crate is in the house, climate controlled and comfortable. The dog never tore up anything. She never ate anything questionable. We weren't upset with her because she didn't tear stuff up, so she wasn't upset because we were upset with her. None of that stuff was ever an issue.

She felt safe. When we got home the door was oopened for her to come out and the door was left open so that if she felt like it she could go back in. Within a month of bringing home the crate, it was her preferred place to nap...

Here is something none of you will like to hear...I am in college and live off campus and my roommate has a chihuahua/miniture schnauzer. This dog has not seen the light of day except a few times last semester. This dog is cooped up inside, upstairs all day...24/7! This dog is pee pad trained...but not geriatric or a puppy, not sure the exact age but around middle-aged. Not only does this dog only get to use the pee pad as a way of going to the bathroom but the owner will wait until the pee pad is full until it is changed (the excuse of pee pads are too expensive. The smell of urine last semester was atrocious; this semester it is faintly covered by a plug-in scent. Tell me this is not ridiculous and upsetting. How can someone do this to their dog?! I wanted to see if I was just crazy or not since I've never owned a dog but all the professionals such as the animal control officer, and a dog organization were fired up with anger. First off why does someone in college have a dog in the first place. We are not settled down yet; why should we drag a pet every place we go. The worst possible scenario happened and this roommate of mine somehow turned the landlord against me. Threatening my place of habitance on lies from this manipulative person. I would have lost the place I am living if I allowed the ACO to come here like she wanted to. I was crushed, stressed, and felt bombarded. This person was my only close freind as well. I know never move in with your freind. To continue on with the story...I was sat down to and talked TO by my landlord and roommate and was told that I had to pay for the electric heater I was using if it got over a certain amount. I was using this heater because one my room is colder in the first place and two because the dog would come and urinate and release feces in my room and also the smell from urine on the pee pad in the bathroom a foot from my door was filling my room... so in turn I shut my door and froze (everything is included in the rent btw). So now I either pay or buy a dog gate...ya know since I have to change everything to cater to the conniving person and the dog. My main confusion here is what is wrong with people? Can anyone tell me that? Animals are so innocent...and dogs literally praise their owners, but for what? What do they get back? Well we all know what they get with the awesome perfect dog owners, but what does this dog in the story get? Food, water, shelter? Could humans mentally live on just that? Research has shown that we need socialization, love, comfort...possitiveness! If anyone has any advice, comments, questions please leave your follow-up. Looking forward to hearing from people. Thanks

I have sympathy for you but don't have much of a answer.
I also agree with you with your thoughts on this.
Unfortunately there are too many dog owner's like this and some people just don't get it. Your roommate or landlord should provide with a gate if you can't heat the room by itself.

Well this is are third set of dogs. We always get 2 at a time to keep each other company while me and the wife work all day. And yes we have no issues of them relieving themselves on the floor. They are both female pit bull mixes and both trained to use the toilet with a dog toy tied to the handle. They don't always flush but I don't mind flushing the toilet when I get home from work. Gotta love them

Okay I have a question...

I and my husband work an hour and a half from home. We are gone 13 hours a day on some days ( it ill be pretty much Every day during the summer) I work at a theme park during the summer then back to a coffee shop closer to home in November. Should I keep my dog inside during this time or in her small lot outside?? She is 30 pounds so not very big. I want to do what's best for her. She loves being inside more than out but I don't wanna rob her of being outdoors during those long hours, even if she prefers the couch than grass. She was puppy pads which she pee's on ( still working on the poop part) but she isnt holding it all day. On my days off she spends a ton of time outdoors and when I get home from work I ALWAYS make sure to take her out to pee or just walk around and get a little fresh air. We leave classical music on for her and she has a Kong toy. What should I do?? Please help!! I worry...

leaving a dog outside for any length of time when the owner is not home is an invitation to possible disaster. the worst i have heard is a dog left outside and barking all day was thrown some poison meat and died as a result. i know this is an extreme example but there are SO many things that can go wrong.

you would be better off to leave your dog inside and have a friend, relative, neighbor come over a couple of times a day and let it out for a few minutes. if you don't have someone who can do this, there are dog walkers who are in the business. i would rather pay someone to do it than leave my dog confined for that many hours.

i have 3 great danes who are left inside a couple of days a week for maybe 7 hours or so. they do fine. they must not have to potty very badly when i get home because they spend 20 minutes mauling me as if i have been gone for 7 years before they even think about going out to potty!

Doggie day care is another option--supervision, play time, meals and potty walks.

We have a 4mth old puppy (Foodle). We both work 1hr from home and cannot come home to attend to Burt during the day. He is has full run of our garage which is an internal access garage, fully insulted (we live in New Zealand) and has all his toys, bed, water etc to keep him occupied and safe. We have a young girl who comes by twice a day to take him outside for walks and to feed him his lunch (he's still getting fed 3x times a day). She does this 3 days a week and the other 2 days he goes to doggie day care (which is loves so much he never wants to leave!). We also have a webcam in our garage which provides live streaming, so we can see him. I can assure everyone that most of the time he either plays with his toys or sleeps. We believe we have done the very best for our wee pup to ensure that he is not cooped up all day and that he gets good socialisation with other dogs, and because of this he is the most well behaved, adorable, loving family member. We would love to spend all day with him if we could, but we think we have provided the best arrangement for him and us. I would recommend for those that worry about your dog being stuck home all day, to invest in someone to drop around at least once a day to walk and play with him/her. A small amount of $$ to give you peace of mind and for your doggo to have some outside play time, is worth it.

I agree with the person who is objective about people leaving their dogs in their house all day for 10-12 hours a day every day ...IT IS WRONG !!!!

My brother has got a poodle ( and it’s ungroomed) and a border collie dog and I took them both for a walk every day for 10 days for 3 miles and they loved it ..they both loved going in the river chasing after sticks and bringing them back to me but sadly this week it has STOPPED ☹️ ...because my brother prefers them both to be confined to the hallway in his town house all day rather than being outside enjoying exercise and being healthier outside in the fresh air ...whilst he’s working 12 hours a day I miss them so much because I enjoyed taking them out for the day and then back to my house in my garden to play throwing sticks again ...My brother has a small back yard but will not let them stay outside whilst he’s in work and so they either have to hold on to their number two’s and their urine or if they have an accident and do mess my brother kicks them and runs their noses in it when he gets back home from work I’ve fallen out with him now so I can’t take the dogs for a walk anymore and my heart bleeds for them because when he arrives back home from work he puts them in a children’s park for 10 minutes and then they have to go back inside ...he’s so bloody CRUEL !!!!!

Clarelouisegabriel1, if you are on the outs with your brother anyways, and don't see much hope for improvement, then tell what you wrote here to your local animal cruelty authorities. I would not suggest this if he were a kind owner, but if he does do what you say he does, he is maltreating his dogs and it should be stopped, even if it means losing his dogs. With luck, he will care enough to change his ways, instead.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your dogs inside except for walks. Millions of people that live in apartments, and cities do it. If not for them, these dogs would be euthanized.

However, I'm a firm believer that if you work 12 hour days, get a dog walker to come in and take your pooch out for a potty break and walk.

But if you can't do that, then teach them to use a litter box, peed pad, or whatever you need to so they can relieve themselves while the person's at work.

Regarding crating- some dogs require it. They chew through wires, have separation anxiety, get into everything they shouldn't. I wouldn't crate, but I would close off an area, like a kitchen with a baby gate to keep them confined.

Im just freaked out at the new neighbors who have gotten a puppy,but there arent dogs allowed here,so they absolutely never take it out,for fear of being evicted,this dog deficates and urinates up there every single day,the dog never goes out……it is very sad that this dog never smells the grass or runs in the grass,isnt this incredibly selfish,how could anyone do this?why?Isnt this cruelty to animals? it has to be,its common sense that you have to take your dog outside,isnt it what they absolutely need

maybe because there is no doggie daycare?