Where Do You Keep Your Dog?

I would keep him in the crate when you are not at home and work harder at actually training him. Just because they will go outside when outside doesn't mean they are house-trained...if he's still going in the house, he is NOT house-trained in any way. Take him outside frequently and give him a special treat for "going" outside. Keep him close to you when you are home so he can't just wander off unsupervised. And keep him crated when you are not at home - if it is where he sleeps, he may try a little harder to "hold it" so he doesn't mess up his bed. Then as soon as you get home, take him out first thing so he goes right away.

When my dogs were puppies, they were crated when I wasn't home. Now that they are adults (2 yrs and 5 yrs) they have free roam of the house. The only time they have accidents now is if they are sick, which has only been once or twice ever. I'd recommed potty training the dog. I don't believe dogs should be kept outside away from their family. They are pack animals. They need their people.

this dog stays in when we're gone because he's totally house-trained. we had a former one who spent some time in a crate and some outside in a well-insulated dog house if we weren't home because he wasn't too trustworthy.
the screened in porch is a nice option for most of the year, isn't it?
:) khairete
S.

The best option is to put him in his crate during the day when you are gone. A dog generally will not do its business where it has to sleep, so this is not only the safest lace for him but also the best housebreaking option.

Another option might be to put down a training pad near the door if you are leaving the dog out. Best bet is the crate, though.

What would **I** do? I would take the time to potty/house train him. Period.

If you don't want to do that, then "kennel" him during the day.

If you don't like that - then a baby gate and keep him in the kitchen - I realize you don't believe that dogs belong in the kitchen, however, it's the best place for him to be so he doesn't ruin your new home.

I don't know how old the dog is - however - Shitz Zu's can be pretty darn smart...and stubborn. But if you give him at least two weeks of intense house training - you will be able to let him roam!!!

Good luck!

I agree with the poster before me: get him on a schedule that offers more exercise and finish potty training. Our dog has the run of the house, but he is exceptionally well behaved and never has accidents or destroys anything.

My dog is an inside dog and has the run of the house. He has never (and will never be) crate trained or confined to a cage or small space/room. When I leave he stays inside and has never had an accident---but to be fair, I pretty much have THE PERFECT DOG...seriously! :)

I took the time to completely potty train him when we got him, as a puppy.
IMO, this is a MUST if you wish to have a dog.

I would work on that if I were you, then you will be free to allow him to roam free without any worries. It takes a commitment on your part to potty train a dog, there is no easy way or easy fix...you need to be diligent and consistent.

~For what it is worth, I have trained my dog to lie on his bed while we are eating dinner because I do not like him being under foot in the kitchen either and he NEVER gets people food, begging for food is one of my pet peeves!

Um, you need to spend more time with him outside to make sure he goes potty. My dog doesn't go in the house, but if I were you I'd keep him in the kennel when you aren't home. Going in the house isnt acceptable.

First he needs to be trained and yes, it takes time and effort to do it.

We have 3 dogs. I have adjustable gates I bought years ago at PetCo and our dogs have limited access to the house. They stay in the family area/kitchen but they can see the front door, out the window and what goes on. My kitchen is tile, family room carpet and hallway travertine tile.

I keep my formal area which is very expensive wood gated off as well. The rest of the house downstairs is travertine and upstairs is carpet.

When we have guests, I remove the formal area gates but the dogs remain gated in the family area. We allow them to be outside a lot but we have to watch them carefully as we back up to a huge wooded area and we have bobcats, coyotes, etc... My poodle would be a meal for the bobcat! It is not unusual to have bobcats on the back deck so we are careful and very aware when the poodle (most especially) goes outside. The other 2 are Cocker Spaniels.

Train your dog so you can enjoy him and he can enjoy being a part of the family.

Our dogs were crated when they were young, and free to roam as they got older. They still liked to go into their crates, but we just didn't shut the door to the crates any longer. Now we have an old German shepherd, and we don't even have her crate any longer. She sleeps in our oldest son's room, and follows me around the house during waking hours. She's part of the family. :)

ETA: When we are gone, she usually stays inside, but if it's a particularly nice day we'll leave her outside to play.

My dog was potty trained as soon as we got him several years ago; yes, it takes some time but it's totally worth it. He stays in the house all the time and has access to every room because he is part of our family. He is permitted on my kids' beds and knows the rules of staying off any other beds and furniture and we've never had any problems. I would never think of putting him in a cage during the day or leaving him outside all the time. I don't see the point of having a pet/dog if they're going to live in exile all the time!

Get a crate. Then you don't have to worry about accidents. I have one for my husky and he's had it for 10 years.

Our dog stays inside the house. Our carpet took a beating while she was a pup and now we have hardwood and tile floors. This will be a problem when we get a new puppy.

Since your dog is almost potty trained, keep working with him. Get him on a schedule. Dogs can hold their pee a lot longer than people can. You will just have to come straight home and let the dog out. That means no after work stops. Otherwise, would a dog door work? You are in Georgia and I would think there may be animals that would come in, but maybe not since you keep him on a screened porch.

Our dog stays wherever she wants inside the house. Usually that means that she is resting/sleeping with her nose on the window sill in the dining room, looking out the front window, if we are not at home.

We crate/potty trained her from the day she came to live with us as a puppy. It didn't take long, and by probably 8 months old we were able to leave her inside alone, without being crated at all. (At first she was crated overnight and during the day when one of us wasn't actively engaged with her. Then only overnight and when we had to leave the house. Then only when we had to leave the house. Then only when we had to leave the house for longer than 30-60 minutes. Then... you get the idea).

She is 8 1/2 years old now, and we folded up the crate and stored it in the attic a few years ago, because she hasn't used it in a long time. We don't use baby gates or anything else to block off rooms, because it just isn't necessary. When she wants to escape noise or whatever she goes in our walk-in closet and lies down on the floor behind my husband's Tshirts. All you can see is her feet stick out sometimes. Or she'll go lie in the laundry room in the dark.
Complete potty training is a must. Do some research on how to most effectively accomplish that. Because there are commands/code words you can teach your dog so that they "go" when they are outside. Walking them helps get the bowels going, too. So it can help if your dog doesn't seem like they "need" to go right then.

Our dog hasn't had any accidents in the house except for when she was on Prednisone(steroids) (it REALLLY makes the kidneys work overtime.... she couldn't hold it more than 90 minutes or so at a time, and she was SO embarrassed). Heck, she doesn't even throw up in the house! She goes to the door for that and keeps trying to choke it down until someone can let her out.

if I could not trust my dog I would lock them in the tiled bathroom. On another note why don't you train him so you dont have to worry?

You could put your dog in a crate or use a baby gate to keep him in the kitchen or bathroom. We use a baby gate and keep our dog in our entryway. He's got his bed, water bowl and some toys and he's very happy there. He automatically knows to go to his area when we're getting ready to leave the house. That's also where he sleeps at night. I never even have to make him get up to go to bed. At some point in the evening he just gets up and goes to get on his bed without being told. He loves that area of his house because it's like his den.

Crates exist for a reason. When I am not able to supervise my dogs they go into their crates. My dogs are typically kept in the room that I am in, my kitchen is gated off at all times from my dogs. Not to say that my little one 18months does not have his accidents, but I find that keeping him in the same room and in the crate as needed keeps them to a minimum. So, that is where I keep my dogs.

You should crate him until you are able to house break him.

One tip on house breaking - if you find that the dog has a particular place where he likes to go, move his food and water to that place. Then that place becomes a "living area" and he won't use it as a toilet. Dogs will not pee/poop where they live - that's why they won't pee/poop in a crate - because they can't get out and get away from it. So, any place the dog gets used to eating in will NOT be his toilet.

Our dog has the run of the house when I'm home, and she's usually really good at waiting for her walks to go potty outside. But she's not the type of dog to just be let out to do her business, she needs to be walking in order to get anything to happen.

When we leave the house, and at night, we have a baby gate that keeps her in the kitchen area and away from the hardwood floors. She is also trained to a puppy pad, which we keep on the floor in the kitchen while she is kept in there just in case, sometimes she uses it and sometimes she just waits to go outside. Her water and her bed are in the kitchen area too.

Please do not let your dog use the carpet in your house to go potty! Sure, you can clean the surface stains, but the padding underneath gets wet too and you can't effectively clean that. If you let your dog pee on the carpet your house will STINK. There is no way to fix it besides ripping out and replacing the carpeting, and sometimes even the subflooring underneath if it's bad enough.

Your best bet is to take the time to truly housetrain your dog. It takes dedication and consistency, but it will be worth it and your life will be far less stressful when you don't have to worry if the dog messed in the house. Then, for good measure, keep him out of the carpeted areas in your home when you cannot supervise him.

If you want to have your home smell clean, teach him to go outside.

I had a friend that taught her dog not to go upstairs. And she got a doggie door installed and he went outside on his own.

It all depends on how much you want your house to smell clean or like a dog urinal as to what you do.

Good luck to you and yours.

Look into getting a doggy door. We have 3 dogs and a cat and they all use the dog door (yes even the cat, her box is in the garage).
It makes life so easy.

What about getting something like this to help encourage "outdoor" potty use as well as being able to let him in an enclosed, easy clean area (like the kitchen).

http://thepetlawn.com/

I agree that "pretty much kinda" is not trained. I'd take him to be properly trained (a friend of mine is a professional trainer), and kennel him until he shows he's properly trained. In my experience, dogs simply won't go where they sleep, unless you're simply gone too long. Another option: lay newspapers all over the bathroom and put a safety gate on that until he's proven to be trained.

I cannot say enough about the usefulness of doggie doors. Seriously. We had a lovely little doggie that we kept indoors while we worked full time. She held her potty all day long until we got home. Years later, she developed internal complications from holding her urine for extended periods of time. It was actually the death of her. I'll never forgive myself over that one and with the next dog we installed a doggie door so as to never do that to a pet. So please don't leave your pet in a crate all day long as some suggest here. Doggie doors can be installed in doors, walls, glass and there are also panel doggie doors that install right into a glass sliding door frame. Easy, no cutting of glass and removable. You can find a small one for $100 at Home Depot or Lowes. Good luck.

We have a puppy that can run freely in most of the house (not the bedrooms or the carpeted downstairs). We crate trained her from day one and keep her in her crate in the family room when we are sleeping or leave the house without her.
I think it's cruel to keep a dog sequestered outside by himself at all times. Not only because the weather may be getting cold, but also because they get lonely. Our pup would much rather sit in her crate (she lays down in there voluntarily with the doors open) than be on the porch by herself.
As soon as we can trust her to hold it while we are at work, we will probably let her roam the upstairs which has no carpet.
That is what I would recommend for you: crate train, fully potty train and then let him once you can trust him not to soil the house. If he still goes in the house, he is NOT housebroken. Period. You must invest the time in housebreaking the dog if you want to be happy with him. An adult dog of any size should be able to hold it for 8 hours during the day if they have no physical issues.

Good luck!

When we were using our kennel, we kept it in the laundry room. However, now that our big boy is fixed and much calmer he gets roam of the house because we have all hard surfaces. Otherwise, I'd gate him into the hard surfaces and make sure he had a soft place. also, a spare bathroom can be a good place when you are at work or sleeping in the event of accidents.

Good luck.

I keep my boxer pup inside about 60 percent of the time. She sleeps inside at night on the floor on a blanket. She is finally housebroken. I take her out every few hours to go to the bathroom. Of course a dog will use your floor if you don't take them out...just don't put them in that position in the first place. As soon as they start sniffing, its OUTSIDE. Clean old pee spots well, otherwise they will get used again. Our whole house is hardfloors, except the bedrooms, which I do not allow the dog into. I gave my pup treats and praise everytime she went potty outside for a couple days and that was it, we are done with it now. Consider that with your dog if you think it is needed. I would keep the dog inside most of the time if I were you, you just have to remember to take him out to potty every couple hours, when he first wakes up, or when he starts sniffing around. After he has it down you can build some trust :) Good luck!

We have 2 big dogs and we have a dog door in the laundry room, so they let themselves in and out as needed. My mom has 2 small dogs and when she has to go to work she puts up a baby gate and locks them in the kitchen. She puts down newspaper and they go on that. Her kitchen has a linoleum floor and thus she can wipe it down easily so her house does not smell once she cleans up. While she is home the dogs are free to roam the downstairs (she keeps the upstairs babygated shut because they will go up there and have accidents) and she lets them out often so they do not have accidents. She keeps her extra bedroom doors shut so the dogs cannot get in there. Is your tile sealed?You should potty train your dog and let him follow you around all day...letting him out every now and then to use the bathroom outside. If you leave the house you should put up a baby gate and keep the dog in the kitchen while you are gone.

if you're responsible for initiating outside potty breaks, then your dog is not house-trained. This is a black/white issue, there's no "kinda" when it comes to dogs & potty training.

& that's your most important issue! Finish the training & then all other issues with the weather/etc will be non-issues. To aid in this, hang a bell on your door & teach the dog to knock it with his paw. You'll be surprised at how quickly the dog will learn this method!

We used this method + relied on the crate at naptime/nighttime until the dogs were mature enough not to chew up the house. :)

i kennel my smaller dog at night because he just wouldnt stay off my bed (which leads to my legs) the other one stays inside and sleeps on the floor by my bed. They are inside the house while we are home unless they want to go outside to potty or play. How old is your dog? Start getting him used to being inside as a family member and get a kennel for when you dont think you can supervise him, but dont make that his main home like the porch is right now.

You have a crate - use it. That's the best way to potty train a dog.

Mine has the run of the house 24/7 now that he is potty trained and has a doggie door to let himself out when he needs to go potty. The only time he has ever peed in the house was during a hurricane when he couldn't go outside and couldn't hold it any longer. Even then, he would keep running to his door, but I had locked it.

Doggy door. There is no way I am crating my dog up for 10 hours a day while we're at work and there's no way I'm locking her out all day in the heat and so she can disturb the neighbors.

Why is the dog still not trained? That's the first thing that needs to happen when you get an animal, IMO.

Is it an old dog? If not, just completely train him to go outside. Can you install a doggy door? I would put up a child fence to keep him out of the kitchen. Or you can fence him in the areas of the house he is allowed to roam. I think it is cruel to a dog to keep him in a crate all day and just let him out when you come home from work.