What do "free run of the house" dogs do all day?

[Barney's Mom]

As I try to get Barney slowly used to the house without destroying everything in his path, I have to wonder, what do dogs that have run of the whole house DO all day? I can't imagine Barney having run of the place all day and not wreaking havoc on all my posessions! At what age do they just relax and sleep during the day?

And how much sleep does a dog need during the day? I was also wondering that, along with this. Barney doesn't take too many long naps and I wonder if it makes him grumpy because he is not getting a good "curl up and snooze" time in a dog bed. I would love to get him one but he would chew it for sure.

Thanks, ya'll!

[Logansmom]

Since I have started working from home I now have a bird's eye view of what two dogs that have total freedom all day do. The bottom line is.......NOTHING!!!! I can sneak up on them at any time of the day and they are both sacked out in the sunshine on the couch. They may lift an eye ball to see if I come bearing food. If not, they yawn and roll over. What a life. I fee so.....protected. I think if someone tried to break in, they point to the goods and get back on the couch

[Kramersmom]

Ever since Kramer was potty trained he has had free run of the whole house. He was never a chewer nor one to take stuff and chew it. He is is such a good boy, well manored, behaved best dog. Missy, my first Cairn took longer because she was a girl that got a hold of stuff and ruined it. She tore up carpet where we just said the heck with it and put down wood floors. Socks we couldn't leave out she would eat them if she could. Bedroom doors stayed closed.

Kramer all doors are open, nothing has to be put away, he just doesn't take stuff, only kleenex.

Kramer will either sleep in his bed by the sun by one of our sliding doors in the family room or he sits in the bay window seat which he can see the whole outside world. I call that his window to the world. Sometimes I think the more a dog is confined the more damage they will do when they enter a room they are restricted to. I never really restricted Kramer, only as a little puppy. When he went into all the rooms in the house it was no big deal. Dogs know what rooms they can and cannot go into so when the chance is there to get in they will reck havok. That is only my experiance. Anything new to them they will try to cause trouble, or get into something. Kramer doesnt do that so it was easy for me. If a dog has it in them like Missy, well she settled down at about 13 where she wouldnt grab stuff.

Some just are born to cause trouble most of all there life

[oscar's mom]

We have had Oscar since he was 8 weeks old. He is now 10 months old. He is free to roam around the house while we are at home. If we go out he goes into the kennel.

We send him to doggy day care, twice weekly when our schedules over lap, so he doesn't have to stay in the kennel all day while we are working. If DH is away on a business trip, Oscar goes off to the dog sitter, she picks him up and drops him off (what service!). While I'm working.

When I'm home during the day, I take him to the dog park, to get all that puppy energy out of him.

So in essence we tire him out so he will behave.

Is anything we do for Oscar a option for Barney?

Antonietta

[Eliz222]

Scout was 2 years old before we trusted her out of the crate (while we were gone). She was a chewer and loved to chew ANYTHING! Finch was not a chewer...ever....so we started leaving both of them out of the crate when Finch was abour 8 months old. We started very slow, increasing the time, leaving them alone.

I think they mostly sleep, although I have come home to find all the dog toys tossed all around the room...as if they had a party!

I've been home for almost 2 years now, and they still spend most of their day sleeping (if they are not outside, at the park, or barking at the mailman!)

[Darc]

We have just in the past week taken down the dog gate that blocks off the rest of the house. Prior to this, even when home, Piper only had access to the kitchen/livingroom. Areas that we could always keep an eye on him. He spent 3 days exploring the rest of the house, had one accident, ran around with socks and underware . Re-trained the DD to pick up her laundry and all is good now. BUT - Piper has never been a destructive dog, he was mainly confined for house training reasons which he seems to have well in hand for the last bit

[avusblue]

The answer to your question is: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I placed a web camera in my kitchen (where we put Axle when we're at work) once, and had a remote view of Axle for the whole day from my computer at work. I left a small window opened in one corner, so I could see what happened while i worked. He basically slept all day on his pillow. He woke up once, to bark at something outside the window, then back to scratching his bed and taking another nap. Needless to say, it wasn't very exciting ... so after 2 days of watching him sleep, i stopped spying on him.

[Saidi'sDad]

We've let Saidi have the run of our house for the past year. She's now about 2 1/2 years old so most of her distructive behavior has stopped. I often wondered what she did all day but there have been a few times recently where I answered my own question. One day last year I forgot to take something to work and had to turn around and go back home. When I walked in the door Saidi was standing at the top of the steps yawning Another day I came home for lunch, walked into the house and yelled SAIDI. When she did not come running I started to get worried. Later I found her curled up in the bed with her head on my pillow sound asleep That little girl could sleep through anything!

[sheila and Misty]

Misty is 10 months and has free roam of the house since she was 6 months. Only because she learned each rooms rule of( not yours )a little at a time. when Im home I try not to look but my ears are always tuned. ocassionally yell out ,MISTY...where are you? or peek in. so that she assumes I'm always watching. correct her as soon as shes about to get into something. when we leave on Sundays for 8 hours I remind her all morning its mommy and daddys looong day. she gets a few treats scattered in each room a peanut butter kong, a few chew sticks or bones and spread te tys out with all that going on no reason to touch OUR things.. we put the kitchen garbage cans in the bathroom we close all bathroom doors empty all others.she cannot get into the gameroom either . so I pretended to leave a few times and kept comming back different amout of times to wean her in. the most she did when younge was a few pee spots or a little pile of poop we should have made sure she went earlier but now she holds it -if she cant I have paper near her bell-if we dont answer she knows she is to go there. most of the time she hits it.

kleenex boxes are the only problem but I refuse to move them-she will learn if it takes me forever. Now- they sniff snoop wait near a door-get a bite to eat-drink a little water, small amounts because they soon realize they have to try to hold it.

go to each room and lie around toss around a toy or two nibble on a chew stick bury a beef bone in our bed under my husbands pillow wait by the door again..etc..repeat repeat.. thats also why I leave cartoons on in one room and a radio with MELLOW music in another helps her nap more . thats it! hope this gave you an idea-now thats just my Mistys behavior they are all different to a point.

[Sarah]

Henry has pretty much had complete freedom since we moved earlier this month. He went from being crated at night and staying in a pen during the day (while we were gone) to sleeping with us or in a bed next to ours and having freedom during the day. I took the risk because he has been a pretty good dog. He never tears anything up and isn't a chewer. He goes to his toy basket and gets things when he wants to play. He also gets into his crate at night sometimes and probably does during the day, too. I've found him in there a couple of times just hanging out. Anyway, I'm glad I took the risk. He has been an angel. He has favorite spots on the couch and I can tell by the pillows that he curls up on them and sleeps. He's a pretty mellow dog. I worry sometimes, but not much. He's just never been destructive and he hasn't had an accident in the house in ages. I'm pretty sure he sleeps all day.

[OzGirl]

I'm pretty sure my girls just sleep the time away when we are out and sometimes Roxy will still be asleep when we come back in the house. Occassionaly they appear to have played with some toys. They have only left me a little surprise on two occassions and we had be gone for the whole day so I wasn't surprised and as we only have tiles and lino its real easy to clean up.

I try to make it easy for them to be good pups by making sure nothing of temptation is within their reach when we leave them alone.

[Napi'smom]

SLEEP,SLEEP and More SLEEP... thats what my Napoleon does he is 18 months and has had free range of the house since he was 6 months, he does have a companion but they each have their own places to sleep. I leave a few cookies hidden for them and they always manage to find them.

[LilyGrace25]

Like most of the replies to this thread...my dogs sleep all day! They perch themselves on the back of our couch (head to head or end to end) and sleep or just watch over the street. We have neighbors that drive by just to look at them in the window. The mayhem starts when we get home!