what do you do with your dogs when you are away from the house?

[Gary Wright]

No dog doors around here - too many problems with raccoons. My mother leaves her dogs in her house - I have none because I have a clean-freak wife who thinks animals make dirt and that's inexcusable to her.

Anyway, if your dogs tear your house apart while you're at work if they're inside all day, that's not an option for you.

I take it you don't have a barking issue with your dogs? As long as they have shade and water, I'd try leaving them out during the day and keeping them from coming in until you come home - but that may not do much for you when it comes to the winter and it's too cold to leave them outside.

[LifeAct]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye16

Mine stays in his kennel since he can't seem to hold his bladder for more than 4 hours when I am not home.

My dog is stuck in the kennel during the day too, but not because of bladder control. He tends to tear things up when we are not home. When we are home, he just sleeps all day, but hates to be alone. He is just over a year old, so we may try to un-crate him soon. I may build a kennel in the basement, so that he has more room, but not the whole house.

[Former Actuarial]

ok, the decision is made. they are going outside. i cam home last night to find that some sort of mudfest had gone on in the dining room where the evidence was not only on the floor but also on the walls and the doors. sooo...that shed will be a dog house too. i am buying special kennel flooring, insulation, plywood (or drywall...not certain yet), a heavy duty saw (or maybe an electric one) to cut a hole in the shed door for their access and a small window sized hole in the back of the shed to house a small a/c unit that i will use with a timer to help keep the room a decent temperature.

i am also going to get a ton of mulch and pine straw to cover as much of the back yard as i can...all the rain yesterday has created huge mud baths.

i still have the turbine that was uninstalled from my roof when the attic fan went in...im going to have that atteched to the shed.

i can not stand the bottom floor so nasty and i can not stand spending time every night vacuuming and mopping the downstairs.

i still like having the dog door for the evenings and mornings and weekends when im around and can monitor their traffic in and out.

i think i need to buy a lot more dog toys...the non-destructable kind if they exist. they no longer get stuffed animals. i havent decided if i will get them any more rope-style tug toys. i hope there are some toys out there that are more interactive for them...i'm thinking something like tetherball for dogs or something like that that can have continued motion "on its own" when the dogs start playing with it.

[Former Actuarial]

oh, yeah, forgot...chip is kind of a barker...i'm gonna have to wok on that so the neighbors dont hate me. =/

[Gary Wright]

Originally Posted by Former Actuarial

i think i need to buy a lot more dog toys...the non-destructable kind if they exist. they no longer get stuffed animals.

Just a guess here, but do they start with the eyeballs and the nose and then start pulling off limbs next?

[MarsLasar]

Originally Posted by Gary Wright

Just a guess here, but do they start with the eyeballs and the nose and then start pulling off limbs next?

Exactly what happens!

Now we only get him stuffed toys for Christmas. It takes him about half an hour to fill the living room floor with stuffing. Messy, but now a yearly tradition.

[Former Actuarial]

here's the flooring i am getting:

http://www.yourfencestore.com/dogs/v...m_pictures.htm

[whisper]

Few thoughts:

1.) The dogs are going to need access to water. This is really important, especially in the summer. So, you're going to have to figure out some means to provide them water that won't be depleted in the summer and freeze in the winter.

2.) Dog house is a must.

3.) If the dogs are bored, they're going to look for entertainment. People walking by, cars driving by, etc. can be a form of entertainment. If you already have a barker, the best option is to keep them from seeing everything. You may want to enclose a part of the yard to put them in away from the road, and possibly block their view in this section by a fence or shrubs. Make sure there is enough entertainment for them in the yard.

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Former Actuarial

i think i need to buy a lot more dog toys...the non-destructable kind if they exist. they no longer get stuffed animals. i havent decided if i will get them any more rope-style tug toys. i hope there are some toys out there that are more interactive for them...i'm thinking something like tetherball for dogs or something like that that can have continued motion "on its own" when the dogs start playing with it.

Non-destructible soft toys:
http://vipproducts.com/retail/files/...FQyfnAodSTKYTQ


Non-destructible balls:
http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html

Kongs with treats are also good distraction.

[BallaActuary]

Originally Posted by MarsLasar

Our dog just sleeps on the couch all day until we get home. He doesn't really wake up until 4 in the afternoon.

When we had one dog, we would leave the back sliding glass door open so he could go in an out of the house as he pleased. He would either A) be in the bed when we got home at 5 or B) there was evidence of messed up pillows/blankets that he had been sleeping all day