When can I let my puppy free roam?
Ressie Lind
2025-06-20 19:40:01
Count answers: 5
I've left her at home anywhere between 2-3 hours and she's been great. However, I've only either left her in her crate or x-pen. I am thinking about leaving her in a room and then slowly expanding the baby gate to the hallway and living room. If I start letting her stay in a room and then roam the house when she is 5 months old, would that give her too much freedom. She is 12 weeks now and I'm thinking of doing this for a few weeks until she's about 5 months. I really hope we can trust her by then, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Anyway, at what age did your puppy have more freedom in the house when you're away.
Oswald Marquardt
2025-06-20 19:34:41
Count answers: 2
My preference is to allow your dog to sleep out of a crate around 4-5 months and to be free completely before a year. Your dog should be housetrained; which means you know how long your dog can hold his bladder and he knows how to ask to go outside to go. Your dog should know the difference between household/human items and things that he is allowed to chew. And lastly, your dog should be ok when left alone. I like dogs to be housetrained completely by 4 months -any longer and you are creating a problem. Your dog is housetrained when he/she has not had an accident for at least 3 weeks and knows how to communicate to you that he/she needs to go outside.
Ernestine Mayer
2025-06-20 19:31:51
Count answers: 3
My boy Michael will be 12 weeks on friday and knows how to use the dog doors no problem. So far his going outside experiences have been on leash while he does his business and off leash play time while I'm with him. My patio and back yard is sealed tight with 7 foot redwood fencing and gates are locked so he'd have to use a ladder to escape. Is it time maybe to let him start exploring on his own. He LOVES snacking on every twig and leaf he can find and I know this is a puppy thing he'll out grow.
Rogers Yost
2025-06-20 16:42:34
Count answers: 4
You're doing excellent in restricting her access to the house. Many people want to give the puppy free run, like you'd eventually like to do. However, the space is so big that a puppy doesn't know yet that all of it is the "den". Over time, the puppy will come to see the whole house as the "den", but that takes time and acclimatization. You don't want to let her loose anywhere in the house unsupervised. You'll learn over time when she can be trusted, because she'll have either had mistakes or not. If you keep up this routine and are diligent about it, I think she'll be roaming the house by the time she's 6 months old, maybe sooner if she learns her lessons well.