Kodee is my first housedog. I don't know what the norms are for a pup, as far as time out loose in the house vs. crated when not supervised, etc.

Kodee is 5 mos old, and right now, he is only free in the kitchen, if I am in there, and very rarely for short periods of time (5 to 10 minutes), in the living room w/the kids and I, so I can closely supervise. (Kids are 2, 4 and 6). I was also letting him out in the dining room/living room (both carpet w/a big open entry from one to the other) with me for a while at night after the kids were in bed. However, he had a couple of accidents in the dining room (my fault, of course) when he was smaller, and although I used a enzyme cleaner made for eliminating pet odors, he still will almost always pee in there once in the evening, even if I take him out to walk and potty right before letting him in that area. So, I stopped letting him in on the carpet for now. (I figured too much freedom too fast, so I backed up a little).

So, aside from walks and playtime outdoors (always with me on a leash or long line), he is now only allowed loose in the kitchen, when I'm working in there. Sometimes it's only 3 or 4 times a day for 30 minutes to an hour, sometimes (like today), it's for 2-3 hours at a stretch. Is this ok for a 5 month old? Or am I crating him too much? I've tried using a long leash in the house, but he just chews/tugs on it constantly, so i stopped using it. He's very well behaved in the kitchen, minds well, etc, let's me know if he needs to go out. I am feeling guilty though, b/c if we aren't'in the kitchen together, all of his time is in the crate (unless we're outside).

Is this ok for a 5 month old? How long can I expect it to take before I can let him be more free in the house? I read Ed's article "housebreaking puppies", but I'm just feeling like I may be crating him too much. It may be because as a kid, we had a housedog (small cocker spaniel), who was loose in the house without ever even having a crate, so she was "free" at all times, except when we were gone and at night, when she slept on the screened in back porch. After she was grown, she was free in the house even then. We never had any problems with her at all (but I was young, and I don't know how my mom did it).

My other question is: What to do re: peeing in the dining room? It doesn't seem to be an actual "potty-training" issue, as outside of the once/evening pee in the dining room that he was doing (regardless of peeing outside right before going in there), he always lets me know he needs to go out. He has not had any other accidents in the house or crate in several weeks. The only time he ever goes in the house is the dining room, during what was our "evening playtime." Like I said, I used the proper cleaning agent, and soaked it down to the padding (I think). I don't know what else to do. Since I can't see any staining, I'm not sure if he's going in the same spot or not. It doesn't seem so. Of course now, he's not in there anymore, so it hasn't happened in a while.

Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for your help.

Tether him to you when he's not crated. That way you can stop giving him the opportunity (which reinforces the habit every time) to have accidents.

Thanks, Connie - I have another question. When I did try having him tethered (in the main areas of the house) he spent the entire time chewing/tugging on the tether, or getting wrapped around table legs, etc. Should I just use a regular 6 foot leash? If he tugs on the leash, and I try to correct it, he gets more excited/worked up, tugs more. Several people advised me to ignore this behavior, and that he would get bored with it. This has not been the case. he still tugs, unless we are outdoors and he's interested in other things.(BTW - I've never needed to tether him in the kitchen. He behaves well, and lets me know if he needs out).

So is a regular length leash ok, and how should I handle the "tugging" issue without making it worse?

Tie the line to your belt and ignore him..... except, of course, for intercepting him when he lifts a leg or squats.

JMO.

Thanks, Connie!

My pups are 9 months old and they still walk around with the leash in their mouth. Doesn't bother me any. The leash has lasted for 6 months and both pups use it like a tug toy about 10 times a day each.

Unless you find yourself falling over, don't worry about it. If you do find yourself falling over, make sure someone has a camcorder handy

 Quote: Mike J Schoonbrood

If you do find yourself falling over, make sure someone has a camcorder handy

Always good advice.

LOL! You are too funny! However, the problem for me is that unlike you THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!! It is *ahem* a big pet peeve of mine (sorry but I couldn't resist!) But I will let it go for now and hope that the little twerp outgrows it. Thanks also for the advice about the camcorder. My brother doesn't like dogs all that much (every family has a weirdo, right? Just kidding!), and he would love to get that on film, just so he could hold it over my head for the rest of my life.

 Quote: Kori Bigge

unlike you THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!! It is *ahem* a big pet peeve of mine (sorry but I couldn't resist!)

Of course it does! No one does it for the joy of dragging a dog on their belt like a watch fob. But it's very temporary.

This gives the dog zero opportunity to have accidents and all kinds of opportunity to go outside and be rewarded - and I would have a pocket full of high-value treats and practice up on my marker-voice for a few days, too.

P.S. I use a piece of an old Leerburg cotton line. I run the dog's collar through the loop on the end if that's the end I have and clip the other end to my jeans pocket with one of those sproingy paper clamps. If I have the other end, I clip the clip to the dog's collar and do the same as above with the end attached to me.

I would like to have a ten-foot cotton line with a loop and a clip, but I haven't seen that. Warning: The twenty-foot line is too long for this particular purpose. It gives the dog plenty of leeway to have accidents.

Maybe there is a way to double the twenty-foot line, running it under the collar and then attaching both ends to the human......

The good thing is that the line is not bulky or heavy like a leash, and it's longer than six feet.