So I've been reading all the forums and I have ANOTHER question. My entire house is hard wood floors and tile. We have several area rugs but pulled them up during potty training. Sometimes when she is running all around the house she slips and slides all over. I don't know how I can change this as I have 4 boys so she is always following after one playing. I'm worried that sforhe will hurt her hip or joints with all the sliding. Ok, one more. She is doing great over night and if I have to leave for a bit in her crate. During the day I keep her in a 6 foot by 12 long pen. We call it baby jail as I used it with all my boys as toddlers when I needed them contained. So basically I keep her there unless I can be watching her at all times. I take her out every little bit and let her run around the backyard with no leash and play. At what point did you let your puppy's just stay out when you are home. I want to let her roam but feel she is safest in there. Do you think this is OK for now since she's young? At which point should I stop? THANKS for all the great advice! Julie
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? Meant to add the baby jail/pen is kept in the living room so she can see us there and in the kitchen. We are not allowing her in bedrooms at all as my boys would lose all their favorite things to chewing.
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? Ours would be out of the pen, as long as someone was home, and was able to keep an eye on puppy for signs of needing to be taken outside for a wee etc. Some of our house is laminate flooring too, but we bought carpet runners with heavy non slip backing, and put it down specifically so that dogs don't slip. I'd never forgive myself if they fell and got hurt. I've read somewhere, that a puppy will learn an awkward walk if they feel unsteady on flooring, and it can affect joint development as time goes on. I've tried to find it again, but can't find where I saw it (online somewhere).
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? Riley gave himself a scare on a slippery floor and has been nervous of new hard floors ever since. I often have to wait in doorways while he decides it's ok : I think Riley spent several months crated while we were out and then we kept him restricted to the kitchen - and we still do when we're out. He doesn't need the run of the house and it gives us peace of mind
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? I think it's fine for her to be in the pen where she can see you when you can't actively watch her. This is what I did at that stage - she'd come out for a play when she could have my full attention, go back for a sleep / quiet spell when I was going to be distracted. This certainly continued past ten weeks... probably got more freedom around the 14 week mark??! She's 5 months now and she gets access to the room I'm in. I don't trust her if she's out of my sight!! Clare
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? We didn't use a pen, just a crate, so just gradually increased which rooms she could access, and used the crate for when we couldn't giver her 100% attention or she NEEDED to sleep. Lilly has always been pretty good in the house. We did increase our rug coverage however after she was diagnosed with HD. Still doesn't like surface changes. Takes ages to build up the courage to step into P@H ;D
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? Hi. I have also got wooden floors downstairs. I have put rugs out to help Harley when she is playing / running around. I use the cage for Harley when I am out, but as soon as I'm home she has free run of the downstairs. I have done this since I got her. She used to follow me everywhere, but nowadays will sometimes stay in the living room if I'm in the kitchen or she goes in the garden when Im sat in the living room. I haven't had any chewing things or anything and I think this is down to being allowed free roam from a young age (we did puppy proof the house before we got her!).
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=4241.msg50821#msg50821 date=1391017204] Takes ages to build up the courage to step into P@H ;D [/quote] Riley is the same lol ;D
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? Charlie is still in his pen, well, a much taller and bigger version of the one he started off in, at nearly a year old - I use it like a crate really, but he has both a bed and a crate in the pen. He is a chewer, a counter surfer, and a dreadful thief - if it's not nailed down, he'll pick it up - so he is never unsupervised. He is interacting with one of us, or in his pen, and that's the rule. If he is sleepy, and I've cleared every last surface of things that he can nick, he is allowed in the front rooms when I'm working or we are watching the TV. I don't think he needs the run of the house, and unless his thieving stops, he is never going to get it. In terms of slippery floors, my boy has an injury now (not as a result of slippery floors) so we have covered them. I bought a lot of rugs, but found they still moved. The best things are rubber backed floor mats - the only thing I've found that is better is non slip gym mat flooring (which was actually cheaper than the rugs - rugs on gym flooring are brill though). But that doesn't do a lot for the interior design look. My house is mad btw - cleanly minimalist below 1.5m, a mad jumble of things on every high surface above that, and a mad, mad, mix of gym flooring and doormats and rugs on the floor. : : :
Re: Marley / 10 weeks / another ? You can buy webbing from Ikea that you can stick onto rugs and it stops the slip brilliantly ....when dexter first came and was having his Prowl Hour he would run and jump on his bean bag and it would skid across the floor like he was surfing......this webbing product stopped it totally x
