Hi everyone, I have a 9 week old Golden Retriever Lab mix and I am looking for some advice on when/how to transition him out of the puppy play pen. We use the pen to keep him out of trouble, like chewing wires and the furniture, not to mention to help with house training the little guy. I have made it a fun and safe place for him to be, his bed and toys are in there so it's not a punishment to be in there when he can't be supervised. I am wondering at what age should I start giving him more freedom to the house, and how I should go about doing it? He's a very curious little guy and I would hate for him to hurt himself getting into something he shouldn't be in.
Im in the same boat. I work from home full time so my Sophie is in a playpen most of the day, she's very content in there and has been in there since I brought her home at 7 weeks. It's been 5 weeks and I had a small issue where she would not relax when coming out of the pen. She was always on the move, seeking my attention, etc. I have been rewarding her for going into her bed (she has 2 - one in her pen and one in the living room) so since I've been rewarding her, now she will spend about 15 minutes chewing on a bone or chewie without getting into anything. But after that she loses interest. I'm trying to reward her for being out and being calm and self-occupying and trying to add a few extra minutes each night. We will see how it goes!
