How old is old enough?

[LolaLove]

Hi! I am just wondering...at what age is it ok for a bully to stay home without being crated or in the play pin? Lola is potty trained and I've left her out for a couple hrs here and there and she does great! She sleeps most of the time or plays outside. She is 4 months old....is it too young to be left alone?

Also at what age should I get her fixed as I don't want to breed her?

 

[izstigspunks]

Hmm. Good question. I think as long as you know she can be 'trusted' around the house without getting into trouble, then any age is ok. Just be sure that your floor, or any other places she can get to easily, is free from things that may be dangerous, such as toys that require supervision, etc.

I got Stig when he was 5 months and let him roam free in the kitchen/dining area during the day when no one's home at 8 months. We leave him a clean bowl of water plus some very durable toys to play with. We also leave the stereo on low volume. He seems to be sleeping for most of the day too.

Spaying is done commonly between 6-8 months I think. But your vet will let you know when it's the best time, taking her health into consideration.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

It just depends on the dog, there isn't a set age. Once I was confident Samson was well potty trained and wouldn't chew stuff up I started letting him roam. Make sure to leave out chew toys and pick stuff up that she may eat, swallow, choke on or chew up.

As for spaying, I would get it done very soon myself. 4 months is old enough, they spay/neuter pups at the shelters alot earlier than that. They suggest getting them fixed before their first heat cycle which happens between 6 months to a year. We got our beagle when she was 5 months old and within a couple weeks, before we could get her in for her spay, she went into heat. Not a fun process, if I were you I'd get her spayed ASAP so you can avoid that whole ordeal. Because it CAN happen as young as 6 months.

 

[Telly03]

I agree, it is all based on the level of trust she has earned. The first day of free roam will be tough, and you will be anxious to come home to see how she did. We have a camera set up to record any movement, and we can view it while away from home. As long as she still has access to her crate, you will probably find that she will sleep most of the time you are away.

 

[Mike Blaylock]

Weeeeeeeeeell, it all comes down to how much you love your furniture versus your bulldog. Duke was still a chewer until he was about a year and a half old. We let him free roam the basement up until that time. Since it's unfinished there wasn't much he could hurt.......except for the rolltop desk that he chewed the draw knobs off of. He had free roam at about two years old. Definitely the hard toys helped.

 

[KMARINO]

I knew it was ok when the chewing stopped and he was completely housebroke and I could be home and not checking every 5 min. to see what he was in to. I would leave him for a couple of hours at first to do my errands, when all was well, I left him one day to go to work, and he did great! I think he sleeps all day while I am gone, when I come home from work even though the crate door is wide open he is laying in his crate. I leave water out for him while I am at work but he does not even drink while I am gone.

I swear he is WORSE when I am at home to get into things, he is 100% housebroke, does not chew, but can definately try my patience when I am home.

 

[sheshistory]

I would fault on the side of caution in the matter of leaving a puppy unattended outside of its crate. Of course it varies between dogs but some bullies cannot be trusted out of their crate unattended ever!

I learned my lesson with my first bulldog the hard way. I felt guilty for leaving Bentley in his crate so I started confining him to my kitchen instead. He never had an accident but did chew the legs off my oak dining table. I was fortunate he did not get sick from doing so and did not get any splinters in his mouth or intestines but they do teeth for a long time and sometimes like to chew when they're bored!

My second bulldog, Linus, still enjoys staying in his crate for bed and during the day if I am away. He is five years old and is fairly trust worthy but, not a few months ago, decided to raid the cupboard and eat two bags of marshmallows. What a mess!

My third bulldog, Truman is 9 months and I would not even consider letting him be alone outside of his crate. Cords, curtains, furniture, toys - they all pose a potential hazard to a curious and active puppy who is testing him limits as he enters adolescence.

In my opinion, 4 months is far too young to consider leaving Lola outside of her crate unattended. She's still teething, probably not fully housebroken, and there are a myriad of things she might get into while you're away. There are just too many dangers. Also, consider crates are a good thing and provide your bully with security, comfort, and safety while you are away. I think of it like a bedroom for my bullies.

When you do try leaving Lola out of her crate unattended, I suggest making sure she's super tired from a walk or exercise, which will limit her inherent curiosity and activity while you are away.

Good luck!

 

[Gertie's Mom]

My girls are 8 1/2 months old and there is NO way I'd consider leaving either of them outside their crates, if I wasn't here keeping an eye on them. They have never been left alone outside their crates, so I can only imagine what they'd be into. Still being puppies, things like electrical cords just worry me too much. They don't seem to mind their crates, they are their "beds".

 

[LolaLove]

Ok...so..I've been leaving Lola out for a couple hours here and there and so far so good. I make sure I take her potty before I leave and as soon as I get back. She is able to go in and out of the house as she pleases and I usually leave her out during her nap time. Although, she's been good so far (hasn't chewed anything up or pottied) I don't want her to think she has free roam of my apt or think that she is the boss. So, maybe I will just do it once in a while. I just feel bad. She HATES her crate so I typically just leave her in the bathroom. She does fine in there but I have to leave a pee pee pad out (I hate those things) and there isn't a window in there so I feel like is trapped or something? I think I'm just crazy. LOL! She's my baby and I just feel bad. I have to keep telling myself that she is only 4 months old. She's little.

I'm for sure going to get her fixed ASAP! I do not want her to go into heat. Potty trainign was hard enough!