We left the dog alone in the house today. All by himself, out of his crate, for the first time. For fellow dog owners out there, you can understand how apprehensive I currently am. He normally spends the days in his crate, which he’s absolutely fine with. He knows his Monday-Friday routine and he knows that someone will be home in a few hours to let him out and go for a walk.
I’m sure he would happily stay in his crate during workdays for the next ten years, but that’s not what we want. We want him to be able to sit at the window and watch the people walk by, to nap in the sunshine, and to wander around the house as he pleases.
We want him to be a normal dog.
So were trying an experiment today. We de-cluttered our guest room, shut all the other upstairs doors, left his crate open, and put a baby gate at the top of the stairs.
We left as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and went to work.
I’m worried that he will cry and bark all day. I’m worried that he will scratch at the windows and hurt himself. I’m worried that he will jump over the baby gate and plummet down the stairs. I’m worried that he will chew his way through doors, or furniture or Marley style through drywall.
Is this what parents feel when they leave their teenage kids alone in the house?
So what do you think, is Odin basking in his new found freedom and being a good dog? Or is he screaming his head off annoying all my neighbors?
***UPDATE***
Odin did great! Not a single thing out of place when we got home. He has since spent several days home alone without incident. Very proud of our pooch, and his independence!
