When we first got Jaxx he was not crate trained but that and potty training was the first thing we worked on.
Jaxx was always put in his crate at night and when we went anywhere. When Jaxx was about 6 months old we started letting Jaxx stay in the living room if we were going for a quick errand. Jaxx's potty training clicked totally at about 7 months and he quit having any accidents. We started leaving him probably about an hour at a time and slowly increased the amount of time he was alone. The first time he was alone for 5 hours I was positive that I was going to come home to a mess of one sort or another. A couple weeks ago we went to Dallas for what was supposed to be a quick trip and usually we leave him in his crate for trips to Dallas. Our trip unfortunately turned into an 8 hour trip because of matters out of our control. When we came home there was not a thing out of place. It looked like Jaxx slept in his chair the entire time we were gone. We did take him out for a long walk before we left and a very long walk when we came home because he was a bundle of energy and we played fetch with him after the walk, which was probably 1 am for 2 hours.
Anytime we leave Jaxx we make sure he has had plenty of exercise and have a backup plan for if we get stuck away for longer (our property manager will come over and take Jaxx out if we can't make it home.)
I wouldn't have trusted Jaxx alone in the house when he was young and I have made sure the house is dog proof. We do close the bedroom, bathroom, and utility room door when we leave and we make sure Jaxx has plenty of toys that are safe for him to play with while we are away.

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You should see how small the gates are too. They're only 14" high. She could definitely jump over them, but I think she knows that she's not supposed to. I made them out of those metal squares you can make cubes out of and some zip ties, and they're great!

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Frankie and Ben have free run of the house at all times. They are pee pad trained, they have their very own "bathroom" in the laundry room. When we leave without them they get a small treat on our way out and go off running with it so leaving is not an issue.
I am sure they just sleep when we are out. They have never been alone for more than 4-5 hours.

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Midgie has free run of the house. Always has except when she was a puppy.

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Douglas goes with me, and when he can't, he is locked in a bathroom..He hates to be left. Howls and cries and pees on the floor of the bathroom. Can't have him loose in the house because of that. I give him toys, his bully stick, and a towel to snuggle in but he never does anything with them, just cries.

I often take him and leave him in the car, he does better with that. Howls some but usually will lay down and rest if he's there for a while, less stressful for him.

i have crates that look like playpens big enough to put food and water bowl, bed and toys zoey loves hers I think she feels safe in there besides i have a 25lb cat so if i left them out she would stalk and possibly hurt them

Simcha is fortunate enough to have his own private bedroom. It is fully heated/air conditioned, via conversion of a 13 foot by 9 foot area which used to be a screened in porch. He is happy to stay there, and has absolutely never had an accident. In contrast, every so often he still will mark if allowed to roam alone through the house - so we have put that option off limits.

The one place he has marked the most is a small area of living room carpet which is close to a full length mirrored wall. Somehow, I suspect he sees his reflection in the mirror as a challenger, and will mark to show dominance. So much for the IQ of Chihuahuas.

Bailey goes in her crate which she doesn't seem to mind. She's been using it since I got her at 9 weeks. I've been letting her stay out while I shower now but I don't trust her more than that. It's for her safety also!

Emmie has the run of the house and she usually just sleeps in her snuggie on the chair. I don't think she's ever been in a crate. When I tried it she totally freaked out. And she's never done anything bad while I was gone.


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