Thanks to you all for your advice regarding our goal of switching up sleeping arrangements and gradually giving Eden more freedom in the house.
We’ve made a few domestic changes, and I’m happy to report that things are going well.
Specifically:
- We’ve moved the dogs’ crates into our (finished, walk-out) basement, so that Guion could use the main floor bedroom as studio space. This is also our entertainment/music room, so they like to chill on the couches or in their crates when we’re watching Orange Is the New Black, Game of Thrones, The Wire, etc. (So many shows!) They’ve adjusted to this transition smoothly.
- We’re crating them at night, after a few experiments with leaving them out at night time. We’ve discovered that both dogs like to wake up at 4:45 a.m., regardless of the day, and burst into our room and jump on our faces. This is not our favorite thing. So, for now, crate time for bed time. They seem fine with this arrangement, and there is no crying or whimpering about it. And we get to sleep in at least until 6…
- Our weekday arrangement is now: Both dogs crated from 7:45 a.m. until noon > Hour of backyard play when one of us comes home for lunch > Both dogs get free reign of the main floor from 1 to 5 p.m. We close all the doors and put up all tempting items, and the dogs have freedom to move around in the kitchen, dining room, and living room. To our delight, they’ve been GREAT at this arrangement. Eden hasn’t torn up a single thing; there have been no accidents; and, specifically, Pyrrha is lessening her reactive freak-outs when I come home and they’re loose in the house.
We are still proceeding with caution, but I’m very pleased with how well this new set-up has been going. It also makes me happy to know that they don’t have to be crated all day on weekdays and can enjoy that modicum of independence to sleep where they please and move about freely. Eventually, I think we’ll work up to a place in which both dogs won’t use the crates at all during weekdays. For now, though, this arrangement has been going smoothly. I’m happy, and I think the dogs are happy!
What’s your domestic, weekday schedule with the dogs? What kind of privileges do they have when you’re not home?
Doggerel 
So happy to hear that things are working out with more freedom! I think breaking up the workday for them is a great idea and the same thing I do with Ruby and Boca.
We get up at 5:00 am and go for the first walk of the day – about 30 minutes before breakfast. Daisy has ‘run of house’ because we have a pet-friendly burglar alarm. I put down a plastic sheet in case she has a (rare) accident. After work, our first priority is second walk of the day – about 40 minutes. Dogs thrive on routine; I believe it gives them a sense of security which is great for sensitive dogs. Keep up the good work!
Great job! I think patience is key. It took me months to trust Zoey around Kaya and Norman and almost a year to trust her with the cat but it turned out perfect. Gina gets me up around 5 to be let out for the first time of the morning. I would have a panic attack if they dogs got up then too!
Since I first brought Blueberry home (5 years old at the time) a couple of years ago – I’ve let her have free reign in the house. There’s a dog door to the fenced back yard. She’s just always been so chill about being alone in the house and even when I get home there’s no frantic “GOODGRIEFLADYWHEREYABEENALLDAYI’VEBEENLOSINGMYMINDHEREBYMYSELF!!” Just sort of a wag of her tail and then she calmly waits for dinner to be served.
I have had dogs in the past though that I’ve crated until they because more trustworthy in the house. Every dog is different and I’m so glad to hear this arrangement is working out so well!
Glad to hear that with some careful observation and planning both you and the dogs are doing well with the new arrangements. It’s amazing how a little creativity can make live so much less stressful.
The dogs get the run of the downstairs when we go to bed and the only way to make this work is to make sure they have tons of exercise or else the puppies get bored. So we take turns playing with them daily and we do a joint play session as well. Then everyone gets their favorite toy and we all head to bed after a final potty break. They do really well.
I think all of that sounds awesome! I know that we’ve mostly only had one pup at a time so have never done the overnight crating but I can see how dogs on an early schedule would need this structure. Rufus would definitely be crated if he woke me up at 4am haha.
I can’t believe I got so far behind on my blogs. Argh! But I’m glad things are working well for you. Silas has had free reign of the house since he was about 8 or 9 months old, but it was by accident. His magical crate cookies were discontinued, and I couldn’t get him in with anything else. Irony, since now he’s quite happy in his crate and will go in with just a cue.
I’m sure a multi-dog household adds a huge burden of caution, though, both because the dogs have to interact with each other and because it seems like if one dog starts something, the other is usually happy to jump in and help finish it.