# When you're not home...?



## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

When you're home, and your Chi can't go with you, and no one else is home with him/her, where does your dog stay?

We've always put our fosters in the kennel in the bedroom. Mostly because they were all so young and not yet completely potty trained, but also because they would whine and bark and cry until we got back home. 
Leila goes in the kennel because of the whining and barking. We live in an apartment, or I would let her get used to being the livingroom by herself with her little "cave" door open. I'm trying to crate train her, but she was already 8 months old when we got her (10 months now, thought she was older but looked over the paperwork) and now has seperation anxiety. I can't leave the room with her in her crate, not even to get a drink of water. I have to actually go over to her in the middle of the night and carry her around with me (or she'll go potty on the floor) until I'm ready to go back to bed.

It's not really a problem at all, I don't mind as much as I did in the beginning.
So I was wondering, what is your Chi like?

Sorry for all the posts lately. Spending more time here makes me more curious about.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Odie stays on the main floor of our house. We have small gates blocking the upstairs and downstairs, so she has free roam of the laundry room, kitchen and dining room/living room. She's totally silent at all times, except when we play and get her to chase us. 

Edited to add that we have the gates up 24/7, not just when we leave. The cats get to roam the upstairs and have some peace, and the gate blocking the downstairs is for her safety. My brother-in-law and husband accidentally left the door open a crack once and she got out! Never happening again.

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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

My girl does not stay in a crate. We live in an apartment so if I have to leave and cant take her (never more than 2 hours) she will go hide under the bed or sit in a basket by the door till we come home. She has always had full space of the house and I have not had any problems. I have not found any "unpleasant surprises" when I leave, she just waits. She also does not make alot of noise. She will bark on occasion if someone is in front of the door but she is not noisy when we leave.

When we come back, whether she was alone for 10 minutes or whatever, you would think she has not seen us in 3 years the way she carries on crying and leaping all over, kissing use etc.


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

I always give mine a biscuit when i go out,they have the run of the house,but they like me going out as it's biscuit time had no problems with mine doing this.


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

KrystalLeigh said:


> Odie stays on the main floor of our house. We have small gates blocking the upstairs and downstairs, so she has free roam of the laundry room, kitchen and dining room/living room. She's totally silent at all times, except when we play and get her to chase us.
> 
> Edited to add that we have the gates up 24/7, not just when we leave. The cats get to roam the upstairs and have some peace, and the gate blocking the downstairs is for her safety. My brother-in-law and husband accidentally left the door open a crack once and she got out! Never happening again.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


What a good idea! We had a Mini American Eskimo that was an escape artist. Part of us fostering her was to help correct that. It worked, but she escaped probably about 12 times in the first two weeks. We had a gate up on the door, but she was a medium sized dog and just jumped right over it, so I dismissed the idea. Sounds perfect for Chihuahuas!


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

Kalisee said:


> My girl does not stay in a crate. We live in an apartment so if I have to leave and cant take her (never more than 2 hours) she will go hide under the bed or sit in a basket by the door till we come home. She has always had full space of the house and I have not had any problems. I have not found any "unpleasant surprises" when I leave, she just waits. She also does not make alot of noise. She will bark on occasion if someone is in front of the door but she is not noisy when we leave.
> 
> When we come back, whether she was alone for 10 minutes or whatever, you would think she has not seen us in 3 years the way she carries on crying and leaping all over, kissing use etc.


Aww! I hope we can make it to that point with this one. Hopefully getting another will keep her from being so nervous and lonely.


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## miuccias (Aug 22, 2012)

I have 2, when nobody is home with them they stay in the living room.
we try to take them with us whenever we can, otherwise we don't leave them alone for more than 2hours, they are just 5 months, still learning to be alone.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

When Toby was a puppy, he was super destructive and therefore crated when we weren't home. In September he started going in the bathroom when I leave. He has a bed and blanket, toys, water, and a pee pad in there. He's 14 months old and I still don't completely trust him not to eat things, but hopefully one day he will be allowed to be free. 


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

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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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs.J. said:


> What a good idea! We had a Mini American Eskimo that was an escape artist. Part of us fostering her was to help correct that. It worked, but she escaped probably about 12 times in the first two weeks. We had a gate up on the door, but she was a medium sized dog and just jumped right over it, so I dismissed the idea. Sounds perfect for Chihuahuas!


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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## pam6400 (Oct 5, 2008)

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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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

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


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## Moonfall (Nov 16, 2012)

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.


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## mimilee (Dec 6, 2012)

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


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## joeandruth (Aug 11, 2012)

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.


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## Missygal (May 19, 2011)

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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## MMS (Aug 2, 2012)

Usually when we leave we gate off the stairs and the dogs get the run of the 1st level. Now that we have a giant tree in our foyer, the dogs only get access to the living room, dining room/kitchen and the laundry room. The kitties can jump the gate, so they get the run of the house. Thankfully, Stella is conscientious enough now that when she can't hold it anymore, she goes on the linoleum, and not the carpet.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

We gate our upstairs too! It is where the rats cage is and where all the poisinous plants live (although most are cacti and other spikey things that would generally be hard to eat). We are right now trying to transition out of crates but it makes my spouse a little nervous. He is worried that they are going to eat something and hurt themselves, but the downstairs is so dog proof anyway they would have to literally eat a wall or something and I think the odds of that are extremely unlikely.


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## Star's Mama (Aug 15, 2012)

Star has a whole empty bedroom herself with her toy and blanket. Cant trust her by herself. Cant leave her in the kitchen because she can find a way to get thru the gate, even tho she doesn't do that when I'm home.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

doginthedesert said:


> We gate our upstairs too! It is where the rats cage is and where all the poisinous plants live (although most are cacti and other spikey things that would generally be hard to eat). We are right now trying to transition out of crates but it makes my spouse a little nervous. He is worried that they are going to eat something and hurt themselves, but the downstairs is so dog proof anyway they would have to literally eat a wall or something and I think the odds of that are extremely unlikely.


Toby ate a hole in the wall, I wouldn't underestimate, LOL. He didn't hurt himself. It was about two weeks after we moved in, and there is still a hole in my dining room. Eventually I will have time to patch it so I don't want to pay for it when my lease is up.


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## omguthrie (Oct 13, 2009)

Lilo is crated when I'm not home and at night to sleep. The 3 border collies are left loose in the house but I don't feel comfortable letting them all out together. They love to play so much together that I just don't want little dogs and big dogs playing unsupervised. Lilo is a great little dog and would probably be fine left out of her crate but I don't want to risk it.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

Ours have the run of downstairs which is an open plan lounge/dining room/kitchen with hardwood floors. The stairs are gated and they are not allowed upstairs at all except to be carried up for baths in the laundry which is upstairs.

I usually give them a piece of jerky or a pig's ear strip before I leave and there are no issues with trying to get out or whining. 

Everyone is now out of the puppy stage so we have no issues with destructive behaviour, plus they have eachother to play with so they don't seem to mind when we're at work.


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## thatrandomgirl (Mar 4, 2012)

Stella has her own "room." I don't trust her to be loose in the house as of right now, so whenever I need to step out, she goes in there. She has a bed, water, and her crate in there.


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

MMS said:


> Thankfully, Stella is conscientious enough now that when she can't hold it anymore, she goes on the linoleum, and not the carpet.


How cool!
I'm going to get that patch-of-grass thing and train our pups to go on there. Paper training isn't working for this one, I'm sure that will.


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

well we just moved in to a new house, so now, Miya has free run of the downstairs. We use baby gates to block off the upstairs. That will never change. The stairs are far too steep for her to be going up and down unsupervised. If only I could talk my cat into staying away from them. He thinks they're a ride at the fair the way he runs up and down...makes my heart beat fast just thinking about it.


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

omguthrie said:


> Lilo is crated when I'm not home and at night to sleep. The 3 border collies are left loose in the house but I don't feel comfortable letting them all out together. They love to play so much together that I just don't want little dogs and big dogs playing unsupervised. Lilo is a great little dog and would probably be fine left out of her crate but I don't want to risk it.


I'm going to feel the same way, but with a big Chihuahua and a small Chihuahua, lol.


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

thatrandomgirl said:


> Stella has her own "room." I don't trust her to be loose in the house as of right now, so whenever I need to step out, she goes in there. She has a bed, water, and her crate in there.


Love this idea! I read a few more people do it too.
We're getting a 3 bedroom (hopefully!) at the end of January, and it's going to be for all my sewing/couponing/photography stuff. The room will be puppy & toddler proofed, so maybe I'll be able to keep mine in there.
Thanks you guys!


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## Rach_Honey (Jan 13, 2012)

Honey is left in the kitchen and hallway. When i thought we were 'done' with potty training, i let her have free run of the house (my old Chi had the whole house all the time) - this was too much too soon for her. She started peeing in random spots and ate the walls! 
We are moving this weekend, so when i have to leave her in the new house, she will have the puppy proofed kitchen first, then the kitchen and hallway. I would like to leave her with the living room too, so she can get comfy on the sofa  , but i think thats a few months down the line yet - i dont want chewed walls again!


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## Quill (Nov 20, 2012)

Edie has always been crated when I'm not home. I'd like to allow her the freedom of the bedroom, but I'm a little nervous about it, I don't want her to have any house training accidents since she's been doing so well.


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## Jennmay (Dec 31, 2011)

No crates here they are free to roam. I also give a treat as I leave as well. They are good in the house and never mess with anything.


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## Evelyn (Oct 14, 2012)

We put Ike in a crate in the living room, he seems fine with it. My other dogs love it as they get a few hours rest from him. So far we have never been more then 4 hours away from the house.


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## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

Mine are blocked off In the kitchen with gates it's tile floor mine are 100% house broken but just incase it's tile floor at least. They get a bed each in the kitchen with a cuddle sack each and a big queen size fleece blanket no toys or
Treats mine can get into dog fights at times don't want them unsupervised with treats or toys. They also sleep in my bed at night.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Gemma gets full run of the apartment, but it is very small. She has access to the kitchen, living room, and our bedroom. I keep the bathroom door closed so she doesn't go into the trash in there.  I'm pretty sure she just sleeps on the couch until we come home.


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## NewChiDad (Oct 31, 2012)

Butterbean has full run of my small apartment. She was 4 and house-trained when I got her, so no problems there. She cries when I leave, but then sleeps on my bed or watches out her favorite window. When I come home, she's all waggly tail and kissy tongue. I flop down on the bed and let her do a "Daddy's home!" happy dance on my chest.


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## LolaKaty (Jul 18, 2012)

My two are free to roam the whole house. Wee wee pads are in the hallway and the girls use them all the time. Actually it is so cute to see them run from one side of the house to the other to make it to their wee wee pad. I did purchase "stay off mats" to put around my living room rug so they stay out of that area. I also have cozy beds in most of the rooms in the house so they can pick where they would like to snooze while I'm gone.


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

NewChiDad said:


> Butterbean has full run of my small apartment. She was 4 and house-trained when I got her, so no problems there. She cries when I leave, but then sleeps on my bed or watches out her favorite window. When I come home, she's all waggly tail and kissy tongue. I flop down on the bed and let her do a "Daddy's home!" happy dance on my chest.


How sweeeet~!
You should totally get video of that!


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## proudpeyotemama (Feb 20, 2012)

Ote stays in my bedroom. My brother would say "that's not Aly's room...that's Ote's room" because that's pretty much how it's set up. There are little pup beds everywhere, a step up to the bed, her bowls, and toys are out where she can get access to them as she wants. Most of the time, however, she is with me. I also have a little pop up playpen for her, but I haven't had to use it yet. I bought it with the intention to use it only when we are at family's house who have other larger, or rough-housing dogs (to keep Ote safe) and when we go on our cross country roadtrip (for use in the RV) in spring. Ote is potty trained and very, very rarely has accidents and she doesn't typically cry when I am gone. When I come home, she's usually sleeping under the comforter on my bed or playing with her toys.


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## NewChiDad (Oct 31, 2012)

Mrs.J. said:


> How sweeeet~!
> You should totally get video of that!


Haha--I'll have to set up my computer camera when I leave for easy activation when I get home.


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## Rolo n Buttons (Sep 22, 2012)

NewChiDad said:


> Haha--I'll have to set up my computer camera when I leave for easy activation when I get home.


You must do that! 

Rolo stays in his cage when we are out. I cant bring myself to let him roam about willy-nilly, I don't entirely trust him! He's a so-and-so for finding and chewing up the one thing you don't want him to find and chew up and I really don't know what Id come back to! My cousins kitten chewed through a speaker wire and electrocuted itself while she was at work and that story has stayed with me! He's more than happy in his cage, he has everything in there and never cries


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

Rolo'sMummy said:


> You must do that!
> 
> Rolo stays in his cage when we are out. I cant bring myself to let him roam about willy-nilly, I don't entirely trust him! He's a so-and-so for finding and chewing up the one thing you don't want him to find and chew up and I really don't know what Id come back to! My cousins kitten chewed through a speaker wire and electrocuted itself while she was at work and that story has stayed with me! He's more than happy in his cage, he has everything in there and never cries
> 
> ...


Oh, my! Well this makes me feel alot better about keeping her in the cage


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## Pumpernickel (Apr 5, 2012)

Max stays in his crate too. We just have to say 'Max, we're just going out for a little bit' and he will run to his crate! I'll shut the door and he gets 2 treats and then he'll curl up and sleep until we return. At first he used to whine and dig up the blankets but we didn't give in to him and it was worth it!

Part of me would like to give him a bit more freedom but I would worry too much that he might hurt himself if we're not there to keep an eye on him.


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## Buildthemskywards (Jun 16, 2012)

Mylo went in his crate when he was little because he would eat anything he could get hold of and I just didn't feel safe leaving him otherwise. Once he got a bit older and more trust worthy he started going in our spare bedroom. It has a bed in that they can't get under but other than that there's noting they can get into. I've put puppy pad, food, water, toys, bed and blanket in there. Now Willow is here too they both still go in there although there are more accidents and the pads have to go in a tray because she shreds them. Mylo has a big crate so I'd put a kong in there or hide treats and now I will give them a kong or half a tripe stick or something so they associate it with good things and I feel less guilty leaving them!


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## Thor (Apr 20, 2012)

Thor sleeps in my bed while I'm gone during the day. But before I leave I hide treats around the house to ensure he doesn't sleep the day away.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

both dogs have the run of the house now since KC does well on the pads and dex as well but they do even better in the little room we have for her playpen opened and a pee pad in the corner for dex  when kc was a pup she was to stay in a playpen and i even monitored her thru a ip cam which i let a couple people watch while i was at work and she was the cutest little thing ever :albino:


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## Tas (Apr 28, 2013)

*Rolo n Buttons* ~ Is Rolo and Buttons both Chi's? Just wondering By the way we have a cat named Buttons lol, Anyway I put Clyde in his pet taxi when we all leave.


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## Rolo n Buttons (Sep 22, 2012)

Tas said:


> *Rolo n Buttons* ~ Is Rolo and Buttons both Chi's? Just wondering By the way we have a cat named Buttons lol, Anyway I put Clyde in his pet taxi when we all leave.


Yes, they are both chi's from the same breeder. Brothers from another mother! Lol. Rolo is short coat and Buttons long. I've had Rolo since June 10th last year and I got Buttons in January 27th this year. You have good taste in names too! 😁


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## Rolo n Buttons (Sep 22, 2012)

And pet taxi??? Lol


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## Rolo n Buttons (Sep 22, 2012)

Lol! I just googled it..... I take it you mean
View attachment 22522

And not 
View attachment 22530

Lol


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## Tas (Apr 28, 2013)

Yes the 1st pic lol, The 2nd one is funny though


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