Which do you do?

[Violetandpurple]

We have a 16 month old cockapoo
when children are at school and partner at work he gets walked, fed, garden time but not a huge amount of attention as I’m always doing house work etc (he is not ignored far from it)
partner works away - when he’s home dog is spoilt!
I say he needs more boundaries e.g. should be locked out if we’re eating,
should spend more time on his own in the kitchen even if we’re just sat watching tv
if he barks my partner goes straight to him and gives him what he wants..
a vet once told us that he should be fed, walked, loved but can be locked away for hours if the above has been done and he needs to be treated as a dog not a child

so I’m curious how many of you have your dog constantly with you, on the sofa of an evening, upstairs if you’re upstairs etc
& how many give them their basic needs then lock them away whilst you get stuff done etc

im unsure which is correct but feel he’s a little too spoilt and with a baby due next month I want to get him used to any changes etc now ..

he is a lovely boy, in general very well behaved & we all adore him just curious how everyone else ‘treats’ their dogs ..

I don’t lock the dogs away but they don’t get masses of attention during the day if I’m busy. They are just pottering round. They have the run of the garden,conservatory and kitchen diner. A choice of beds and water bowls. They just sit on their beds when we are eating our meals so no need to shut them out. They
I do leave them shut in the kitchen diner at times but there’s plenty of room and nice beds.
The dogs do not sit on the sofas or go to bed with me but they can wander round those parts of the house if they like.

All the dogs we’ve ever had in the extended family have been treated the same and all have been quite happy.

I can't imagine ever locking my dog away for no reason - personally I don't really understand why you'd have a dog if you're going to treat it that way

Mine has the run of the house while we're home and can go where he likes - he normally sunbathes, sleeps on the sofa or in our bed. While we're out he just stays in the living room and sleeps or stares out of the window.

He spends all evening on the sofa with us - either curled up asleep with one of the cats or having a cuddle with one of us. He sleeps in our bed at night too, though he could choose the floor or hallway if he wanted (and he does in the summer if it's too hot for him).

While we eat he just sits on the sofa or under the table. It's never occurred to me to shut him out - he's fine just hanging out on the floor waiting for tidbits

Our dog is nearly always with us if we are at home. He chooses which parts of the house to spend time in (though a couple of rooms are off limits). I can't imagine shutting him in another room while we watch TV or read or whatever. He sometimes chooses to nap in another room but he usually wants to be where we are. Surely one of the loveliest things about having a dog is spending downtime together?

Mine is with me all the time. He gets put behind a baby gate if I have to answer the door but otherwise no he isn't locked away. Sometimes he chooses to sleep in another room in the day but that's his choice and it's never for long.

I would question why you bought a dog if you didn't want it to be part of the family to be shut away from you when doing things like watching tv in the evening.

Our dog has always been able to go where he wanted, upstairs only after 6 months. He is 4 years old, does leave us alone to eat, he’s a border collie with lots of energy but likes a routine and after walks will just chill and sleep most of the day, but plays most in the evenings when we are all home.

I can't imagine ever locking my dog away for no reason - personally I don't really understand why you'd have a dog if you're going to treat it that way *

Mine has the run of the house while we're home and can go where he likes - he normally sunbathes, sleeps on the sofa or in our bed. While we're out he just stays in the living room and sleeps or stares out of the window.*

This is exactly the same as ours. They'll often choose to be in the same room as us, although they're both Rotties and quite protective of us, so I suspect it's more because they like to know we're not getting up to any mischief without them

That said, we don't give them constant attention when they are with us and they adjusted really well when DS was born and absolutely dote on him now.

It really isn't necessary to shut a dog out for it to "learn its place".

Our dogs are used to sleeping with us , get loads of walks - their feeding time ( see other thread ) can be a bit fraught but they are not locked out , They mooch about / snooze when we are busy and then during the evening they sit with us. So pretty much with us - never locked out

Shut him in a other room when you watch tv? Your vet said it’s ok to lock him away for hours? What?

Our dogs are with one of us almost all the time. They only get left if we’re all out, which is rare and only for a couple of hours if it happens. If we’re in, they have the run of the house and a fairly big bit of land we’ve fenced off for them. They will always choose to be in a room with a human. We do have some stair gates which we use if we have someone working in the house or we have deliveries. They love evening sofa time with us, relaxing and getting fuss. They choose where to sleep overnight.

Obviously with a baby on the way, you need to ensure your baby will be safe so your dog needs to be well trained. Hopefully you’ve got that sorted anyway. Never, ever leave the dog and baby together alone. But there’s no reason your dog needs to be locked away on his own for hours when you’re awake. Overnight, I would say he needs to sleep away from you and baby as you will need to do night feeds and not give the dog access to baby when you’re sleeping.

If we're at home, our dogs have the run of the downstairs, and usually they like to be either close to us or sleeping somewhere warm. In the evening they hang out with us in the living room. They can be left (they sleep downstairs overnight and are often by themselves for 4-ish hours).

And at mealtimes they don't nag at the table; if they start to, and it gets tiresome, they are told to get onto their bed and stay there.

Like PP, I don't see the point of having dogs and then ignoring them.

My dog will like to be close to us unless he is very tired and he will then be happy to just go to sleep if we are wandering around. I would not lock him out. I suppose you have a different situation with a baby on the way and am not sure re that.

No, do not lock him away. They are pack animals and will want to be with the pack. The vet needs a slap.

Ours is not allowed anywhere where there is carpet as she has pancreatitis & can vomit & have diarrhoea if she has a flare.

In reality this means she sleeps downstairs in any of her 3 beds or her favourite mat that she chooses.

In the evenings she’s with us in the living room (wood floor) on the sofa. But on a blanket as sometimes she’s sick after her evening meal.

When we eat dinner she has a chew/carrot/apple & then pretty much leaves us alone.

We only lock her away for deliveries or if the front door needs to be open. She’s a rescue so a bit of an escape artist.

Id change vet tbh how did that even come up on conversation?

i work from home so ddog has a morning walk and breakfast and then mills about usually in the room I’m in til lunchtime. Bit of training then back to work. They get the odd stroke and fuss throughout the day but they just sleep

at mealtimes ddog lays on there bed for the duration of our meal until we get up from the table.

hard to tell if you are having issues or just looking for approval to follow ‘vets’ advice

During the day the dog flap is open and she has free access to the garden and the downstairs rooms as she wishes. Her bed is next to the patio doors and she is curled up there watching the chickens most of the time. She checks in with us every half an hour or so just to make sure we’re not doing anything exciting! In the evenings once the chickens are put away she is where ever we are, watching telly or reading in bed. Then when the last person goes to bed, they put her in the crate till morning. We have a baby gate to shut her away when the doorbell goes as she’s quite barky then. She doesn’t go upstairs unless one of us invites her up there.

I'm curious why you would have a dog OP.

My dogs are part of the family. They're sentient beings and I have a responsibility to make them comfortable and happy. I wouldn't lock a child or relative away so same goes for the dogs

When one or both of us are home, dogs pretty much have run of the house, although I have a couple of rooms I keep the door closed when not in use, more to cut down on cleaning than anything else.
They have to lie on their mats when we are eating. They can get on the sofas as long as there are blankets on - it was easy to train this.
Generally, one or other will be in whichever room I am in, while the other keeps watch at the front window.
They do like attention and have all sorts of noises and tricks for getting it, but they are pretty chilled if I ignore them. They are not children, but they are family members, and favourite ones at that.

I’ve never locked mine away. She has the run of the house. She will either wander around seeing what we are up to and settle next to us for a sleep or she will take herself off to a quiet corner if she doesn’t want to be disturbed.
When we are preparing food she’ll poke her nose in the room and look hopeful but then will settle away from us and doesn’t beg.
A well trained dog does not need to be locked away. My girl is part of the family.

Dogs are sociable / pack animals. They don't need to be - and shouldn't be - routinely locked away for no reason. They can be in your company without demanding or needing attention. A well trained dog doesn't need to be locked away when you are eating, doesn't need to sit on furniture, or demand attention all the time (that is what you dog has trained your OH to do!).

I wouldn't even consdier using a vet who thought locking a dog away for hours without any reason is a good idea. You appear to be treating the dog more as a toy than a part of the family. Yes, a dog is a dog, not a baby - but it is also a living, thinking being, not a teddy bear.

And for locking him away when getting stuff done?

Do you mean housework? Mine just watches me or goes into another room if I get the scary hoover out but no I don't lock him away as he just learnt to settle whilst I am busy.

Dogs like company. Yes they can be left alone and it's important that they can be left when you need to leave the house. But shutting them away for hours on end whilst you relax in the house to me sounds like you don't want a dog around.

Are you sure the vet didn’t mean that you should let it get used to being left alone when you leave the house?

Jumping to soothe a dog who is barking or whining at every noise, etc, fosters anxiety and dependence. They don’t think along the same lines as people, but they do respond to the environment they live in. If you want a calm, quiet, confident dog, you absolutely have to reflect that with your behaviour. If you don’t react to the doorbell, the dog won’t either. If you go out, don’t make a big deal of it and saying goodbye. Just go. The dog has to realise that you aren’t saying goodbye forever, but will be back. Same when you come back. Don’t let the dog jump all over you, don’t kiss and hug it every time you come in the door. Make it wait a bit and calm down while you put your stuff away. Then reward the calm behaviour with pats and attention.

It doesn't sound like you adore him if you want to lock him away for hours. It sounds like you shouldn't have got him tbh.

I don't lock my dog away and have no idea why anybody would get a dog if they didn't want it with them. Lock it away while you are just watching tv why???

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate tbh and understandably the dog is the bottom of the pecking order but don't think locking him away is fair really.

Very strange advice from your vet, OP. We have two dogs, one is an old retriever (12) and the other is a lab/retriever cross puppy. Our dogs aren't allowed upstairs and we have a baby gate to stop that. Our old girl wouldn't go up anyway but the puppy would. I have never wanted dogs on the beds so this seems the most sensible solution for us.

Apart from that, they are just with us most of the day. I'm at home and the dogs are either on beds downstairs, often in separate rooms to give the older dog some peace, or following us around the garden. If we watch tv in the evenings, they sit with us. While we have dinner puppy just lies on his bed and old dog lies on the kitchen floor but neither are 'locked away'.

At night, old dog sleeps on her bed in the dining room and pup is in his crate. The pup is a bit different as he is a guide dog puppy so there are different rules but to be honest, it's mostly what we would do anyway. The only difference with him is that he literally comes everywhere with me!

This tbh