Moving to a new house with puppy in tow...

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Oh boy. We have a fantastic dog run - and that is Barley (and Moby) stay when I am gone. Yes - Barley has done a ton of digging back there - but I don't care because it is totally secure. He sleeps in his crate at night - but I have never used it during the day. (I wanted to crate train when we first got him but my soon to be ex-husband was not one board at all - and you need to be on the same page with crate training. Moby can stay in the house all day -but I have never left Barley unsupervised in the house. I crated him once during the day while I took Moby for a walk and that is the only time a neighbor said that she heard him. (He was crying and howling once his peanut butter kong was eated.) By the time we move into the new house - he will be a year old - but I had hoped for a wee bit more maturity at this point. He is currently full on in his teenager-hood - and his selective hearing is getting on my every last nerve. I will try to start acclimating him to staying inside - but it just makes me nervous. The Victorian in town (where I am moving) is still in Napa - so it is hardly the "city," and there is a nice well fenced back yard - but it is not the 2 + acres I had before - so things are just going to have to be a bit different. I just wish he was older and had less energy! Do you recommend just leaving them in one room during the day - or run of the house?

[Laura]

From your stories of Barley, he doesn't sound like he is ready to be left in a room for the day, let alone have run of the house. It is not too late to start crating him, and is probably his safest option.

[Labradorks]

What Laura said. Labs, for the most part, especially males, are not mature until they are three. Field Labs tend to be way busier and quicker to bore, therefore entertaining themselves on their own.

[xracer4844]

I agree with the above - I don't think he would be ready to leave in a room. With how much energy and the personality you have been describing, a crate would be the only safe option I can think of. I know you say you don't care if he digs in the run, but the reason he is digging is because he is bored, and wants out - it's destructive energy which shouldn't be encouraged. I would crate him during the day, let him out maybe halfway through the day, and then back in the crate. It's a long process to start crate training at his age now, and it will be difficult...but crating is the safest place for your pup.

[Tanya]

i would personally crate train (starting with desensitization and short periods). if you pick a room make sure to SUPER SUPER SUPER dog proof it (there was a link on this, I will try to find it).

Regarding digging: it's dangerous when it means they can slip out under the fence - unless you have fencing that goes down deeper intot he ground so he can't dig out.

It doesn't sound like he is in a phase where he coudl be trusted to be safe outside all day alone nor in a room unless you can make it super dog proof. 1 year old is still very young and not near maturity at all. BUT each dog is different. The biggest issue I had with my fsoter was never chewing or getting into things - it was the house training (when left alone all day with run of the house she would often go pee on another level). but she was never a chewer or destroyer of things, my 10 year old lab is more trouble on that front.

[fidgetyknees]

Agree with the above. Don't leave your dog outside during the day. Barking is annoying to people even if they like dogs. And most dogs bark when they are bored or see somebody going by. Plus, you cannot trust people not to do something to your dog. I crate dogs until I can trust them, then they just have access to one room during the day, and then the whole house if they are trustable .... at the moment I have 2 very well behaved dogs so they have the run of the house.

And bathroom spots you can teach them where to go by going out with them. I personally don't bother, I am always having to patch grass anyway because we wear the lawn out with ball throwing ... so may has well patch pee spots as well.

[doubledip1]

It's never too late to learn to crate! I would get a Dropcam or something similar too just for peace of mind. You start with one room totally dog-proofed (that means literally nothing left out, no cords, nothing), and then progress to 2, then one floor, then the whole house, etc.

Luna has had full run of the house since she was 6 months old, but we are in a very different situation than most people and Luna is a special little chocolate princess.

We have lived in our new house for 2 months now, and Luna settled in pretty quickly, but she's still learning the ropes of the new neighborhood since it's been too cold for walks. She definitely acted out the first week and couldn't be left out for the first week, we had to crate her. All of the moving boxes were too much temptation to leave alone and not shred!

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

Oh my goodness. I am now officially freaked out. I had no idea what the difference was between a field lab and any other kind of lab! I have been with Moby (an English lab and sweet and mellow) for the past 9 years and he is wonderful and Barley is my first puppy. I have been going through hell with this divorce for the majority of his life and my patience level for training is no where near where it should have been but he has truly made me crazy many many times. He is crazy smart and he is improving but even the dog day care has been reluctant to take him at times due to his energy. I wanted to crate train from the beginning but my husband would not get on board and now here I am in this dilemma! My 17 year old niece suggested canna biscuits with marijuana or possibly aroma therapy and massage. (We are in California, give us a break!) Can this wild creature really be in a crate? It makes Moby crazy when he cries in his crate. I can't give up on him but I am sort of lost. I have called the trainer who worked with me once and was great so I am hopeful. Oh my gosh.