I have crate trained my puppy who is now nearly 8 months.  She is a very good girl and is now fully housetrained.  She sees the crate as her little den and at night she goes in to sleep and I lock the front door.  When I leave her I also put her in her crate and lock the door.  Every time I do this I can't help but feel guilty as I would like her to have a free roam of the house.  I am, however, frightened that were I to go out for up to 4 hours and leave her out of the crate to go where she please that she might go anywhere and not wait to go outside.  She does tell me when I am home when she needs to go to the toilet by licking me and looking at the door of the room we are in at the time.
How can I make the transition from permanently crating her at night and when out to leaving her free in the house?  Or do most people once they have crate trained always use the crate?
Thanks
Van

Hi there

We crate trained our last BC who is now a year old and started by letting him out and going out for say twenty minutes and just increasing the time bit by bit so he knew we were coming home and would get let out immediately, as soon as he performed outside the usual big praise.  We had a couple of accidents but only pees and nothing more so cant really complain.

Claire

Van why don't you try and see what she does :) Be brave ;)

You may have a couple of accidents but she will learn ! She is old enough to be able to last that long !

Be prepared though for a few chewing moments but that is part and parcel of having a Lab :D

Lucy
xx

If she 'wees on schedule' so to speak, start by going out when you know she probably won't need a wee, and just gradually extend the time you're gone for. It might help if you confine her to a small area of the house, rather than just let her roam where she wants (I don't know what you were planning). This may help her to settle down and go to sleep rather then run about the house, getting all excited and therefore making her more likely to want to wee. Mine are confined to the hallway (via a series of dog gates and doors!) where the crate is at the moment whenever I'm out.  I don't know whether this has helped the pup not too wee in that area, but so far she's waited. But like someone else said, you'll never know unless you try!

:-)

i had the same feelings with my boy, i started leaving him out at night , when i knew hed be sleepy and i could hear if he was destroying anything!! then progressed to an hr whilst out shopping for eg, during the day, anymore than an hour i left him something to chew, or filled his kong, and know he very rarely goes in his crate, but on the other hand i did the same with my bitch who is now 2, ans she destroyed the back of the sofa!!  needless to say shes in the crate whilst im out, some dogs feel safer in there . hth good luck