Hey all,

I come to you for advice (duh!) My puppy is going on 8 months and so far has been AMAZING. He trains fairly easily (for a husky) is smart and calm (for the most part) and so far has been brilliant with his crate training. (He doesn't whine or complain about it, I literally make sure the door is open wide and say "bed" and he walks in and lays down quietly.

With that said, I'm thinking it might be time to start letting him roam free. At least at night time. (in other words, not when he's totally alone in the house)

At what time did you start letting your dog roam free? It's maybe early as he's just under 8 months, but that's why I made it a point to point out how well he's done so far...I'm thinking of starting him in the kitchen with his blanket, toy(s), and access to his crate.
       Once I DO let him roam, I also ask you this: He normally goes to the back door and barks once or twice to let me know he has to go outside (or it's a lie and he's spotted the neighborhood malamute near the house)         What should I do about him barking/howling if he does? I can't imagine tending to him every single time is the right way to go as I want him to maintain being able to self-soothe (so to speak) but I also don't want him thinking he can just pee on the floor now, lol.

Thoughts?

Miya was 10 months when she was completely house trained, as well as allowing to roam free. It happened at the same time, From day one to 10 months Miya had free reign of our shop, while our house, attached, was being built. Our first night in the house she scratched and cried at the door, she knew we were there. She was never crate trained, and she goes to the door to go out, no noise from her no pawing at the door. She has never gone potty in the house. What she will do if it's an emergency is lick my husbands hand or face, if no response she does this to me. He may play games with you at first, a firm enough should do the trick ( I also tell her don't wake daddy, kinda crazy, but that always works.) Hope that helps.

Caoimhe never was crated at night, and always slept in our bedroom. She was never had any overnight accidents. She hates her crate, no matter what we did, she would try to escape. She is almost 11 months old and has been able to stay home by herself, uncrated with no issues or accidents for close to 2 months now. She doesn't chew or destroy anything and I don't think she's barking or howling once we are out of sight because when I get home, she's quiet.

Take that for what it's worth, others on here have dogs that are older and they don't let them have free reign. Every dog is different.

When we first adopted Kenzi we kept her confined to our bedroom (she isn't crate trained). I just made sure she had some pretty heavy playing or exercise before bedtime so she wouldn't keep us up all night. We didn't let her out to the rest of the house until we had had some success with her leaving things alone during the day without supervision. Start small and controlled and work your way up. If he does good in bedroom, move to kitchen, but if he can't handle the kitchen never hesitate to take a step back.

I think the 'right' age varies, depending on the dog. I've had dogs that were able to roam unsupervised as young as six months and others that never became trustworthy. Luci has always roamed the house when we're awake and watching her. We started leaving her uncrated in our bedroom while we're asleep starting around 14 months. I think she could have done it sooner, but hubby wasn't agreeable. We still crate her when we're not home. I think she's ready for a few hours here and there, but hubby isn't on board with trying it.