My dog ate my homework...

[Trek420]

I'm very concerned about the chain/leash indoors thing. This can get caught on something, anything in your home while you're away. I'm sure you'd feel very bad to come home to dead or injured doggie.

Dogs in the wild nest in dens, once trained your dog will like the crate. My mutt heads there to rest, or any time there are stresses, noise like 4th of July. It's restful, like a doggie samadie (sp?) tank. When I want her to go to the crate a simple command of "into your box" is about all it takes, sometimes a cookie

All dog need and deserve safe comfortable places to rest.

At last count Mae has 4 indoor beds including the crate and a nice set up in the patio for her to wait for the dog walker when I'm at work.

I'm not a dog trainer, and my mutt is by no means perfect (eg: she has issues with other dogs, but oddly she likes almost any other animal even many cats) I took her to obedience classes, consulted a trainer, and work with her every day.

Yes, you have to "child proof" your home like having a 2 year old in the house. Chewing the Sidis is a drag but could be worse. Once Mae got into a whole box of TJ's chocolate Jo Jos. Luckily she was ok. Some things (like chocolate) are deadly to dogs so we have to be the adults and "puppy proof" the home.

To our dogs everything is about rank in the pack. And sounds like your dog thinks s/he's alpha. You need to be the leader of the pack, actually all people need to be alpha. Sigh, now I'm hearing 50's music in the background.

Doesn't mean being mean, punitive in anyway. But little things add up.

I eat first, I'm not talking about a full meal and then she eats. It's as simple as Mae sees me eat a bite of something then I feed her.

I go out the door first, all doors. Dog gets in the car last (well that's not possible if I'm driving alone).

Bottom line the dog has to earn everything she gets. But trust me she is "well paid" for all that good behavior, too well maybe.

Lastly you wrote "Today I go for a bike ride, I'm only gone for two hours". Remember we have our jobs, lives, our bikes .... our dogs only have us. And to a dog two hours is literally 7 times that.

That doesn't mean you can never leave but sounds like your dog needs a "job" while you're away.

Does your dog have toys to play with while you're away like Kongs or other puzzles? We have to give our dogs a job to do....or they will make one up