Howdy y’all, I’m back – sorta! Been super busy this past couple of years, months! If y’all tried to contact me via the Contact form, I must apologize for the incommunicado as the form plugin had some issues that prevented it from notifying me of new contact submissions. If you want to reach me, I recommend just commenting on a post. I get instant notification. I wrote this article a while ago but have finally gotten around to posting it. But first, here are some recent photos of our canine family members to get everyone caught up! Atlas turns 6 this November, Artemis is 2½ and Loki just turned 4.
Living Indoors, Crate Free
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to leave your Doberman alone and crate-free in the house when you go on an errand? Or perhaps all day when you go to work? This article outlines how to tell when your Doberman is ready to stay indoor alone.
Our Doberman became a full guard dog about three months after we ditched his crate. We are able to leave him alone in the house instead of in the backyard during short errands. Or, if we’re spending the day out of town or with friends, we can leave him for as long as 10 hours. Atlas can hold his bladder and bowel for up to 12 hours. These days, Atlas can hold it up to 16 hours, and if he really, really needs to go, he’ll let us know by using his smart dog bell.
The Crate Must Go
Your Doberman must be able to live indoor crate free for some time. Read this article to learn how and when we figured Atlas can transition out of his crate.
Understands House Rule and is Housebroken
This means, your Doberman knows its role indoor and is 100% housebroken. It must understand what it can or cannot do. For example, it must be trained early in its puppyhood that getting on or chewing on furniture is prohibited. It must also understand that some rooms are forbidden. From my personal experience, correction is 100% necessary to teach your pup what is right from wrong. None of that positive-only training nonsense that gained popularity for a while in the early 2020’s.
Means to Relieve Itself
Lastly, your Doberman should have a means to relieve itself especially when the house will be vacant for a long period of time. Back in our old house in Southern California, we installed a large dog door that attaches to our patio sliding glass door that leads to our backyard. Back then, both wife and I were out at least 8 hours a day for work. With this dog door installed, Atlas could catch some sun or a breeze, or just relieve himself when he needs to at his own leisure. When the outdoor temperature is too hot, he can help himself back inside and slouch on his dog bed.
Food
Generally, this is not a problem. Atlas, Artemis and Loki all have scheduled feeding. They only eat twice a day, morning and early evening. So they get their morning feeding right before we head out for our 8 hour shifts.
So What Do Dobermans Do All Day At Home Alone?
Atlas sleeps on his dog bed about 75% of the time. He spends the other 25% chewing on his MegaMax Indestructibone.
Artemis spends 60% of her time chewing on her MegaMax Indestructibone. She spends about 10% wandering and sniffing around, 10% barking at mailman or neighbors who are walking their dogs, and 20% sleeping on her YETI dog bed.
Loki spends 10% of his alone time barking at passerby, 10% chewing on his rubber chew toys and 80% sleeping.