crate/potty training

:wink: i have a 2 month old long-haired chihuahua and i have him in a pen like area...and he sleeps in there and stays there when nobody is supervising him and i was wondering when he is old enough to roam the house and also i have another male dog that is about 6 months old and he was our first dog and they get along but the older one play fights too much for the little one and it bugs the smaller dog i was wondering how i can get them to just get along...please help me thanks

 

Welcome to the board!

Anyway, I don't think there is a certain age when your dog can roam free. It's more or less if he's potty-trained or not, and if he knows not to chew up any of your belongings. Basically, I think you should decide when he's ready.

 

Teena's right, there is no certain age, it's really a matter of whether he is housebroken or not. What I would recommend you do is gradually give him more and more freedom, not just free run of the house right away. As he proves to you that he can be trusted unsupervised in one room, give him access to another room in addition to the other. If all goes well, and there are no accidents, continue to give him access to more rooms of your home. Quick note: Give it AT LEAST one or good week (I would wait a little longer, though) to test and see how reliable he is. One day of no accidents in the room in which he is allowed in unsupervised is not a good indicator.

Basically, if he's been accident free for some time now, and you feel he's ready for some freedom, I would GRADUALLY allow him access to more rooms in your home! Just remember, don't take it too quickly (one room at a time), he has to prove that he can be trusted before more access is allowed/given.

(I should probably make note of something, I wouldn't not let him in other parts of your home just b/c he's not housebroken yet. Yes, he must be supervised while in other parts of your home, but if you don't let him see and "experience" those rooms once and while, there is a good chance in the future that he won't view those other rooms (that he's not normally in) as part of his "den"/home, which is not good. It is a dog's instinct not to eliminate in areas in which he considers part of his den/home.)

Play fighting is normal among dogs, although it often sounds quite frightening for first-time dog owners who have never heard or seen it before. If your younger pup can't seem to handle it, then you'll have to intervene in some way the minute you notice a problem. Try teaching your older dog a command (I use the command "be nice" with other dogs when things get too rough during playtime) that signifies to him that things need to stop or calm down. Be very consistent and persistent in teaching him his limits of rough play!!!

If this seems to be a persistent and fairly serious problem, I wouldn't leave them alone together unsupervised.

I hope this helps, good luck!