Question by shaletafonte: What’s an alternative to a pet gate?
Due to the akward opening to the kitchen, I can’t locate a pressure gate that fits. Are there any alternatives to keeping a puppy in a specific area of the house while you are gone? Also, my 11 month old puppy has been house broken for 4 mths. Is there a chance he will go in the house while I am away say a couple of hours? Thanks.
Best answer:
Answer by Nothing in Life is Free!
We had a problem like this when I was growing up–we wanted to keep our dog confined to our kitchen but couldn’t find gates. So my dad got some metal pieces that would allow for a sheet of plywood to be slid into them, screwed them into the wall, and slid in the plywood, forming a gate that could be lifted out when needed.
Other than that, have you considered crate training?
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
15 Responses
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awesome_possum Says:
A crate or a large play pen would work. You could install a door or permanent gate, but it sounds as if you want something temporary.
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squirrelmaster Says:
Get a good-sized leash, then affix it to a stationary object and the dog.
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Janel S Says:
There is a possibilty that he may go in the house. I just took a chance and closed the doors to the rooms I didn’t want my dog in and left for an hour. I came back home and she was great, but don’t get me wrong she hasn’t been good ALL the time. I say just try it an see what happens.
depending on the size of the dog I would reccomend those “playpens” for dogs, they might work.
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Rachel S Says:
get you a crate. they come in different sizes to fit your dog.
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x0000000009 Says:
You could get a cage. Just be kind and get one that is roomy, leave him food/water, and don’t lock him up when you don’t have to.
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NW Says:
a crate.
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thoresh Says:
There is always a chance of a “accident” occuring…
Its not hard to get a piece of plywood to block off a area.
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luvsdard Says:
A crate. He should be ok but the only way to know for sure is to leave him and see. Since you don’t seem to leave him at all, he might have separation anxiety and pee from that.
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The more u no the less u dont no Says:
You could MAKE a gate like thing with wood, or shut in in a room with a door.
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Alyssa Says:
If you don’t want him going into the kitchen, I would suggest either finding another room/area that doesn’t even border the kitchen..assuming that there is enough room. Such as blocking the hallway and letting him play in…a room or something. This depends on your level of comfort with him in certain other rooms as well. If not, then I also recommend finding a small dog run/pen that can be assembled inside. They are easy to assemble and come in various sizes…again, this is assuming you’re cramped for space and/or have limited areas that can be blocked off by a gate of some sort. If he has to be limited, then that would be an agreeable alternative as long as its not for extended periods of time (hours and hours). Also, that would be a way to ensure that you could cover the area that he is going to be to see/ensure that he was house broken.
Otherwise, I’m not sure of any methods of blocking the kitchen, in this case. If worse comes to worse, find a barrier that you can place IN the kitchen that you can lock into place either by placing heavy chairs or something in their place…I’ve done it in a squeeze but, of course, I’m not sure how well this would work on a permanent basis. Hope that you find something that works for you! =)
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anavswife Says:
I have odd openings to my kitchen as well so we used our couch and chair. I placed it so the high back was facing the kitchen as he could not jump that high (it’s higher than a baby gate). Other solid unmoveable pieces of furniture work too. If he’s been house broken for that long I do not think he’ll potty inside while you’re gone for only a couple hours, but you never know. If it’s the first time he’s been left to wonder so to speak, he may. You just never know. There’s never a guarantee with that sort of thing.
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walking lady Says:
There’s always a chance he’ll go when you’re gone, but what I’ve always done when my puppies were reliably housetrained and finished teething so they were past the chewing stage, was give them a chance.
Give it a try. When you know you’re only going to be gone for a short time, leave him out. If he’s good, he’s earned the privilege, if not, it’s back to being kept in his area and you try him again when he’s a bit older.
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kit Says:
We have the same problem in our kitchen because of baseboard heating. You can try building a gate that will fit, then block it into place, or you can invest in a crate.
The only way to find out if a dog is ‘safe’ to leave alone, is to leave him alone for a short time, then gradually increase that time.
Just make sure he has gone out and had a walk before you leave him. This should help contain the boredom, hopefully he will hold his bladder and find his toys to chew on rather then your stuff.
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emmymn Says:
I have seen wooden accordian gates that attach to the jamb and hook up on the other side. Unfortunately, I do not know where you could find one. Your dog is more likely to have an accident if he has the roam of the house. However, if there is a certain spot he continually has accidents, that would be the spot to seal him off from. Some pets are going to be problematic by having accidents, chewing on things or knocking things over but you won’t know if your dog will have behavioral issues until they destroy or make a mess of something. Some dogs need to be crated and some are their happiest at being crated because it is their safe spot. If you haven’t begun structured training for your puppy I would highly recommend attending a class. Just don’t let your puppy get out of control. Make sure he knows you’re the master of the house.
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Dog Chick Says:
set up an x-pen in the kitchen, or use it as a portable gate. They are great to have for multiple uses