Hi all! A couple of weeks ago i adopted a wonderful 6 month old lab/doberman pup from the humane society. She is really a sweetheart. She is nearly crate trained and we taught her to "come" and "sit". More often than not she is very shy when i take her out - usually walking the opposite way from other dogs and people but shes starting to open up - my husband and I and our son take her to a "dog Park" here so she can socialize and shes starting to open up a little and showing signs of breaking through the shyness. We are going to a reputable trainer on Monday to have her assess so we can be sure we are doing the right things for her as she is our first dog!

My question - which might get me yelled at, but i hope not! Its absolutely impossible to clean my house and make dinner when she is around -its just like having a toddler! I dont want to put her in her crate beause shes been good and i dont want to feel the crate is "punishment". I have a large deck off my kitchen with several steps down that i cannot gate off - i wanted to tie a long lease near the kitchen and put her on it with the kitchen door open so that i can get my work done for an hour or so during the day. I wouldnt shut the door and she can wander in and out as well - just wont be able to get in my way of cleaning and cooking. I had her out on the deck yesterday tied and she loved being out there, she was watching the leaves fall and waggging her tail and i sat out there with her for a while so she was comfortable. Any thoughts? I dont want to make her nutty and im not doing it as punishment but i need to get a few things done during the day - ??

Thanks for your help!!!

[pjp1199]

If you want to put the dog in her crate that is fine she will probably like it. After she goes in give her a treat to show her that going in was good. Putting her out is also a good thing for her but when it's cold or rainy you may want her to stay inside.