re: Pet owners question: crate training and leaving dog out to roam

I have 2 Australian Shepherds. When mine were puppies until about 1 year old, they stayed in my laundry room with the door shut while i was gone or asleep. They had plenty of chew toys to keep them occupied along with food/water/puppy pads, and i made sure that they couldnt reach anything they could potentially destroy. After that, I gradually increased the time they were allowed to roam freely in my house. I started with 1 hour, then gradually increased it over a few months. Luckily, they never had a chewing problem, they only liked to steal socks, and after they turned 2, I had no worries about them being free in the house for hours at a time while I was gone. Zero problems since and they are 5 and 6 by now.

Every dog is different though, so take my experience with a grain of salt.