Our dog stays home alone all day when we work. She has free run of the house, never makes a mess (unless she is sick), will not bother the trash or anything left out. Except chocolate. My wife and her both love chocolate but of course it's not good for dogs and she's never allowed to have any.
But, occasionally my wife will leave a wrapped piece of chocolate where Jade can (evidently smell it), find it and reach it. Then we will come home and find the wrapper in front of my wife's chair. Shortly after this had happened and Mel and I severely scolded Jade over it Mel tested her by leaving a wrapped piece under a jacket and magazine on the table by the couch when we went to work.
When we got home the chocolate was undamaged, wrapper intact laying on the floor in front of Mel's chair. Evidently she just wanted Mel to know she knew where it was.
Jade never wears a collar or leash unless we are taking her out in public for some reason, usually the vet. She's 14 now. We trained her to stay in the yard with the help of an underground fence and collar when she was a puppy. The fence quit working a year or two after we put it in but by then the collar and fence were no longer needed. We let her out when she wants out and in when she wants in. She'll chaise a deer or other animal to within 10' of the road or to the property line on the other three sides but she won't go any farther. She'll watch out the window for deer or other animals entering the yard, then come unglued till we let her out to chaise them off. Unless it's a coyote, then she stands on the porch and barks till I come outside, only then will she chaise them off.
We've got low, vinyl covered chests in front of two windows so she can lay on them, pull the curtain back with her nose and look outside which is how she spends most of her day while we work I think.
