Hello! I am a stay at home mom of 3 incredible kids, ages 1, 3, and 8. I've had dogs and cats my entire life and love them. My kids are very gentle with animals and are taught to be kind to them. We have 2 dogs, a shepard mix and a great dane mix and we love them dearly. Our dogs are very friendly and love playing with other pets. We love to play with them, take them for walks, and spend time teaching them new tricks. In our home our pets are family and are allowed on the furniture, but I completely understand that not everyone allows this. If you don't want your pets on furniture, I would make sure to keep that same rule for them in our home so there's no confusion or untraining. Since I am home majority of the time, your dog would not be locked up. If I had to go somewhere then they would if they need to be, if they do fine when you're out of your home then I would allow them to as well here. I'm so excited to help with your animal's needs and look forward to hearing from you!