When we leave the house the dogs usually go outside. Unless it is extremely hot or cold and rainy. In that case Zoee goes in the bathroom and Taggart goes in his crate. This is only if we are going to dinner or going to be gone for just a few hours. If we will be gone all day and they must be in the house I block off the hallway so they have the hall and bathroom to be in. That rarely ever happens though.
When we leave over night the dogs go to my brothers and the cats get their automatic feeders set up and the gate goes up at the end of the hallway so G can have our bedroom, his room and the hallway to explore and Paizly has the rest of the house.