A transitive verb is a verb that has an object; an intransitive verb does not have an object. This object can be a noun, a noun phrase (gerund), or a noun clause.
Joe built a
house.
"house" is the object
Joe loves
running marathons.
the gerund is the object
Joe decided
that it was time to trim the hedge.
the dependent clause is the object
Joe ran around the block.
There is no object; "ran" here is intransitive.