Dogs living outside

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Patchworkpony

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Just curious - how many of you keep (or sleep) a dog outside but let it into the house during the day. Lots of the farmers and shooting people do it round here and the dogs all seem very happy. Many sleep in farm buildings, stables or even kennels with runs. Is it unkind or am I too soft? It is certainly a better alternative to locking them up in a house all day and while the owners go to work!
 
Our working collie has a kennel and run outside, he doesn't come into the house at all. He is worked at least once a day and always has a walk in the evening regardless of the work he has done. He is incredibly well behaved and happy (as far as we can tell). We sometimes put the JRT who lives in the house in the pen with him if we are off for the day and she is fine.
In a run they can see what is going on outside, far better than being shut in a house IMO.
 
I would much prefer for my two to be outside, but given I live in a somewhat dodgy neighbourhood, they would be stolen, along with everything else that isn't nailed down. As such, they stay in! I do think if you have a farm they'd prefer to be out... If I lived on a farm I'd have loads of mutts though, a big pile of happy mutts that would all share an outbuilding!
 
Mine were born outside and will die outside.

They come in for 5 minutes because they think they want to and then they get too hot, too restless and are begging to go out again, they would eat their way out if I left them indoors, they are not house trained anyhow.

Currently they are in temporary quarters with a very makeshift run at the far end of the yard as the ground is too hard to put in proper fencing at the moment, or do any cosmetic makeovers (oh the joys of moving house in Winter) come Spring they will move closer to us, their house won't be as large though :(

They live in the ground floor of an old Forge, 3 sides of it are below the frostline, so it is surprisingly cosy.

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If a dog has adequate shelter and bedding, then I don't think keeping them outside is any hardship. Saying that, it very much depends on the type of dog, mine are GSD's they have double coats and are quite happy sleeping outside in minus silly temps. They drag their duvets out of their house into their run during the day so they can survey their Kingdom in comfort :D
 
OH's terriers used to live outside. They got poisoned though and after over £1,000 in vets bills and almost loosing one of them, we sold the kennels and they are now kitchen dwellers! Tbh I prefer them inside. I always worried someone would steal them.
 
Mine is opposite - outside with house and run during the day and in at night.
He gets walked in the morning, dog walker comes late lunch and then puts him in the house, he gets a quick walk in the evening.
Love the look of the mini house dog house :)
 
Enfys said:
Mine were born outside and will die outside.

They come in for 5 minutes because they think they want to and then they get too hot, too restless and are begging to go out again, they would eat their way out if I left them indoors, they are not house trained anyhow.

Currently they are in temporary quarters with a very makeshift run at the far end of the yard as the ground is too hard to put in proper fencing at the moment, or do any cosmetic makeovers (oh the joys of moving house in Winter) come Spring they will move closer to us, their house won't be as large though :(

They live in the ground floor of an old Forge, 3 sides of it are below the frostline, so it is surprisingly cosy.

December%202014012.jpg


If a dog has adequate shelter and bedding, then I don't think keeping them outside is any hardship. Saying that, it very much depends on the type of dog, mine are GSD's they have double coats and are quite happy sleeping outside in minus silly temps. They drag their duvets out of their house into their run during the day so they can survey their Kingdom in comfort :D
Click to expand...
What lucky dogs.
 
Dogs don't seem to be very good at dealing with rapid changes in temperature. My (working) pointers were kennelled outside and even in really hard weather would suffer if I brought them into the heated house. They'd be panting in five minutes. The GSDs are in the house in the evening but put out when I go to bed and I do feel a bit mean!

Working dogs need to be outside in a kennel where they can see what is going on, but the bed area should be insulated (especially the floor) and just large enough so they can crawl in and curl up, nose to tail. My Swedish kennel maid kept sled dogs at home and told me they preferred to curl up under the snow rather than sleep in the kennel! She'd tap on the kitchen window and their heads would pop up out of a level blanket of snow!
 
As a kid on the farm the dogs always lived outside, we normally had collies, GSD's and crosses of the two. None of them liked being in the house and they chose where they slept, barns, stables etc.
I now have a JRT and a black lab puppy. I am sure they could live outside, but in the current dog-stealing climate I would never consider it!
 
My mums border collie lives in the porch, but its perishing cold in there, so even though she's filthy I have been letting her stay in the kitchen. She's 10 yrs old now, and she does like it, and is not keen on going back in the porch now!

Our terriers live inside but once we get our new house built I'm hoping two of them will live outside in a double kennel & run. No chance the oldest one will live outside - he's a real house dog (soft)
 
I grew up with everyone keeping a little dog in the house and the big dog outside. The outside dog always lived longer and seemed perfectly content whilst doing so.
 
No problem with it as long as they have adequate kennelling. My Akita really struggled to stay indoors. Although she has a fabulous kennels she lay under the trees or in the middle of the lawn in the snow. That's how thick her coat was. Our deer hound also preferred outdoor life.
 
Always had outside dogs, parents never wanted inside animals. I had two labs and a collie lab cross - all lived in the old grooms flat in my yard, so literally had their own house! So technically were inside just had their own door ;P one of them would not come into the house no matter what you offered her.

My staffy was outside for 10 years, and i did feel bad for her in winter - she was cold. I would try my best and rug her up well and get her a nice fleecy duvet but i was never happy with the situation.

Mum decided to get a new dog, and rescued one that was a house dog and would not stay outside. So in came the dogs lol im much happier now cause i know they are warm and they get to see us more, but in the day time if its not wet they go out to the pen or gates are shut and they pootle about the yard. In summer they will be out a lot more!
 
Our two working collies live outside, day and night. They usually go in a stable overnight with a bit of straw but they can choose not to. Our vet said they wouldn't even start to feel cold until -15 and then only if they were wet.
 
My vet said exactly the same SuperH, as long as they are fit and healthy and have the option of decent shelter and a bed they will be fine :)

My poor dogs this morning ;)
I wish I could have them closer to the house and in a less makeshift run, but it's Winter, new housing will wait until Spring.

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