Keeping dog outside? Who does?

Lintel

Lintel

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Does anyone keep their dogs outside? Kenneled permanently rather than inside?
We are thinking about setting up a run and kennel for the pup to go out in during the day if we leave him for a couple of hours.
Could we make s run DIY or better to buy?
The space would be 12x24.
 
My GSDs are outside in kennels during the day and always have been and to my mind they much prefer it. Some of mine over the years have actively disliked being indoors although my current dogs come in during the evenings or if I am about.
Purely personally speaking, I think it would be boring for them to be in the house all day. At least they can get a bit of fresh air and see the comings and goings.

I'd go for a flatpack pre-built set up and then just drill it all together. The guy I bought mine off had it all up in five minutes and the quality is excellent.
 
I think it depends on the dog. If they’ve never known anything else and you have the set up for it (not a built up area where barking is likely to cause offence) then it’s whatever suits. My dogs are part of the family and as sich I like them with me indoors.
 
Mine are all taught to live both indoors and outdoors, I want them housetrained as pups so keep them in and once thats established they go out for kennel training.

It usually results in dogs which are very clean even in their kennels - but if I'm away all day then they arent locked in the house and have the option to toilet if they need to.

Does depend on breed imo though, some tend not to take to or cope with outdoor life very well no matter how much you try.

Kennel set up would again depend very much on size/breed but 12x24 is a great space!

Dont bother with wooden kennels, lots of maintenance and very likely to attract chewing.

Galvanised panels are best bet and last forever.

Ive found the insulated cabin style kennels are incredible all year round and use this company

https://www.kmdogtrailers.co.uk/dog-cabins
 
My GSD x Rottie is kennelled during the day as she goes mad in the house if left alone (reactive out of the windows, tearing down blinds & curtains, etc!) and we come home to a hyped up wild-eyed dog ... In the kennel, she sleeps and is totally relaxed come evening. She took to it immediately, so had possibly been kennelled before (5 homes before us and was 2 yrs old).
 
Sounds great I think we will give it a try, I feel he may be much happier out during the day when we are not about.
What would you suggest for a kennel/dry/cool in summer warm in winter shelter?
I'd thought about converting a wooden bike shed 4x6 but he may chew the wood as this seems to be a impulsive thing at the moment! Would a metal shed just attract the cold and heat when it is unwanted?
 
As I am paranoid about dog theft I would say maybe a metal run? Our kennels actually are wooden though. Spanner is not a chewer. She has a box in the bedroom with a mattress and blanket in, it is about the size of a dog basket but with room to stand up.
TBH come winter we will hopefully have her indoors over night and only use the kennel for day time. She is much more tired after being in the kennel as she doesn't sleep but watches what is going on all the time. (suits us!). She is a complete skanky ho though, and has to have a bath every morning except at the moment when we are getting up at 5.
 
Lintel said:
Sounds great I think we will give it a try, I feel he may be much happier out during the day when we are not about.
What would you suggest for a kennel/dry/cool in summer warm in winter shelter?
I'd thought about converting a wooden bike shed 4x6 but he may chew the wood as this seems to be a impulsive thing at the moment! Would a metal shed just attract the cold and heat when it is unwanted?
Click to expand...

Have a look at the link I posted above
 
Mine were allowed free run via the dog flap and were often out rather than in. Depends how secure you feel letting them be outside. I certainly wouldn’t allow the current two the same freedom, but a secure run would be fab.
 
amymay said:
Your garden needs to be absolutely 100% secure from intruders if you're planning on keeping a dog outside.
Click to expand...
Gosh such a horrible thought people stealing dogs :( he is a big shepherd so hoping that would be a deterent and we are in a lovely little village but I suppose anything is possible so I would be padlocking him in now that's been highlighted!
 
My kennel is a 4m brick & roof area between house and garage + just a small outside grass run for wee/poo, lying in the sunshine. I can actually access the kennel itself from the house but not from the garden as there's no door to the run so security isn't a concern.
 
I have mine split during the day with 2 in the kennel and one indoors. The breeder of one of mine kept him kenneled 24/7 but since we bring them in when home he has become very much an indoor dog.

We have converted a shed into an indoor kennel with a run attached, they absolutely are happy in there with plenty of space. We did provide soft bedding in the plastic bed but they promptly chewed that up!
 
Currently have 5 outside full time, 2 indoors at night and with us during the day-if we are unable to take them with us they go in a keel but that's rare. 1 that started indoors to build a bond and then went out and he has taken to being out no problem.
Kennels are shared so 3 dogs in one, one castrated dog and entire bitch in another and one bitch with 2 day old spaniel pups in a third.
If we have to leave the house dogs in a kennel it's because the collies are doing a full days work so it means they go in the collies kennels.
Even my lurcher bitch who was scared of crates and panicked in previous work kennels has been pretty fine here, she howls a bit then sleeps for the rest of the day. She has known company and I think that helps because they are all settled.
For a sleeping area ideally you want a smaller sleeping box (just big enough for him) ideally inside a covered area, so he needs somewhere to lay flat out out of the sun and then somewhere smaller to curl up in when cold.
If he is a chewer I would avoid wood completely.
My kennel is wooden but to date has not been chewed.
 
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My guys are for around 4-5hrs a day generally & they love their kennels & runs. They even have a pool in the Summer! Our kennels are wooden (built by a friend & insulated). Only the Alaskan husky has "remodelled her kennel door a little - we didn't have her when they were built! I bed them on straw, they are really clean, & i only need to change it about once a fortnight when it starts to break down. Our panels are galvanised bars - we used to have a home made wood & wire run years ago, but these days you've got to be so security conscious (we also padlocked all doors/gates & have CCTV, & our large GSD/Doberman/GSP self appointed guard dog is a good deterrant). They come in at night & when we are home.
 
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