opinions please!!

[smiles24]

Had an interesting conversation with a vet today...

Firstly let me tell you about my dogs. All 3 live outside in a stable at my yard. they have huge bed on rubber matting and have coats for when its cold. My GS is blind and prefers living out as in the house he walks into things and panics, drops to the floor and wets himself. My x breed also prefers being outside as just paces indoors. My puppy was born outside as he came from a farm and knows no different.

Each morning their are run for about 1.5hrs on a secure 11.5 acre field, in the evening at least 1.5hrs again. 3 days a week they are out running all day( running! ha ha! usually asleep in the hay barn!) with me while I ride etc. the other 2 days they have another hour long run fitted in aswell as the morning and evening.

Ok, so was talking to this new vet at my practise who said I ws cruel and this was no way to keep dogs and they should be inside.

should also say me usual vet told her he disagreed strongly.

such different views. what do you think?

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Poor dogs!!!!

Dogs are happy so don't actually see a problem myself.

 

[smiles24]

made me laugh!

 

[Ravenwood]

My dogs sleep outside in a kennel and they are in there when I am at work in the mornings, the rest of the time they are around with me. I think that dogs that live outside much prefer to stay outside and some are quite unhappy in the house. My lab often puts himself to bed at night when he feels like it.

It sounds as if your dogs get plenty of human attention and exercise, just compare that to a dog who lives in a house, everybody out at work all day and then if he's lucky, he may get 20 mins down the park in the evening - I bet I know which life your dogs would prefer

 

[smiles24]

My trio often put themselves to bed too, especially the GS if it gets dark. I don't think I could stand having mine at home especially as puppy's favourite place is in the muck heap

I should of called him stinky.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Personally I want my dogs in the house and they're happy there, but that doesn't mean all dogs have to live in people's home to be happy. Your dogs sounds happy and well taken care of, sadly but true there's bad people in all sorts of professions.

 

[adgetom]

my dog lives in the house but think he wouldnt be too fussed if he lived out all dogs are different .
wouldnt say you are doing anything wrong

 

[rabatsa]

My collies have all lived outside, and one of them loved the muck heap, and had a lovely warm hollow scooped out

The german shepherd was meant to live outside too but her being speyed coincided with the first frost of the year so she was allowed to sleep in the porch for the night. She never went back outside to sleep and over the years moved into the kitchen then the hall and spent her last few years between the bedroom doors!

 

[Paddockornament]

My dogs live in but I think your vet is nuts. LOL. Your dogs sound happy enough. They have each other for company and you obviously care about their welfare. Lets face it dogs are actually designed to be out of doors.

 

[CAYLA]

My deerhound and Akita, are both have kennels, with access to the whole garden, which is huge, my akita, will not stay in, she is long coated, and gets far to hot, same with deerhound, my akita, like to lie under the conifers, where it is cool, when Im at work and take my akita and rotti in, my rotti lies in the duty room , and akita in the freezing cold stair way.

Nothing wrong with dogs living out, so long as they get exercise and attention, and adequate shelter, they are dogs at the end of the day, with a lovely natural coat, even better whn they live out.......I won't tell my whippets that though

 

[woolly]

Absolute rot!!!!! We had one wolfhound a breed noted for it's love of companionship and loyalty to it's people, and he would prefer always that we were around, BUT he was ALWAYS too hot!!!! The compromise was that we lived for 5 years (all of his life) in a house with no heating, 2 eighteen inch fans going winter and all seasons. It was once 5 degrees C in out house, the back door always open and a very expensive air conditioning unit for pup! If we would have had more than one and the facilities, they would have been far happier outside but as they very specifically 'human' orientated dog, their fantasy would be we all lived in a barn!!!! They managed draughty old castles well enough!!!! As Cala says, they are well looked after, have lots of attention etc and merely sleep out there, they are often a hell of a lot happier!

 

[Oneofthepack]

I hate to see a dog chained by itself to a kennel all day like they do a lot in the US but yours have each other for company and lots of exercise so I don't see a problem. Personally I like mine snuggled up in the house with me but that's far more for my benefit than theirs

 

[fmay]

Our 4 dogs are with us whenever we are at home. Two of them have always been house dogs and the other two have always been kennel dogs since we bought them home as puppies. They go to the kennels when we are out and at night. As I type this I have all 4 lying on beds around the kitchen