Question to those that kennel their dogs

Ravenwood

Ravenwood

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As you know I have kennels for my dogs - lovely big wooden structures with baskets, blankets and beds for them to sleep in. As a general rule of thumb they are out there during the day when I am at work but in the house with me all the time I am home - ie mornings and evenings. And then go back out there for the night when I go to bed - which is hardly ever before midnight.

At this moment in time they are all curled up by the fire :rolleyes: But seeing as its ridiculously freezing temperatures out there at the moment - I have decided to let them sleep in the house tonight - by the fire. Because I am such a softy!

But where do you draw the line? If I do it tonight will I have to keep them in every night when its cold? What do you do? Do you have heat lamps on during the winter? What bedding do you use?

Flyn has been kept in the house recently because Rosie has been in season and he really misses his kennel! He has been begging to be let in!
 
I dont kennel anymore but when I did they never really came in the house at all, when they did they were too uncomfortable to want to stay in long, it was way to hot. I had 2 very short fine coated dogs then, those 2 had warm coats on in the cold weather, other than that everyone just had normal blankets/duvets etc in their kennels the same as the rest of the year.
Now I have a bunch of wimps that can barely stay out long enough to have a wee! :rolleyes:
 
Yes and I think they prefer the routine too - I think it worries them if they are left inside and not put out in the kennel as usual.
 
My dog sleeps inside overnight, but doesn't come in during the day at all - she's not a fine haired breed (short coat GSD), but she doesn't ever seem cold. She has her two duvets and seems happy with that whatever the weather. She doesn't like to be in during the day.
 
Ravenwood said:
As you know I have kennels for my dogs - lovely big wooden structures with baskets, blankets and beds for them to sleep in. As a general rule of thumb they are out there during the day when I am at work but in the house with me all the time I am home - ie mornings and evenings. And then go back out there for the night when I go to bed - which is hardly ever before midnight.

At this moment in time they are all curled up by the fire :rolleyes: But seeing as its ridiculously freezing temperatures out there at the moment - I have decided to let them sleep in the house tonight - by the fire. Because I am such a softy!

But where do you draw the line? If I do it tonight will I have to keep them in every night when its cold? What do you do? Do you have heat lamps on during the winter? What bedding do you use?

Flyn has been kept in the house recently because Rosie has been in season and he really misses his kennel! He has been begging to be let in!
Click to expand...

Slippery slope alert and you is slidin' honey!!!!
 
Mine rarely come in, and my akita would die of heat exhaustion (prob literally):eek: and so would the deerhound, my mam nearly passed out today after 5 mins in my sitting room with the log burner on, so the dogs have no chance.

My kennels are like log cabins, and they have a box inside with a hole big enough for dog to get in and its filled with tissue type paper (really thick stuff) so nice and snug, my akita will still defy me and lie out in the snow so u can only see her eyes, thats how hot she gets.
The rest of mine are indoors, either in the doggy room (which has heat) or in the house.
 
My Bulldog sleeps in his crate in house, other 3 sleep outside in a stable with a radiator in with a dog flap into their own piece of garden.
 
most of our are outside in kennel and runs on stable mats and straw. border collies, the real old dog has a coat on and comes in boot room during day an out at night and as long as dry and draught free perfectly happym it is more as nature intended them to live!
 
I have kennels, well they are like mini stables really with thick straw beds. All my dogs are house trained and spend time in the house, during the day they run free as I'm mostly outside with the horses. They don't seem to feel the cold and don't loose weight so they are obviously warm enough. Mine are GSDs so nature made them to live/work outdoors. I wouldn't recommend leaving a dog out at night though if its used to living indoors most of the time.
x
 
RW - you know our situation, having been here! Finn comes in at night in winter, and now having started that he will stand at the french windows and whinge and whinge until we let him in - yep, made a rod for our backs ther.! He goes back out into the kennel with the girls at night, with his padded coat o.! The girls don't come in, they would faint from the heat and are generally minging anyway!
 
My pack are all living in the converted dairy parlour!!:)
they have their own beds at one end and the other is bedded up with straw.
They leave little nest shapes in the straw :D I was really unsure about leaving the puppy in there thinking it was too cold.....hes the one sprawled on the straw and likes to be with the other dogs rather than in the house getting too warm.they all seem to be warm enough and keeping weight on and think they prefer their own "room" to mine!
 
Where I ride, the YO's Labs are outdoors no matter what the weather (and it gets cold in CT--minus fifteen and colder). My friend's Samoyed sleeps outdoors when it snows, no kennel, foregoing his cosy bed inside the kitchen.

As for my two, the pug has Husky-thick hair and loves to be outdoors as much as possible; though he's an
Indoor dog, I think he'd do okay in a kennel. The Boston terrier is thin-skinned, fine-haired and lean, and absolutely hates the winter. Walks are conducted in a duck down jacket and she still shivers to the point that "well-meaning" strangers tell me I'm cruel to walk her in frigid conditions.

I suppose it's like horses--some love to be outdoors overnight and some prefer to be wrapped up to the nines and beside the radiator.
 
Well, despite me saying that I was keeping them in last night - I didn't :eek:

As soon as I start to switch everything off they know its time for bed and are leaping at the back door to go out to their kennels - so they went out as usual (except Flyn).

I think its probably more that they are happy with routine and seeing as they are so eager to get out there, I am guessing the cold really doesn't bother them at all. Even Rosie who is just a slip of a thing with no meat on her at all!

I shall continue to kennel :D
 
I'm sure they were fine RW! That said, Purdey has been coming in at night since October - well when it dropped below about 3C at night. Her kennel has no heating nor insulation and she does really feel the cold - she shivers as soon as she feels a draught!
We are planning to insulate her kennel for next year though and get one of those ceramic heater thingies as I'm sure she actually prefers her kennel to the kitchen.:D
 
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