Should I leave my dog out

boxerly

coolhandspan wrote: »

put a heat lamp in shed, dogs should never sleep inside

why is that?

andreac

coolhandspan wrote: »

put a heat lamp in shed, dogs should never sleep inside

Eh, why not??

I would be under the impression that a dog should not have to sleep outside, my dogs sleep inside every night. Fair enough if a dog prefers to be outdoors but im sure most dogs are far happier and more comfortable inside with their owners.

Squall19

I would keep him inside, 6 months is very young to be outside at this time of the year.Yeah he might wreck a few things the first few nights if you leave stuff out for him, but take everything away that he can destroy and he will be fine.He's only 6 months, at that age they are still like babies, they will learn right from wrong pretty quick at that age.

I have a 1 year old Siberian husky who would be one of most suitable breeds to keep outside, but I have kept inside from the start and bar a few destroyed shoes in the early days he's been terrific.He's like my son and you dont put your son outside in the cold and rain, without a good reason:D

The big baby is sleeping on my bed next time to me, while im on the laptop now lol

jap gt

coolhandspan wrote: »

put a heat lamp in shed, dogs should never sleep inside

doesnt make an sense, the cost of running the heat lamp would build you a very warm kennel in no time, build a house right and you will ave no problems, if people want to keep dogs inside fair play to them but if outside the least you can do is make sure its warm and secure, saying a dog doesnt belong inside/outside is wrong, either is fine once its done right

pokertalk

Squall19 wrote: »

I would keep him inside, 6 months is very young to be outside at this time of the year.Yeah he might wreck a few things the first few nights if you leave stuff out for him, but take everything away that he can destroy and he will be fine.He's only 6 months, at that age they are still like babies, they will learn right from wrong pretty quick at that age.

I have a 1 year old Siberian husky who would be one of most suitable breeds to keep outside, but I have kept inside from the start and bar a few destroyed shoes in the early days he's been terrific.He's like my son and you dont put your son outside in the cold and rain, without a good reason:D

The big baby is sleeping on my bed next time to me, while im on the laptop now lol

i dont get y people compare their dog to their children

smokin ace

i have two lurcher dogs and they sleep outside all year round in there kennel
but when i was building the kennel i put a lot of thought into building it for them
the kennel is build out of blocks and lined with insulation and then lined with timber and the bedding is carpet only during the summer and during the winter the bedding is two layers of carpet along with loads of shredded paper thanks to the local credit union and they are very snug and warm in there and there run is fully covered with sheeting to protect from the rain/sleet/snow so wet paper in the beds are not a problem

they have been in and out of the house many times but always look to get back out as the house is to warm for them

to be honest the argument if to leave a dog live outside or not will always go on and on but its down to what ever set up the owner has for outside living dogs that makes a major difference
i think the timber dog houses being sold are a total waste of time and i would never put my dog into one of them to live

pokertalk

smokin ace wrote: »

i have two lurcher dogs and they sleep outside all year round in there kennel
but when i was building the kennel i put a lot of thought into building it for them
the kennel is build out of blocks and lined with insulation and then lined with timber and the bedding is carpet only during the summer and during the winter the bedding is two layers of carpet along with loads of shredded paper thanks to the local credit union and they are very snug and warm in there and there run is fully covered with sheeting to protect from the rain/sleet/snow so wet paper in the beds are not a problem

they have been in and out of the house many times but always look to get back out as the house is to warm for them

to be honest the argument if to leave a dog live outside or not will always go on and on but its down to what ever set up the owner has for outside living dogs that makes a major difference
i think the timber dog houses being sold are a total waste of time and i would never put my dog into one of them to live

totally agree alot of the kennels you can buy are rubbish your way better off building your own one .in the normal kennels you can buy your dog is probably as warm as your lawnmower in the shed

Squall19

pokertalk wrote: »

i dont get y people compare their dog to their children

Why not?

pokertalk

because its just not the same

The poor baby of course you should keep him inside
You don't kick your family out to sleep in the shed!!

Use the crate etc if you have any trouble, but don't leave him out there lonely in the freezing cold!

kylith

My pair sleep outside all year round. I tried keeping them in the kitchen when it got cold once about 3 years ago. Quite apart from the fact that they destroyed the place they hated it so much that it's only in the last few weeks that Tegan will set foot in the kitchen again.

They have a solid kennel in a sheltered corner and I bed them in straw in cold weather. They run outside at bedtime.

pokertalk

kylith wrote: »

My pair sleep outside all year round. I tried keeping them in the kitchen when it got cold once about 3 years ago. Quite apart from the fact that they destroyed the place they hated it so much that it's only in the last few weeks that Tegan will set foot in the kitchen again.

They have a solid kennel in a sheltered corner and I bed them in straw in cold weather. They run outside at bedtime.

yeah i think the straw is a great idea

sophie1234

but surely by not bringing the dog in it will never be trained not to chew? all dogs need to be trained and leaving them out side because they might chew up the house? with training they will soon learn not to chew up the house! of course they will at first but id much prefer a 6 month old puppy chewing up stuff then in 2 years time them chewing it up! i have a five month pup that i just couldnt imagine her sleeping outside!if your worried about chewing then like every one else says crate training is great!

lrushe

Wherever you're dog is used to sleeping is fine, obviously you wouldn't just out of the blue put a dog who is used to sleeping inside outside however if outside is where you're pup is used to sleeping and has a warm kennel to sleep in it should be fine.
I've never had a dog sleep inside, with the exception of my current Chihuahua and that's only for safety reasons. My dogs aren't dumped out the back and forgotten, they are part of my family and are with me until I get into bed to go asleep and then they go outside. During last years cold snap they were brought inside but were restless, afraid they were missing something outside.

jap gt

sophie1234 wrote: »

but surely by not bringing the dog in it will never be trained not to chew? all dogs need to be trained and leaving them out side because they might chew up the house? with training they will soon learn not to chew up the house! of course they will at first but id much prefer a 6 month old puppy chewing up stuff then in 2 years time them chewing it up! i have a five month pup that i just couldnt imagine her sleeping outside!if your worried about chewing then like every one else says crate training is great!

training a dog not to chew inside is just as easy to do outside, i spent time training mine and she doesnt chew anymore or less than any of the house dogs

sophie1234

i suppose ive just never out of the dogs ive had some small some big had them sleep outside i would just be worried about them! but each to there own is all not here to slate people just give them my opinion!

ABEasy

Hi all OP here, thanks for the replies. The reason I keep the dog outside is because I believe a dog should be outside, free to come and go rather than stuck inside. It's the same with the crates, I hate to see any animal in a cage, thats just me (unfortunately thats why the fox ate all my chickens)

I generally have the dog in the house with me right up until I go to bed, I just want to make sure he is comfortable outside. Like what was previously stated he is young and he is a short haired dog so I am mindful he will feel the cold, but at what tempature? I currently have a wooden kennell which is made of 3/4-1 inch chiplat. What would you recommend to insulate it to make sure he is comfortable in current conditions (he'll be coming inside if we get a cold snap like last year)

jap gt

ABEasy wrote: »

Hi all OP here, thanks for the replies. The reason I keep the dog outside is because I believe a dog should be outside, free to come and go rather than stuck inside. It's the same with the crates, I hate to see any animal in a cage, thats just me (unfortunately thats why the fox ate all my chickens)

I generally have the dog in the house with me right up until I go to bed, I just want to make sure he is comfortable outside. Like what was previously stated he is young and he is a short haired dog so I am mindful he will feel the cold, but at what tempature? I currently have a wooden kennell which is made of 3/4-1 inch chiplat. What would you recommend to insulate it to make sure he is comfortable in current conditions (he'll be coming inside if we get a cold snap like last year)

very hard to insulate them houses, giving a warm base under the dog will help as they will use alot of body heat through the ground..

ppink

ABEasy wrote: »

Hi all OP here, thanks for the replies. The reason I keep the dog outside is because I believe a dog should be outside, free to come and go rather than stuck inside. It's the same with the crates, I hate to see any animal in a cage, thats just me (unfortunately thats why the fox ate all my chickens)

I generally have the dog in the house with me right up until I go to bed, I just want to make sure he is comfortable outside. Like what was previously stated he is young and he is a short haired dog so I am mindful he will feel the cold, but at what tempature? I currently have a wooden kennell which is made of 3/4-1 inch chiplat. What would you recommend to insulate it to make sure he is comfortable in current conditions (he'll be coming inside if we get a cold snap like last year)

As regards the kennel we have one that has 1" shiplap then insulation (rockwool) then 3/4" ply on the walls and 2" boards on the floor. It is up off the floor about 8" and then we put a veranda on the front to eliminate any rain/wind blowing in the door. It is huge but very very cosy.

I am not sure if anyone can tell you at what point your dog will feel the cold at. It will really be a judgement on your part.
Having the dog coming and going I do understand but will he be doing that much coming and going at night that he needs to stay outside? I just think having had dogs that were out and dogs that were in it was easier having them in.....then I was never thinking or worried about cold, barking, burglars, fireworks etc the list goes on.....

Discodog

My concern with having the dog indoors all day & only putting it out at night would be it's coat. Most dogs will grow a thicker coat to cope with the cold & being in a warm house all day could prevent this.

Keeping a dog outside is OK if a number of conditions are met like a warm kennel, dry bedding etc. In reality the vast majority of dogs that are kept outside don't get this & suffer as a result. They also don't get the company that is fundamental to a pack animal.

The veterinary profession refer to Dogs as "Companion Animals". No they are not the same as children but the similarity is that when we own them we take on a lifetime responsibility to give them a good quality of life.

Heat lamps can warm a kennel but heat pads are better as they use a fraction of the electricity & heat the dog rather than the air. If a dog is in a dry kennel & then goes outside in the rain it will spend much of the night trying to dry off inside the kennel. To be warm a kennel can't have too much ventilation so there will be little air movement to dry the dog. It is very easy for the dog to become cold & chilled.

nikobyrne

lol, wasnt actually taking it personally but thats grand, wanted a boxer but was out voted by the family, love them too, our vet told me that its kinder to leave our husky out in the garden as they cant tolerate too much heat, but niko has no intention of leaving the kitchen!!!1