What do you think of dogs being kept outside?

Tranceypoo

sophie1234 wrote: »

i have to dogs and a cat all kept inside weather were at home or gone out! and i dont notice a doggy smell no1 who comes to my house does either and tbh i wouldnt care if someone did!

+ 1, I have always had a dog and now have a cat as well, both indoors, my house is extremely clean and smells of Jo Malone candles or naturally scented cleaning products, all you need to do is wash their bedding once a week and clean the floor, it's not difficult. I resent the statement that all people who have dogs and/or cats inside have smelly houses. If you weren't so ignorant I'd invite you round for a sniff of my front room.

kildareash

My own two dogs are outside when I'm not there. That part of the day when we're at work. They also sleep in a kennel outside at night.
They are in and out when I'm there.
I do sometimes feel bad putting them out at night, but they run out go to the toilet and straight into their kennel. If they were crying or barking, then I would bring them inside.

They're well fed, well looked after, walked every evening. They're very much apart of my family and when i'm visiting my sisters or my parents, the boys are always brought and love spending time with their canine and human cousins.

As for people getting dogs for 'security' and then leaving them outside all the time, with no human interaction. This really annoys me. How can they expect a dog to "guard" them when they have no relationship. Sounds so ridiculous.

dahat

Old_-_School wrote: »

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell.

entirely a diet issue and easy to change if owners are willing to feed correctly and not take the easy way out n get a bag of cheap food.

Discodog

Old_-_School wrote: »

Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell.

There's no such thing as a dog that isn't capable of biting a child.

Do they not realise that *all* dogs are evolved from wolves? They're all capable of biting, at any time, regardless of whether it's bitten before and it only takes a few seconds to bite a child.

Any parent that lets their kid alone with a dog for *any* length of time is not a fit parent.

My dogs assure me that most human homes that they go to stink of human & their sense of smell is way better than ours.

The rest of your post features some common sense & a some misunderstanding. The evolved from Wolves bit is still used by outmoded trainers but in reality a dog behaves very differently to a Wolf. Yes a dog is physically capable of biting but, as to if it can be left with a child, it depends on the child & the dog.

The idea that older children, who have learnt how to relate to the dog, cannot be left is wrong. The key is in educating the children. It is insane that we do not spare an hour, during the years of education, to explain to children how they should behave with dogs. A recent survey in the UK found that, when most kids were shown a photo of a snarling dog, they thought that it was smiling.

I have three dogs & when my neighbours moved in their kids were scared of dogs because their parent were also nervous. Now my dogs are welcome in their house & the kids have enjoyed learning how to communicate with dogs & understand what the dogs are telling them.

The five needs of animals were laid out for non companion animals. The key one that is missing is human companionship. Many countries that have update animal legislation have included this as a basic requirement for dogs.

I am at a loss as to why "Working Dogs" should not be treated any differently to any other dog when it comes to comfort, warmth, companionship etc.

dvet

Discodog wrote: »

A recent survey in the UK found that, when most kids were shown a photo of a snarling dog, they thought that it was smiling.

Yikes! That's a bit of an issue alright.

bladespin

Dogs belong outside, by all means give them the choice to come and go via a dog flap but I do think it's wrong to lock a dog inside, it goes against nature IMO.

Discodog

dvet wrote: »

Yikes! That's a bit of an issue alright.

Researchers at the University of Lincoln found the majority of children under the age of seven do not see the warning signs when dogs are angry.

The team tracked the eye movements of children and found they tended to look only at a dog’s mouth, ignoring other signs of aggression that adults see, such as the changed position of ears.

The scientists concluded that children could be putting themselves at risk of being bitten by the family pet because they cannot read dogs’ body language.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pets/8018784/Children-bitten-by-dogs-because-they-think-angry-animals-are-smiling.html

dvet

Scary. Our older dog is an absolute pet but has never been around kids much. She's a little wary when my little niece comes around, so we never leave them in the room together - ever. No point risking it!

Lee1982

heres 2 different dog stories one is my dogs and the next are my sisters

my 2 dogs are in all day,they live and sleep inside only going out to wee they are great calm and well mannered dogs with plenty of affection and attention giving by my family and guests,my house does not stink as i keep it clean and my dogs too :P

my sisters 2 dogs are outside,she has one big kennel for both of them,she hasnt bonded with them so im urging her to give them up,they have no quality of life and are just "forgotten" what u cant see you dont miss,to keep amused they run up against the wall for ages wearing themselves out :mad:they are hard to handle now,they jump up and have no basic manners because nobody sees them in the garden all day!! it makes me crazy!!!!
i think dogs SHOULD be a part of the family,not treated as a child but at least given a warm home to call their own :cool:

Deeanimallover

Old_-_School wrote: »

Two things I never can understand about people in relation to dogs
1. Keeping a dog as an indoor animal
2. Leaving a child on it's own with a dog.

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell. Why would you subject yourself and your family to this smell 24/7? As another poster said, dogs eat their own sh*t and lick their balls. These are not clean animals. They are not meant to live in the same environment as people.

A house shouldnt stink of anything if its cleaned regularly! Id much rather the smell of dogs than stale cigarettes or BO anyday.

And btw humans can be dirty animals too - I'll leave it up to your own imagination

lrushe

Old_-_School wrote: »

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell. Why would you subject yourself and your family to this smell 24/7?.

Have to say I'm a big smell freak, I would hate to think someone coming into my home could only smell dog so I invested in a steam cleaner. It's brill, I steam all my soft furnishings and dogs beds forthnightly and my floors daily, the steamer cleans, sterilises and de-odourises without any harsh chemicals, just water!
Just in case there is any stubborn odour still floating around after that I always have a Yankee Candle burning, simple really if you're willing to put in the effort.

Sigma Force

Houses with pets only stink if the people in them are too lazy to clean up after their pets and too lazy to groom their dog.

Plenty of rescues keep their dogs housed outside.

I have 2 housed outside, I am not 100% happy with it though would prefer if they were all in, one has issues when kept indoors esp. if she is left alone, bursts out through windows etc. They have a shed of their own with a dog flap and run attached and large fenced in garden/jungle.

Now plenty of dog owners in the countryside do keep their dogs outside and only give them attention the odd time usually when the weather is nice then the novelty wears off, others keep their dogs outside not fenced in and allow them to roam which really pees me off. Town people do exactly the same they don't care wether they dog wanders or not and just fek them outside from dawn till dusk, some don't even enclose them in the garden at night they can be roaming at any time.

I think traditional kennels are pretty rubbish though at keeping dogs sheltered, and some breeds of dog can't cope well outside and yet people still leave them out even though they have huge houses or a big garage that they could use.

I think it should be compulsary for all outdoor dogs to have a few changes of vet bed, it's brilliant and they really appreciate the comfort and warmth of it.

moving_home

my dog sleeps in a draught free shed outside in her crate. She is outside during the day while we are at work then inside at lunchtime and all evening until we are going to bed. No room for the crate inside due to the shape of our kitchen with the island in the middle. She gets loads of attention, walked everyday and is well loved so I see nothing wrong with her sleeping outside.

BUT I do agree with what people are saying about dogs left outside with no interaction whatsoever and that isn't right.

veruca salt

moving_home wrote: »

my dog sleeps in a draught free shed outside in her crate. She is outside during the day while we are at work then inside at lunchtime and all evening until we are going to bed. No room for the crate inside due to the shape of our kitchen with the island in the middle. She gets loads of attention, walked everyday and is well loved so I see nothing wrong with her sleeping outside.

BUT I do agree with what people are saying about dogs left outside with no interaction whatsoever and that isn't right.

This is the crux of the issue, there is nothing cruel about having pets who sleep in an outside kennel or spend time outside with proper shelter and water. However, if the pet is outside and totally ignored then this constitutes neglect and is totally unacceptable. It's also unacceptable to leave ones dog roaming freely, it's not safe for the animal or fair on drivers or pedestrians, particularly children. I adore my dogs but would never leave them unsupervised around children.

We have 3 dogs, they sleep inside and stay inside if the weather is bad. If the weather is good they are outside when we are not home and they go between inside and out when we are at home. Our house doesn't smell because the dogs are only allowed downstairs which is swept and mopped daily, all hard surfaces are cleaned daily, their bedding is laundered regularly, we light candles and have fresh flowers. It's hard work keeping a clean house with three dogs inside but it's worth it .

storm2811

I have three dogs, they all live outside, free to roam wherever they want, but they sleep in the extension, which has kind of turned into just a giant dog house!:pac:
They are played with and walked, well fed and kept warm.

I know a lot of people have a problem with dogs being let loose, just free to roam, but if they don't go causing trouble(killing sheep, harming farm animals etc) then I don't see the problem.

I'd just like to say aswell, we live in the country, have very few neighbours, most of which are elderly and are all used to the dogs when driving or walking by, they'll bark but won't hassle them.

moving_home

ya my dog is not fenced in either which i know is frowned upon as we are in rented house with no proper fenced garden. There is about half an acre of a garden. We are half a mile up a tiny laneway which is a dead end and nearest neighbour is over half a mile away so doggie doesn't pose a danger to passing traffic and no sheep around us. She would never go into a field with cows.
When she was little we trained her as to where she was allowed go and she never crosses the boundary.

Discodog

Dog Wardens, Vets & Rescues will all tell you about the dogs that never wander, worry livestock, or get killed on roads. Everyone says that there dog won't until it does.

My neighbours dog lived in their open garden by the road for 6 years until it was killed. No one knows why it crossed the road.

Graces7

storm2811 wrote: »

I have three dogs, they all live outside, free to roam wherever they want, but they sleep in the extension, which has kind of turned into just a giant dog house!:pac:
They are played with and walked, well fed and kept warm.

I know a lot of people have a problem with dogs being let loose, just free to roam, but if they don't go causing trouble(killing sheep, harming farm animals etc) then I don't see the problem.

I'd just like to say aswell, we live in the country, have very few neighbours, most of which are elderly and are all used to the dogs when driving or walking by, they'll bark but won't hassle them.

That is both dangerous and illegal. Utterly irresponsible also. Any dog also can start to worry sheep.. We have always lived in rural areas and always make sure our dogs are well fenced and also always know exactly where they are.

irelandspurs

I think its ok outside if they have shelter and warmth,dog next door is out side all the time with no shelter and never walked never let in and somethimes gets the wheelie bin pulled down for it to go in. :mad:

Graces7

When we moved here a couple of months ago, we found an excellent dog kennel here.

Collie will not go near it; a few years ago when we found her, she had a good kennel outside but stopped using it when we started letting her indoors.

The only time she used the kennel was whem we moved into that house, rented out then for the first time, they could not lock her in the shed any more.

Her issue with indoors was that because she had also been locked in a dark shed around 16/24, she was terrified to come in in case she could not get out again. We had the "door dance" for months.. half way in then panic would set in.

This did not mean that she was happier outside; far from it.

Now, in her arthritic old age - and yes, that is because of bad conditions in her early life - she chooses the old settee every time.

Any change takes time. Period. As with us so with dogs.

Because dogs tolerate ill treatment does not mean they like it or that it is good for them. Remember Bill Sykes and his loyal wee dog....

All of which makes it worse when they are left out to roam.

Another issue is that almost all of the complaints re barking dogs are of course re dogs left outside when their owners are out and have no idea what their dogs are doing.

storm2811

Graces7 wrote: »

That is both dangerous and illegal. Utterly irresponsible also. Any dog also can start to worry sheep.. We have always lived in rural areas and always make sure our dogs are well fenced and also always know exactly where they are.

Our family has had dogs for the past 30 years, each one of them living outside(sleeping inside) but entirely free to roam.
They're quite happy out there, all the freedom they could possibly want.
There's never been an incident where they bit/attacked someone or any livestock, there are only two farms nearby, one owned by my family and the other by a neighbour, never had any complaints.

The only problem we've ever had with our dogs living outside is that one of them accidently ate rat poison, yes it was unfortunate but it was also an accident, and accidents happen.

The rest of our dogs have lived long healthy lives.

lrushe

Graces7 wrote: »

Another issue is that almost all of the complaints re barking dogs are of course re dogs left outside when their owners are out and have no idea what their dogs are doing.

My neighbours leave their 4 Jack Russells indoors and every morning between 8-9am the high pitched barking and running up and down the stairs like a herd of elephants starts ( I work shift so I would still be in bed). People who leave their dogs inside when they are out have no more of an idea of what their dogs get up to when they are not there.

Whispered

I understand what you are saying lrushe, but indoor dogs causing noise problems are very few and far between compared to the regular problem of barking dogs out their back garden all day. Particurlary in a housing estate. (we have one family who seems to have a different barker in their garden every few months. )

This is down to bad ownership though and a dog should not be making such noise if sufficiently exercised and has enough stimulation, whether they are indoors or outdoors all day.

lrushe

Whispered wrote: »

This is down to bad ownership though and a dog should not be making such noise if sufficiently exercised and has enough stimulation, whether they are indoors or outdoors all day.

Well this is true, it would be safe to say the dogs living indoors next to me have never even seen or felt grass. Which really just goes to show (as you say) that dogs kept indoor can suffer from bad owners too.

Jinxi

As stated already I think that as long as dogs are cared for(shelter and human interaction, whether you keep them in or out thats a personal issue.
I realise that some people don't understand/like that there are working dogs that are left outside. As Graces said transitioning a dog inside if they are not used to it can be stressful on the dog but they can adapt.
But I really have a prblem with people who let their dogs out without a fenced in garden(unless you live in the middle of nowwhere). I came from teh country and often had dogs fighting our dogs in our garden, sh*ting on our property, chasing our cats, growing at us when we tried to run them. Now I live in town, there is more of the same. The dog three doors domw uses our front lawn as a toilet and I often come accross him in the town centre. When his owners come home from work he is pleasantly sitting outside his home.
I'm sure all those owners thought that their dogs only stayed where they were "trained to go".
I'm all for having your dogs outside if you choose to do so, but that means also resticting where they go.

Graces7

storm2811 wrote: »

Our family has had dogs for the past 30 years, each one of them living outside(sleeping inside) but entirely free to roam.
They're quite happy out there, all the freedom they could possibly want.
There's never been an incident where they bit/attacked someone or any livestock, there are only two farms nearby, one owned by my family and the other by a neighbour, never had any complaints.

The only problem we've ever had with our dogs living outside is that one of them accidently ate rat poison, yes it was unfortunate but it was also an accident, and accidents happen.

The rest of our dogs have lived long healthy lives.

It remains illegal and irresponsible.. and really you don't "have" dogs in a situation like this.

The law states clearly that dogs have to be under your control at all times.

Lost count of the number of timew we have narrowly missed a dog while out driving.

storm2811

Graces7 wrote: »

It remains illegal and irresponsible.. and really you don't "have" dogs in a situation like this.

The law states clearly that dogs have to be under your control at all times.

Lost count of the number of timew we have narrowly missed a dog while out driving.

I don't really "have" dogs? I love my dogs to bits.
I live in the middle of no where, my closest neighbour is a mile away for goodness sake!
About 4 cars drive by everyday, including ours, and no one drives irresponsibly enough to hit a dog, plus our dogs have enough cop on to not run out in front of a car, they never stray towards the main road.

I have a license for all 3 of my dogs, for all the years we've had dogs they've never been reported.

I don't think you understand, it's the norm here to let your dogs roam and they never stray too far from home.

dahat

Graces7 wrote: »

Lost count of the number of timew we have narrowly missed a dog while out driving.

same can be said for children.

Graces7

storm2811 wrote: »

I don't really "have" dogs? I love my dogs to bits.
I live in the middle of no where, my closest neighbour is a mile away for goodness sake!
About 4 cars drive by everyday, including ours, and no one drives irresponsibly enough to hit a dog, plus our dogs have enough cop on to not run out in front of a car, they never stray towards the main road.

I have a license for all 3 of my dogs, for all the years we've had dogs they've never been reported.

I don't think you understand, it's the norm here to let your dogs roam and they never stray too far from home.

Whether it is the norm or not does not make it responsible ownership.

We live in a similar setting and our landlord's brother, when we were making sure the fence was secure spoke just like you are doing. And we rejected his 'advice' as we do yours.

We would never let our dogs roam like that because we care about them and their safety. The world has changed in the last 30 years also.

It is still illegal and still irresponsible and still bad "ownership".

Which we see so much of in Ireland, sadly.

We have in the past reported dogs who roam free like that and will do so again.

Graces7

dahat wrote: »

same can be said for children.

And your point, as relevant to this thread, is????