advise re dog sleeping outside

moycullengirl

We have a five month old springer spaniel whom we love and adore. He is toilet trained and generally very well behaved. We are having big time sleeping issues we tried the crate training and it caused him alot of distress so we had to abandon it, he was sleeping incredibly well up until about a month ago he Wakes every single hour crying and stratching on the door we live in a small open plan apartment..... he is never generally left on his own both my husband and i work shift work so if there is an occasion we are both at work we ensure he goes to doggy day care. The past couple of nights were very bad and he looked to go out in garden so we left him out as he has a very well sheltered kennel beddingI he slept the two nights no problem there was an initial cry for a couple of minutes but he didn't stir until I woke him ..... he appears happy and comfortable in just wondering is it ok for him to be outdoors so soon ???

aynneone

He will be abs fine... Im a vet nurse and its a question that often gets asked. I hate people who shut their dogs outside in a shed, but there are some dogs, my German Shepherd is another one, who just prefer to be outside. I actually leave the back door ajar so she can come and go, not too many people would pass her lol, but your wee lad will be fine.Give him a bed that is raised off the ground, and once there was no medical reason for his distress Id happily leave him outside, the weather getting warmer and then you can review things come the autumn. Hope this helps x

ValerieR

To love your dog and make sure he's never uncomfortable is one thing. You'd think my own 10-year-old "puppy" were considered as my child ... :-O

However, you might want to take in consideration it might not be so bad to get him used to be alone or to be in a different room for a few hours at a time.
Separation anxiety is very difficult to manage over time and also very constraining if you find yourself in a situation where you have to go but can't bring the dog along.

As mentioned by a previous poster, you might get better advice from the pet forum on boards.ie.
Best of luck
V

DBB

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jimf

once you are sure this behaviour is not health related then put your worries to bed

springers are hardy little guys and will have no problem sleeping outside at this time of year

I have 5 myself and at the moment they are all quite contented lying on the concrete of their runs none are in their kennels as I type

one thing with springers I have learned over the years is they need plenty interaction with you and other dogs for the first 12 months of their lives and before I get an earful from somebody this must continue for the rest of their lives as well

its just I find it especially so with springers but as you are soon to find out jaysus do they have some energy

SingItOut

I have a 9 month old collieXSpringer, she has a delicate collie type body but the personality of a springer therefore she sleeps inside but I would have no problem letting her sleep outside in her kennel with our other dog when the warmer weather comes in. As JimF said springers do need a lot of human and other dog/animal interaction and mental stimulation constantly otherwise they will become destructive.

Springers are complainers by nature, my girl whinged the house down the first few nights she slept in her crate but I never gave into her and she soon learned the crate is a good thing, now she'll happily go into her crate at night and sleep right through till morning. There's no problem at all letting your puppy sleep outside if he's happy to do so, I'd suggest getting him a large hard plastic dog bed and some vet bedding from the pet shop as it'll keep him warm and due to the rubber on the bottom it's virtually indestructible

jimf

another thing also make sure you get them used to been brushed asap as their ears can become very tangled as they get older

I find lifting their food bowl maybe 8/10 ins off the ground helps this problem as they don't get food on their ears as much

moycullengirl

Thank you everybody for your help and tips

Himself went out tonight no bother and never cried or whinged I really think he prefers it so I'm delighted he is happy.

Thanks for your tips

Vel

Just be aware that dogs are regularly stolen out of gardens in this country. Gun dogs would be sought after for hunting. If you do decide to let him sleep outside I would also suggest that you ensure that your garden is fully secure for when he gets older. He may not be able to escape now as a 5 month old pup but as he gets bigger/stronger that may not be the case!

cocker5

moycullengirl wrote: »

Thank you everybody for your help and tips

Himself went out tonight no bother and never cried or whinged I really think he prefers it so I'm delighted he is happy.

Thanks for your tips

If he is happy sleeping outside, then leave him at it
:pac:

However s another poster mentioned, lots of dogs are stolen nightly / daily from gardens, so please be very careful.
As a result I haven’t left my cocker outside in the garden unattended day or night for the past two years… not ideal for him, but safer.
He does go to his grandparents 4 days a week and they have over an acre plus he’s is walked over 6km per evening…

Just make sure he is chipped (and chip must be registered to you) and has a collar with no name and all your contact details.

Also please be aware springer’s can be great at scaling 10 foot walls!

aonb

Heard today that two adult bitches taken from their garden last night. The adult dog was left behind. :eek: :eek: :eek:

sparky63

Its so refreshing to read this post regarding a dog that is happy to sleep outside. I have seen so many posts where posters asked should i leave my dog outside overnight being subjected to all sorts of accusationary replies including how cruel it is and how dogs crave to be near humans and how they would never leave their dog outside. Opinions based on their dogs, many dogs sleep outside with no issues. let me state that my 3 dogs sleep indoors only because our garden is a pass through for every cat in the area and the silence of night time would not be so silent.

fred funk }{

We had a similar issue with our beagle a few years ago. When we were getting ready for bed at night he would go straight out to his kennel and not come in and if the odd night he was in he would scratch the door during the night to get out.

We eventually found out he was afraid of the noise the fridge made when it dumped ice into the ice bucket in the freezer, often in the middle of the night. He now sleeps happily in the sitting room.

sadie06

sparky63 wrote: »

Its so refreshing to read this post regarding a dog that is happy to sleep outside. I have seen so many posts where posters asked should i leave my dog outside overnight being subjected to all sorts of accusationary replies including how cruel it is and how dogs crave to be near humans and how they would never leave their dog outside. Opinions based on their dogs, many dogs sleep outside with no issues. let me state that my 3 dogs sleep indoors only because our garden is a pass through for every cat in the area and the silence of night time would not be so silent.

In fairness, a lot of the posters that get those sort of replies were leaving their dogs out almost all day also, which begged the question 'Why have a dog?'.

This poster's dog gets plenty of attention all day, and has indicated himself that outside is for him.

sparky63

I'm talking about the amount that just ask the question about dogs sleeping outside. I think you need to re read my post.

DBB

Folks,
Let's keep it nice. If anyone has a problem with any thread, or how they experienced anything along the line of "accusationary replies", then report it, rather than using it to be snarky in other threads down the line. If it's actionable, mods will take action. If it's not, we won't.
Do not reply to this post on thread.
Thanks,
DBB