How much space does your dog have ?

ondafly

How big a garden does your dog have to themselves ? My present garden (at my parents house) is so bloody small - i think it would be cruel for a dog. But chances are when i buy my own home - most likely its not gonna have any bigger of a garden - so any suggestions on what can be done ? bearing in mind i work 8 to 4, 5 days a week.

Makaveli

Maybe get a small dog and put the idea of getting a Newfoundland aside for a while. One that will be house trained and it is more than happy to stay inside the majority of the day.

My backgarden is about... 8 - 10 metres wide and about 30 -35 metres long. So what's that [24 x 90 = 2160sq ft]. Not bad, enough room for my dog to run around in anyway.

ondafly

i agree with the small dog idea - but the other dog we want is a Beagle - and ive heard they need a lot of room too. Lads u dont know the pressure im under to get a newf ! emails of pictures them every other day !:p

OSiriS

My back garden is 2/3 of an acre, so my dog has plenty of room to run around, bineg a small dog.

Kalina

Our back garden is about 15m by 25m. My dog, a norwegian elkhound, has her run out there and during the day she has the run of the front garden which is about the same size. I think she has enough space but I take her walking as often as I can cos I'm sure she gets bored. She was going mad for the last few weeks with all the Hallowe'en crackers and stuff so she spent all of her time inside hiding!!!:)

c0y0te

We have 2 golden cocker spaniels, a tiny back garden and a lot of fun:)

The dogs basically sleep in the kitchen overnight. Mornings and evenings they go do their 'thing' in the back garden, or we take them out on walks, however during the day when we are at work, they have the run of the hall, stairs, landing and kitchen.

It means anyone getting a bit 'curious' about the house while we are out, gets greeted by two fast moving blurs of fur, barking like lunatics. It also means they get to run up and down the stairs during the day for a bit of exercise.

When choosing the dogs, we took into consideration their needs, based on breed, and our needs, based on lifestyle. So just make sure you choose a breed that matches your lifestyle. There is no point getting a large dog, like a setter - which needs lots of space and exercise, if you have a crappy back garden (like most of us) and no time to exercise it during the week.

The other big decision is whether you get an 'indoor' or 'outdoor' dog. Outdoor dogs will smell more (because their coats will adjust to the weather conditions), where as indoor dogs will not, but will consider the house "Theirs!" if you're not careful enough. Strict training when young generally sorts out most issues.

At the puppy stage we confined ours to the kitchen because of the mess, until they were trained. If there is no one in the house during the weekdays, its tough to train a dog. Also - getting one on its own will potentially lead to it being a bit destructive, when it gets bored during the time you are away, especially when younger. Getting two means they keep each other occupied and play longer.

Getting our two was the best decision we ever made, and the house hasn't been the same since. Wouldn't be without them for anything now!

c0y0te

corkey

lord of the manor:D

PiE

So what dogs would be considered as "indoor" dogs? I always thought that small dogs like Jack Russells were indoor dogs, but I've also heard they need a lot of excercise.

I've always wanted a dog (aswell as a snake ;]), but have a back yard measuring 8m x 2m (damn inner city houses ) and was always talked out of it.

So what dogs would be happy indoors?

c0y0te

To be honest, the choice of 'indoor' or 'outdoor' is usually an owners issue.

It's usually a factor of how big the house is, how much land you have around you, how secure the land is (escape attempts!!), or how much your 'other half' minds having dogs take over the house.

Here's how it went with me...

Step 1) They can sleep in the kitchen, but they are never getting on the couch!!!

Step 2) Ok, so maybe they can run about , but they can never get up stairs!

Step 3) So, maybe they do look cute on the couch, staring out the windows.. but never ever getting on to the bed or coming upstairs.

Step 4) Well, I suppose having the run of the hall/stairs/landing would be good for them during the day, but thats it. End of story.

Step 5) OK, I suppose that letting them 'back' upstairs on the weekends would mean I could sleep in longer, 'cause then they won't be downstairs barking for attention....

Then it's suddenly a competition for duvet space every weekend morning

An so it goes. Gradually they take over the house, and follow you around everywhere.. but that's half the fun!!!!!

c0y0te

Hellrazer

As far as space for a dog goes it doesnt really depend on the size of the dog-more so on its activeness.There are some big dogs which are well suited to being a house-dog as well as some small ones which need constant exercise.

The Samoyed I have is a good example of a house dog.Hes a big baby and even given the opportunity of a long walk-He refuses to go if the weather doesnt suit him.Our garden is roughly 70ft by 40ft and seems to suit the dog fine.
He stays out most days even if Im in work from 9-6.I usually leave the shed open most days so he wander in and out etc.

As far as small Dogs go I used to have a Springer Spaniel which was the most hyper-active dig ever.He`d get a 2 hour walk and still be like a lunatic when I got him home.

So my advice is to check out the breed fully before buying.

c0y0te

Tis true....

I remember taking my two cocker spaniels on a 5 hour up/down the mountains style walk down in Wicklow a couple of years ago. I was on my knees by the end of it, but they were still bouncing around waiting for the next 5 hours !!!

c0y0te

Nero

I have a Golden lab and and 1/2 and acre of a back garden but do you think she will go out there in this weather.. not in a month of Sundays (not unless you throw a tennis ball out there first).
Then she realises what has happened and just goes lets herself in again. I don't have the heart to actually lock the door to keep her out.

She is very good inside anyway just gets a bit boistrous around the children at times.

nanook

we have, like i said previously, three samoyed's but we have about an acre and a half in the back garden, each dog is individual, nanook will run and play with me when i am home, snowey (dont laugh, he is old but boy can he bark like a lunatic when he dont get attention) joins in when he can and sam goes haywire anyways, alot of exercise is needed for those dogs, but as most are the more you give them the more they want.

But like cOyOte was saying they will take over your life and that is the whole fun of having a pooch.

What ever dog you get have fun

Priori

c0y0te wrote:

It means anyone getting a bit 'curious' about the house while we are out, gets greeted by two fast moving blurs of fur, barking like lunatics.

:rolleyes: The simple pleasures dogs derive from life is always heart-warming.

Sigma Force

I've had a collie/springer cross and our yard was only abour 3 feet wide by 10 feet long but the dog went everywhere with me (trains etc.) and 2 to 3 walks a day in town and fields and she was perfectly happy the yard was only used for early morning and night time toilet breaks.

The size of the garden doesn't matter it all depends on your routine.
You can have any sized dog in a postage stamp garden provided they are getting the walks they need daily for their breed type.
It's all down to how much time a person has rather than the size of the garden.

Saying all that all dogs love a large garden from a toy dog to a giant breed they all love a big patch of grass to roll around in. Our almost 2 yr old Papillon gets the same amount of excercise as our 12 yr old collie and 7 year old mix breed we've a large garden and 1/2 acre of that would be grass so they're pretty happy chasing rabbits and rolling in all sorts.

The Sweeper

Sigma Force wrote: »

Saying all that all dogs love a large garden from a toy dog to a giant breed they all love a big patch of grass to roll around in. Our almost 2 yr old Papillon gets the same amount of excercise as our 12 yr old collie and 7 year old mix breed we've a large garden and 1/2 acre of that would be grass so they're pretty happy chasing rabbits and rolling in all sorts.

It's the truth. Dogs do flourish with a mostly-indoor life and a couple of good walks a day, but if you have to leave them alone for a long period of time they appear to be happier in more space. (Depends on the dog though.)

The thing I love most about my yard space (about 8,000 sq ft) is I can have dog play dates - they come to my house, get introduced to the yard via the garage, meet my dog through the dog run fence first to ensure they'll get along well, then they can all run riot together around the yard.

dazed+confused

Our dogs have always had a good sized garden, but they usually just sit on the back step watching you through the window until they get out for their walk!

falabo

c0y0te wrote: »

We have 2 golden cocker spaniels, a tiny back garden and a lot of fun:)

The dogs basically sleep in the kitchen overnight. Mornings and evenings they go do their 'thing' in the back garden, or we take them out on walks, however during the day when we are at work, they have the run of the hall, stairs, landing and kitchen.

It means anyone getting a bit 'curious' about the house while we are out, gets greeted by two fast moving blurs of fur, barking like lunatics. It also means they get to run up and down the stairs during the day for a bit of exercise.

When choosing the dogs, we took into consideration their needs, based on breed, and our needs, based on lifestyle. So just make sure you choose a breed that matches your lifestyle. There is no point getting a large dog, like a setter - which needs lots of space and exercise, if you have a crappy back garden (like most of us) and no time to exercise it during the week.

The other big decision is whether you get an 'indoor' or 'outdoor' dog. Outdoor dogs will smell more (because their coats will adjust to the weather conditions), where as indoor dogs will not, but will consider the house "Theirs!" if you're not careful enough. Strict training when young generally sorts out most issues.

At the puppy stage we confined ours to the kitchen because of the mess, until they were trained. If there is no one in the house during the weekdays, its tough to train a dog. Also - getting one on its own will potentially lead to it being a bit destructive, when it gets bored during the time you are away, especially when younger. Getting two means they keep each other occupied and play longer.

Getting our two was the best decision we ever made, and the house hasn't been the same since. Wouldn't be without them for anything now!

c0y0te

I HAVE 2 COCKERS SPANIELS, FEEL LIKE I COULD HAVE WRITTENT THAT

trio

Woah, a thread from 2002! Is that a record???