Outside dogs

I vote that DH sleeps outside and the dogs get to stay inside.
I told my DH before we married to never ask me to make a choice between my animals and him because he would always lose, if only for the simple fact that my animals depend on me to stay alive, and he doesn't. So...within reason, I have the say with the animals around here. You need to decide on your true priorities and stick with them--if you truly believe that you need your dogs to be inside, at least sometimes, and DH won't have any of it, it would seem like there is more going on in the relationship that might need work than just a dogs in/out issue.

We have a handful of dogs in kennels off the one side of our barn - they're all retired from our days of breeding and showing, and just kinda hang out. They go out in their runs all day, and into the barn in crates at night.

As for our house dogs... our Schipperke and male poodle generally spend the day in a chain-link-fenced area off the side of our house, as they can't be trusted loose in the house without supervision - one's a chewer, and the other will mark - our female poodle stays in the house other than potty breaks.

As for the three house Kuvasz, our two eight-year-olds generally stay behind baby gates in what used to be a front porch but that was closed in before we moved in. A nice, cool floor, some blankets to lie on, and breaks to go outside when they need them. Frankie, the male, spends more time outside when it comes to winter, but as he's gotten older, he can't spend as much time out in the "heat". As for the third Kuvasz... we let her outside when she needs to go, and sometimes we keep her out there for longer, but usually she just has free run of the house, other than the room with the cats' litterbox.

So, our kennel dogs are "outdoor", and our house dogs are technically "indoor/outdor", though really, any house dog is... :haha:

However, all outdoor time is fenced. We don't let our dogs roam. The "a good dog knows where the property line is" may work if you've got a dog that is raised as a livestock guarding dog (and even they need good fencing...) or a perfectly-trained herding/sporting-type dog. I, personally, would not like to have to put up with the animals I am responsible for being hit by cars, or being shot by neighbors.

By the by... I also believe that most of the health problems that some say are caused because the animal is indoors, owe a much higher percentage to the processed kibble the animals are fed rather than the fact that they are indoors.

While I understand the concept of keeping a dog outdoors, and don't have a problem with those who do so responsibly, those who condemn having pets indoors bother me. Well, before I really get going, I'm going to step down off of my soapbox.

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Blogger, Christian libertarian, and INTP
NY wife to my PA dh (05.29.10); mama to ds1 (03.19.11), ds2 (12.30.12), and #3 (EDD 01.21.15)
Weaving the threads of life in the country with autism

When I had the carpet replaced a few weeks ago, my dogs moved out of the house. Before that, they were inside dogs but they loved to go swimming and running around and rolling in mud and thy ruined my carpeting in three years, ruined my furniture, and increased my laundry usage. They were constantly in and out of the house and it was a major distraction from my work. Frankly I think I had a bigger problem putting them outside than they are having being outside. We have a lot of space out there, a pond, all sorts of interesting attractions for dogs and they get to do it all and be with each other. My next house will have no carpeting but I think that keeping the dogs outside most of the time will be the way I go from now on.
BTW, it took a lot of work but my dogs are loose with the goats, horse, and chickens, and all do fine together. Makes life a lot easier that way.

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Tiny Forest ~ my tiny blog

My dog doubles as a watch dog, and he cannot do that if he is always outside.

In the winter he is mostly in, as otherwise he will be too hot when DH is traveling or working late. He comes in as soon as he gets cold. In the summer he is out more, but still sleeps inside. I really appreciate having a dog when DH is not home.

Dogs are better than burgler alarms because dogs might bite. Burgler alarms do not.

When I met my husband 8 years ago, he had two "outside"dogs. I was of the mind back then that this was a horrible thing to do to an animal. As it turned out, this is all they had ever known and were completely fine with it. Now we are out in the country and have 4 large breed outside dogs that we have raised from pups. They have a fenced in yard thats 80 feet by 40 feet long with an attached doggie "condo" that goes into the barn. They have no problems at all, plenty of room to run and we go out and play with them alot, as we are outside a lot. Plus, they are invaluable watch dogs out here.
My 14 year old beagle Barney, whom we just had to put down in March, was definitely an indoor dog. Couch potato, bed hog, kitchen floor scarfer, you name it!
We have one cat that is an indoor only cat, then two that go out at night (most nights) and come back in in the morning to sleep it off all day!! Love them all, but I am kind of missing a small dog on my lap now.

My dogs and cats are all indoor. I've had nothing but problems with neighbors who have strictly outdoor dogs and cats. The roaming dogs killing chickens or tearing apart the trash. Dogs chained or in runs barking all day and night because they want to be with their "pack" not out alone in a cage.. and not having proper shelter for the cold New England winters. Cats killing every song bird in sight, carrying disease and using gardens and kids sandboxes as litterboxes. Granted, none of these outdoor dogs were trained working dogs like great pyrs or herding dogs..

My dogs are inside/outside dogs. When I want them to be inside, they want to be outside & vice versa. My oldest knows how to turn on the outside faucet to attract my attention when he want's in! Doesn't know how to turn it off though!

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Freedom isn't Free

I live in a rural township (land here is either under the plow or a plantation forest), but most of the outside dogs around here live a life of confinement. There are 3 black labs down the road that never leave their 6'x6' kennels. They do get fed, but they probably only get 30 minutes of attention in a month.

Up the road from us there's a dalmation and a lab mix that live in a small fenced area under a tree and their dog house is just a piece of plywood leaning on the tree. We've never seen the lab mix outside of the fence and the only time we've seen the dalmation "running free" was last year when it was trying to kill our chickens. I suppose that you wouldn't call him a good dog because he didn't know where the property line ended.

Up there road a mile or two are a couple more labs that are always inside kennels. All of these dogs are outside year round, but they are always confined. Is this the "natural life" you were talking about?

You list these "faults" as if they are exclusive to dogs, but that is not true; There are plenty of humans that have these "faults". In fact, most of these "faults" would aptly describe a man in my MIL's writers group that comes over her house once a week (yes, smell, slobber, dirt, shed, odorizes the house, don't know about the couch because MIL has her couch up against the wall).

Unlike the aspiring writer, dogs are not responsible for themselves. Humans are responsible for their dogs: they can teach a dog not slobber, they can bath a dirty dog and they can put Frontline Plus on a dog to prevent fleas & ticks. If a dog is dirty, smelly or ill-mannered, then it is the "fault" of its human, but if this happens inside that human's own house, then why do you care?

Houses are for humans and dogs, if the humans want their dogs inside their house. I'm sure my opinion isn't going to sit well with those who need to tell other humans and their dogs how to live, but hey - it's my opinion.

My pack consists of 3 dogs, DH and me. We stick together inside or out.

Deb
in WI

" All of these dogs are outside year round, but they are always confined. Is this the "natural life" you were talking about?"


Of course not. Confinement indoors or outside is still confinement. I don't like to see what you described anymore than seeing dogs or cats locked inside a home all their lives.

I wonder why people even have a dog if that's all the life they can give it. Animal collectors and people who use animals to fulfill their human needs annoy me. I consider that disrepectful towards a dog or a cat. I am not so selfish that my desire to have a dog overrides respect for the animal. If I had to put a collar on a dog or otherwise keep it confined, I wouldn't have one. I also don't want to be a part of the petowning mentality that's exploded in our culture the past few decades and has caused misery for millions of dogs and cats. If you are a petowner, you have a share in that whether you can acknowledge it or not.



" There are plenty of humans that have these "faults". "

I don't disagree there. I woudn't want to share my home with one of those either.



" they can teach a dog not slobber,"

That would be an amazing feat with some dogs. For example, how could a person teach a breed like a Boxer to not slobber? It's natural for the dog to do that. How could you teach a dog to not shed hair all over your home? It'd be impossible.



"if this happens inside that human's own house, then why do you care? "

I don't really care how other people choose to live. If they want to live in a dog house or share their bed with dogs that's their choice. But I feel sorry for most dogs and cats in that situation.