Inside or Outside dogs - Page 3

Our 2 shepherds are inside dogs.  They go out to play, do their business, for training and playing, but other than that they are hanging out with the family indoors.  My female gets free run of the house, she's 5 yrs old, my male is 2 and still not quite ready so he gets baby gated in the kitchen.  It gets so hot here in Texas I think they appreciate being indoors with the air conditioning.

My two (a male and female)are inside full time...only out to play, hang out with me when I'm outside, or train.  They love the a/c in the summer  :)  Both pretty much follow every step I make so they are more happy living inside.   My female is crate trained for emergencies and when someone she doesn't like comes over.  My male is not crate trained to my knowledge...have to work on that.  Anyway, we don't often use a crate.  They are fed in seperate rooms...my female loves food and will take his away...lol, that's about the only time they are seperate.  My female is totally against sport, but comes and lays out in the field and watches the male and me train.

All three live inside together and never in crates.   They must tolerate each other; I expect it and train it.  If I could not train them to live together peaceably, I would choose another breed that my skill level could handle.  Fortunately, I am capable of raising dogs (including intact males) to tolerate each other, even when I am not at home, with one bloody scuffle every three to five years, and grouchy confrontations (all growl, no bite) every few weeks.

On very, very nice days, they spend some time in an outdoor, shaded kennel.

A crated indoor existence is surely more horrible than living outdoors in a pen staring at other dogs through fencing, but mine deal with neither.  My dogs are all out of the crates with free roam of the house by ten months -- ironclad rule.  My newest male was out by six months, but he was exceptionally bright.

 Oh the horror!

Shiver's !

I have only 1 dog that lives in the house and it is my husbands dog, a German Showline with bad hips.  I do have a new kennel building!!  Woo Hoo!  It has 8 indoor/outdoor runs, so everyone can go out all day as long as they are quiet and at night I lock them in.  They do have A/C inside the kennel too!

I tried to have Darko in the house but he was sooooooooo BAD!  But he thinks HE OWNS a 2004 Montana Van!  He would  truely rather be in the van in his crate than anywhere else! 

Vickie

www.PowerHausKennels.com

My two pence worth

Many on here relate Dogs as the relations to wolves or talk about the feeding of  dogs as Wolves eat, i.e raw feeding

But Wolves did not live in a house or  were confined

You cannot look into this just for one way regards the Dog v Wolves

Dogs for me are healther if they live outside in the fresh air,

My old Charlie Died at !4 he kived inside the hiuse for two weeks when we moved to Belgium from Engfland. He went back in health and his coat went dull and dead his eyes lost the sparkle

Another Old Dog lived to be nearly 17 years old he lived outside from 8 weeks old

However once Charlies kennel and run was built and he went back outside he came back to his shining coat and health within a week or so he came indoors twice a day for 30minutes then he would stand at the door to go back out

I am with my Dogs during the day about the garden some 14 hours a day, They are both happy and fit so after keeping dogs outside now for some 60 years i think for mine it's best  that they stay that way

In the hot weather they are shielded from the direct sun with a screen or can get under a hedge in the garden

Steve

I appreciate those people who wish to keep there Dogs inside the house or do not have the garden for the dogs, but for me outside is the best

So long as the Dogs welfare is at  a Premium, that is all that matters

When I was breeding the 1st 6 months of each dog's life they were in the house, or in the fenced yard just off the house if I wasn't home.  They slept in the bedroom, either loose, or in crates.  Past 6 months most spent their time in their kennels. I always had several perminate house dogs, with 4-5 underfoot in all between adults and pups.  Now that I'm retired from breeding I have 6 dogs who all live underfoot.  I would still use crates @ nite except that my partner in crime feels it's like putting a baby in jail!  LOL..  We disagree bout that, as well as if they're allowed on the furniture.  I figure any dog bigger than a cat should stay on the floor... I don't sleep on THEIR beds!!  So now we have a "dog Futon" in the bedroom as a compromise!

I never thought twice about my dogs being in their kennels when I had a lot of dogs... but looking back I had too many to give the kind of  quality time that a German Shepherd needs. For those who can schedual time for everyone in a day that's awesome and your dogs are lucky to have you.  I do better when their in the same room with me... but I'm also home 24/7 on most days.

steve1 I feel compelled to reply because I am a raw feeder as well as keep my dogs primarily wherever I am...

I think the difference between the raw diet and kibble is obvious in that it is not a processed food. Wolves don't eat processed foods unless they by chance come across some left by a camper or backpacker. But the bulk of their diet is generally fresh kill or rotting carcass. That  is why I try to feed as close as possible what my dogs might eat in the wild, and hopefully it is right, seems to be after 4+ years they are doing good.You said:

"But Wolves did not live in a house or  were confined ,You cannot look into this just for one way regards the Dog v Wolves"

You are right here, but wolves like dogs, are highly social pack animals that hunt, play and sleep in somewhat the same area or den. In that sense,dogs are more in their element when near/with their pack  . Also wolves not being confined have the ability to seek out the cooler creek bottoms, caves, or dig deep dens to get away from the heat. They also acclimate to colder temps and developed thick coats and again can find a place suitable to stay warm, dry, hunt, play and/or interact with each other being free. In reference to my house, can't speak for everyone, our home is unique in that in the summer in Montana the nights cool off to about 50 degrees normally, also low humididty. By opening and closing the windows (also lets in fresh air) at the appropriate time it seems to hold a fairly constant cool day time temp., occasionally during extreme heat we might turn on the a/c a couple of hours in the evening. In the winter we heat with a wood stove. The way our house is designed , not by choice it was suppose to be a barn , the rooms are all different temps and the room I sleep in being the coldest is  close to outside temps being the furthest from the heat source, I have had ice in a glass of water in the morning. My dogs have free run so are able to stay in whichever room they choose. I think our house "somewhat" assimilates what wolves that are free to roam would find in temperatures.I think your statement "Dogs for me are healther if they live outside in the fresh air" is probably the most accurate, as inside pollutants are said to be worse than outside in most places. But again, I try to air the house daily. That said, I am just a schmuck for those brown eyes...

Trailrider's situations sounds perfect.

I have seen so many situations of "out of sight, out of mind" dogs in kennels -- ignored for huge chunks of time, for most of their lives really -- that I think only the most conscientious people can do it and do their dogs justice.  And there are some amazingly dedicated saints out there who spend their days with their dogs outside. Of course, you have to not work outside "the kennel" and you have to be outside pretty much all the time. 

The rest of us -- the mere mortals -- know that the thousand-and-one pats, scratches, glances, hugs, words, gestures and treats that happen when our dogs live with us would just never happen if they lived outside.  In fact, I daresay that those of us who live with our dogs inside the house nearly weep at the thought of lonely dogs living days and nights outside, waiting ....and waiting for the door to open and for their adored master to come into view and talk to them, play with them, and caress them.

I know that it is easier to be liked to say I don't judge, but those of us with indoor dogs generally cannot imagine how those of you with outdoor dogs can begin to create comparable lives for your dogs.  Sorry!  I know this is a touchy subject.