Indoor or Oudoor Dog? - Page 1

I am just curious but how many of you keep your german shepherds outside or inside?
Well, I have always kept my dogs in the house. They can play in the yard in the daytime but when it comes to bedtime, they sleep in the house. If the dogs are kept outside, wont that affect the bonding process?
i mean we are their family
Pls let me know your views

i dont think u can really keep a shepherd always outside if u want to bond with it can u ? outdoor dogs are livestock guardian dogs and a few other breeds didnt think gsds made good outdoor dogs


my girl is from working lines she hates outdoor on her own sshe rather be in her crate then outside so if i left her out i think that would be cruel for her she wants to be where the family is so i think if someone wants an outdoor breed for like protection get another breed have some chickens rabbits or some group of animals that can live with it and get a komador that would work out nice not a gsd.   JMHO


Mayb e if there was more then one gsd  outside the situation could be diff as they would have each other if they were bonded.
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Bernhard Flinks said he does intensive bonding with his dogs before WUSV including laying down with them.  He says it helps increase their motivation.  He also says he has 12 dogs and would keep all in the house if he could but has to rotate.  However, even then he said the only time they are in the kennel is when they sleep (if not their turn to be inside) and eat, or an hour or so, if he is going to work them as he cannot guage how much energy they expend playing with the other 11.

Personally, all four of my dogs, including 3 intact males sleep in the house along with three cats.  During the day they can go in or out (I have a 6-8 ft stockade fence) as they wish.  I also train and walk all of the dogs daily, but they always sleep inside and I do not care what anyone says (I felt vindicated when Flinks agreed the bond is better and that improves performance) I think having the dogs inside improves the relationship and the desire of the dog to protect and obey.   

winter nights - inside all 3.
summer/spring/fall nights - outside.

I usually keep dogs under 1 year old inside the house at night, after that during summer nights all dogs are outside with only screen door between them and inside the house, if anyone breaks in they will go through the screen (done it before and no doubt will do it again, even though it was just us coming home from Halloween party with paint and hats on our heads, scared the s***t out of us when they ran in charging) if it gets really hot that we need AC at night they come inside also, other than that cold concrete under covered porch is cooler that floors and they can stay up as late as they want..LOL..

we spend a lot of time outside..and I mean A LOT....during warm days we grill every weekend, i read outside, eat breakfast outside, i would sleep outside if i didnt get eaten alive by bugs...so no bonding issues that i know of....

PS
hunger4justice...WOW..love you bi-colors.....nice....

All 3 are in the house with us but have doggie door access to the yard as they wish. The only time they are crated is to eat.

Outside during the day and sleep inside at night.

Define "outside"  Can your shepherd protect you if there is an intruder? No point in having a dog in an outdoor run 24/7.  Even my training dogs get house time.  Rotation but everyone ( except pee pee la crate ) get house time.  BUT I find most GSD can not stand the heat of the house and will prefer to live outdoors, but leave the door open  ( everyone who has ever closed the door will know what I mean ) :)

Initially was torn, Service dog out doors kenneled. Two others indoors. Different mindsets, different teachings. Now I want all together and indoors most of the time with me. Nice weather they are outdoors either kenneled or "free" (roaming) with me or in the truck.  Once tempature reaches a certain degrees if they are kenneled outdoors then an industrial fan gets turned on.

I don't care for AC but will turn it on for them when indoors.

My dogs that lived outside their whole lives were just as bonded as those that lived in the house. Most dogs that grow up living outdoors don't want to come in, just like those that grow up indoors don't want to go out. Doesn't matter where they live in or out.

It's not as simple as "indoors" or "outdoors" in reference to bonding. A dog who is ignored all day in the house is not going to be better bonded than the "outside" dog who runs errands, goes on roadtrips, hikes, swims, trains, etc. w/handler. My GSDs all seem to prefer to stay outside. My Pit Bulls act like it's Armageddon if I dare suggest they spend a night outside, regardless of temperature. 

It's not WHERE they live; it's HOW they live. 

Mine rotate all the time- rotate who runs errands, who's in a fenced run, who's in the house, etc. Kennel escape artists get tied out< GASP> and have Indigo Dogloos to sleep in and are happy as can be, and far less restless and hot than inside. My GSDs, Caleb in particular, is not a huge fan of lying calmly in the house. He's either hot and panting or pacing and bored. He is calmer tied outside than anywhere else. I could trust him loose, but not necessarily if the propane guy shows up and attempts to stick a receipt inside the unlocked door as he has been known to do, so if I'm not home, he has to be tied. I haven't seen a kennel yet that would contain him and he gets pacey and anxious in a kennel, whereas on a chain, he's calm as can be and naps in the sun.