In or Out - Cruel to leave a dog outdoors? Opinions Are Appreciated!

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Picky Chicky

Picky Chicky

Songster
11 Years
Sep 22, 2008
965
14
141
Holly Grove, VA
As a kid I grew up with my dogs being inside pets. Now we have 1 dog and we keep her strictly indoors (except for her bathroom and play breaks of course). Her being indoors has come with one frustration - we've got limitless supplies of hairball tumbleweeds. I can sweep them all up only to find dozen more 30 minutes later. And yes folks, I "Furminate" the crap out of her.
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Okay, so getting to my point - DH says our house is too small for another inside dog, and the tumbleweeds are already too much. He says that the next dog will be 100% outdoors unless there is bad weather. I can't help but feeling like that's not fair to the other dog. Won't it feel left out?? We don't interact with our current dog 24/7, but she's underfoot and watching or having the comfort of being nearby us when we're home.

So am I being too sissified? Will a dog be just as happy outdoors?
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It totally depends on the breed. Shepards are great outside dogs, but a boxer or any small dog would not be. Dobie's are great outside dogs too. Boxers need people. Great danes are not good outside dogs either - they like their people too.
 
Dogs can be perfectly happy outside. Grew up in Alaska with a GS/ Husky mix that did not like being inside. It was too warm for her. Of course a breed that is not suited for the outdoors or throwing out an indoor dog is probably not a good thing.
Like chickens as long as they have a dry place to get out of the weather.
Perhaps you can guilt your DH into letting it come in more & more & more.

Imp- I got guilted into leaving the garden shed door open so the stray cats can get out of the weather. That was about 4 years ago.
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A lot if it depends on the dog's individual temperament. There are some dogs that do great outdoors 24/7 and others that can't handle it. We have had a combination of both over the years. As long as the outside dog is happy and well socialized, I don't think that there is anything wrong with it.
 
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As long as the dog is well trained (for when they are indoors) get plenty of attention and playtime, and have things to do outside to keep them occupied, then I see no reason why they can't be left outside. I just hate it when people put their dogs outside and then ignore them until it's time to feed them.
 
I have an indoor dog ( short haired, 30 lbs.) She goes in and out as she pleases, mostly indoors. Then I have a totally outdoor dog. She knows she belongs outdoors. She has no problems w/ this deal. Shes happy, loveable, & content. Good luck w/ your decision, which ever way you decide to go.
 
I've had both. Both of my outside dogs have passed on from old age, but I swore to never have another outside dog. We have a leash law so they had to be on chains. I tried to let them inside a fence yard, it took them about 10 minutes to dig big enough holes to escape.

To me it's miserable on them in the summer, because it is just too hot for any animal to be outside all day, but that's just my opinion. I would hose them down, but I always felt sorry for them.

Tried to bring them in and they couldn't get along and marked their territory.
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But, I say if they can stay in a fenced yard and not dig out, and they are given warmth in the winter and a cool place in the summer then it would be okay for certain breeds.

Hope it all works out for you.
 
For conversation sake, we would probably get another German Shepherd or a heavy coated breed. I wouldn't put a small breed or short haired dog outside.

I'm about to make major enemies with dog lovers for saying this
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, but the second dog would serve a dual purpose... loyal friend and pet, as well as to help alert us to strangers. We live in a small neighborhood in the country, so I'm not too worried that we'd have intruders - we get more critters than we do people, but since DH works night shifts sometimes...

All of that being said, I'm not looking to turn dog #2 into the second coming of Cujo.
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[Edited to include - We would absolutely interact with the dog on a daily basis, and not just to feed him/her - geez, I'd really feel bad then.]

Ooh - one other question while I'm editing this - For those of you that have both indoors and outdoor dogs, do the two dogs play well together or is it better to keep them separated? Seems like a silly question, but probably a good one to ask.
 
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What kind of dog are you thinking of getting?? We can all give our opinioins on this, but like many have said, it depends on the breed. If you tell us what kind of dog you're thinking of getting, it can help us to give you "better" advice/opinions on the matter............
 

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