Outdoor dog?

[Overthinker]

Thinking of getting another dog someday but don't want one in the house (hair shedding and such)

Would want an outdoor dog but do they just bark all night?

We have 4 acres and chickens, maybe other animals someday.

Would want one that doesn't bother our other animals and doesn't bark all night?

Do you have to pen them up at night? Kinda useless about intruders if so

How do you keep them warm in the winter?

 

[hysop]

Certain breeds do bark more than others.

Giving them a dog house to sleep in will keep them warm. Two of my dogs have fluffy coats so they stay warm in the winter. One is an old dog so if it gets below 30 we do try to find some heating source for him to sleep near.

All my three dogs are outside dogs and they do bark a lot. But it's to warn predators to stay away. I don’t pen them up and they know to stay on our property although we have more than 4 acres so I don't know if that has anything to do with them not "leaving" our property.

What other animals do you have? Are you trying to get a puppy and train it? Or an adult dog?

I would get a dog with a low prey drive to minimize the dog wanting to chase your chickens or other animals you may have.

 

[NatJ]

Do you have to pen them up at night? Kinda useless about intruders if so

You should make sure the dog does not wander off your property, because wandering dogs can get hit by cars or cause trouble with neighbors. Some people put a fence around the entire property-- I don't know if you would consider that a "pen" or not. Some other people fence a smaller area, maybe including the house and chicken pen if that's what the dog is supposed to protect.

For an outdoor dog, just like an indoor dog, you should expect that a new dog (puppy or adult) will need to learn what behavior is appropriate and what is not. Indoor dogs need to learn not to chew on shoes or couches, outdoor dogs need to learn not the dig up the flowerbeds or rip apart the chicken pen, and so forth.

After the dog is grown up and has had some training, you can usually give the dog more freedom: an indoor dog might be free in the house at night instead of sleeping in a crate, or an outdoor dog might have access to a large fenced area instead of being confined in a smaller kennel.

You cannot just get a dog, turn it loose outdoors, and expect good results, just like you cannot bring a dog into the house and expect perfect behavior with no training. But the right combination of fencing and training can let the dog be useful and also keep the dog out of trouble.

(I don't know how much you already know about dogs, so I may have stated some things that are already very obvious to you.)

 

[ShrekDawg]

ETA that the post this was in response to has since been deleted but leaving the rest

Lots of dogs live outside perfectly fine. Some even prefer it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it as long as they’re being properly taken care of and exercised, trained, etc. which it DOES sound like OP is willing to do considering they’re on here asking questions… And whos to say OP won’t be out there working the dog every day and playing/engaging with it? Just cause someone wants an outside dog doesn’t mean it’s going to be neglected or unloved. Judgemental comments like this do not help anyone. OP is on here trying to get help and these types of things can drive people away. Would you rather they ask zero questions cause they’re put off and just go get any dog without doing the research?

 

[Everose]

I've got five dogs, only two of them are mostly outdoors. They're LGDs, and if they were inside at night they would freak.

The LGDs bark a lot. But LOTS of other breeds are super chill. If I were you I wouldn't get shepherds, LGDs, or super hyper dogs, they will bark til dawn, sometimes for no reason. Maybe look into bully breeds, they are amazing and so sweet, and smart, and cool looking. Long haired breeds will get junk stuck in their coats and short haired breeds will need super warm housing.

I love dogs. I get to enjoy my dogs more because they're inside, but outdoor dogs are still a joy to own. I think if you want to get an outdoor dog you should probably be willing to let it inside for very cold weather (in some areas you could get in trouble with the law for not doing so), and possibly when your dog is quite old, arthritis is painful in cold or wet weather.

Sometimes all around mutts turn out to be the best dogs in the world. Would you want to rescue or would you want a puppy?

 

[Overthinker]

Thank you, that helps
Medium hair
Low prey instincts
Somewhere warm
Not a high bark breed.

Any breeds that fit this?
Our place is fenced and we'd work with the dog.
Probably get a rescue but open to a pup.
I've always adopted ones that are a year or two old. Had a wonderful black german shepherd and still have a very sweet black lab

 

[IttyBittyBirdy]

We have a mutt that's from another country.

When we first got her, we noticed how she preferred to be outside. When we tried to bring her in, she would plant her paws on the door frame and resist.
She's not super long haired, but she has a double coat. That's key to keeping warm.
As for the house she's in, it's an igloo with an entrance that kinda curves (if that makes sense).
She gets as much interaction as she wants which isn't much. She's very aloof.

Where she came from, there were a lot of loose chickens so that was a bonus. She was already used to them. She's our "Official Guardian" and has a path she goes along from around the chicken/duck coops, across the yard, and around the house back to her little cave.

She does bark at night, so if your neighbors are close that might be an issue. We live near a dog breeder so her barking isn't a big deal.

House:
• Keep the house on a pallet, as the ground will leech the heat from her.
• Make sure it's out of the wind
• pine wood chips for bedding as straw and hay will stay cold and wet
• I cover the house with square bales to offer extra protection
• make sure it's well insulated or add bales like I do

Make sure there's accessible water, they'll drink a lot of water in the winter.
The food should be a decent quality food, we give our outside dog more food in the winter and she also gets broth mixed in.

As with any dog, you'll have to teach them boundaries, and that chickens are friends not food.

I'm not sure which breed would be the best in your case, just figured I'd offer up what I know and what I've learned with our dog.

 

[Overthinker]

I don't really want to let it inside any, even in winter.

I'd rather build it a warm house or let them in the mud room maybe.

I wouldnt want to give it a heater and then the power go out tho if it's used to it could be bad?

I'm open to building it a house and then putting hay bales all over it if it could get by that way.

 

[NatJ]

I don't really want to let it inside any, even in winter.

I'd rather build it a warm house or let them in the mud room maybe.

I wouldnt want to give it a heater and then the power go out tho if it's used to it could be bad?

I'm open to building it a house and then putting hay bales all over it if it could get by that way.

How cold do you expect it to get?

A dog that lives outdoors all the time will grow a warmer coat as winter comes. If you bring such a dog into your heated house, it will get too hot. A dog that sleeps in your house every night does not grow such a thick coat, so it is less able to deal with cold even in the daytime. Depending on the dog, a "warm" place might just be out of the wind with some straw to curl up in, not anywhere that feels warm to a person.

A doghouse is probably a good start, and I agree that you should not use electric heat.

The tiniest dogs (like Chihuahuas) and ones that are really slender with thin coats (like Greyhounds) are probably not good choices for keeping themselves warm, but what other breeds are suitable will depend on how cold your area gets.

 

[Everose]

I don't really want to let it inside any, even in winter.

I'd rather build it a warm house or let them in the mud room maybe.

I wouldnt want to give it a heater and then the power go out tho if it's used to it could be bad?

I'm open to building it a house and then putting hay bales all over it if it could get by that way.

Where are you located? You don't have to be super specific, but knowing a general area helps.