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Keeping your dog outdoors - Twitchin Kitten - 11-17-2010
I am not a fan of keeping dogs outside at all. I believe dogs, although some are working dogs and some are companion animals, should have the luxury of going indoors to get warm. I also understand the need to keep some outdoors (sled dogs for instance). This article was written out of outrage. I belonged to another forum where this moron kept his two Pomeranians outside. These poor little dogs weren't even able to go into the garage. He kept salt water in their dishes to keep the water from freezing too. It was awful to read about how he kept his dogs and how he thinks he's justified in doing this because his wife is some bought and paid for twat from another country. She does not believe in keeping dogs indoors.
Keeping your dog outdoors
Some people choose to keep their dogs as outside pets. This is fine as long as you provide the proper shelter, food, water and living area for your dog. And it is fine as long as you give the dog the attention and love and time with the family it deserves. I see no reason to keep a dog outside and ignore it. Why bother keeping a dog like that then?
Some people will say it's for protection and some will argue as a watch dog. But in reality, if your guard/watch dog is confined to a small area away from you, how is it to do it's job? If you don't give it the love and affection and attention and time with the family, why should it even bother to guard/protect you? After all, you didn't do anything to make the dog want to protect you!
The first thing one needs to know is if the breed of dog you want to keep outside is 'built' to do this. Some breeds, especially the small, non-working breeds are not built to live solely outside. They are made to be companion animals and regardless if some have long coats, like the Pomeranian, their coats will not shelter them from extreme weather.
Dogs should NEVER be kept chained to a post or tree where they can get tangled. Never keep a dog chained to a tree with a dog house near by. This is just cruel and pointless. Most dogs only tangle themselves up in this situation.
Dog houses should be in your yard or in an area fenced off for your dog to exercise in at will.
You should have a proper dog house situated on top of something to keep it off the ground from the possibility of the elements creeping into it's door. This could be snow, water, mud, etc.
Keep your dog house in a DRY area out of the wind during the winter months and during summer storms. Make sure the dog has sufficient shade during the hottest part of the day in the summer.
Don't let the area where your outside dog lives become muddy or boggy, or full of puddles.
Pick up dog poop daily as you don't want the area he lives filthy and a health hazard to all.
Dog houses should be on top of a pallet and the pallet should have either cedar shavings (this can help with flea reduction) or straw. Cedar works best as it does not promote mold, rot or bugs.
Packing the pallet under the house provides an air barrier causing this to insulate the floor from winter cold. It also keeps the floor cool in the summer months.
Now a suitable wooden doghouse should be placed on top of this. The size of the dog house is very important too. You want one as small as you can without making the dog uncomfortable.
The dog should be able to stand up, sit, turn around and lie down comfortably, just like you would if you kept him in a crate.
Anything larger will only cause your dog to work that much harder to make his space warm.
I have not ever been satisfied with those plastic made igloo style houses for dogs. They tend to be flimsy, and in fact hold in the cold in winter and get unbearably hot in the summer.
Families can make a nice day of building a dog house together. You can get quite creative with this as long as you keep the proper size in mind while building it.
Do be careful with the roof though! You will want to make sure there are no pointed ends of nails sticking through for poor Rex to bash his head and get cut up on! Hammer down all nails you find whether you buy a pre-made house or you make one yourself!
In the summer months the bedding inside the dog house should be a nice padding of straw, or even cedar shavings. Personally, I like the cedar shavings in the summer.
Winter is different. Winter you should purchase a bale of straw and place quite a bit in there so the dog can tunnel himself a bed/nest combo. This 'tunnel' will help keep his body heat concentrated around him and not escape into the outside getting wasted and causing him to shiver to keep his house warm.
Using rags, old clothes, cloth bedding of any sort is not ideal in the least. This stuff has no drainage ability and will freeze when damp in the winter causing the dog to become more chilled and not be able to produce body heat. It becomes rotted and a breeding ground for bugs and fleas in the summer causing your dog skin irritation among many other concerns for health.
Make sure you provide a bowl or bucket of water and check several times a day the dogs water is not frozen or moldy and empty in the summer. Outside dogs need to keep hydrated properly so not to cause hypothermia or heat exhaustion.
Food dishes should be kept clean and free of flies and other bugs, so make sure your dogs food is not contaminated with vermin as well. Take in any uneaten food if bugs become a problem. If bugs are a huge problem in summer by you, you may want to feed two smaller feedings during the day instead of once.
Your outside dog's health is important as well. Keeping a dog outside is not necessarily going to make less work for you. You will need to check the dog daily for cuts, bruises, make sure his ears are clean and free of mites and his teeth are healthy.
Summer you need to make sure the dog has no hot spots, fleas, flies eating away the flesh of his ears and eyes. You need to bathe in the summer and get on a flea, tick and heartworm regimen and never fail to administer this medication.
You need to check between his toes daily. Look for irritation, rashes and other ugly things. Some dogs have grass allergy and the paws are affected and the underbelly by this. A trip to the vet is necessary for grass allergies.
Winter you need to make sure there is no frostbite on his ears and other thinly insulated extremities. You need to make sure he has no cuts as well in winter as in summer.
Any time you see something amiss on inspection, the dog needs a trip to the vet. Outside dogs need just as much veterinary attention, actually more, than your regular household pet.
Your dog MUST be vaccinated properly. Especially for rabies, parvo virus, distemper and everything else. Your vet in your area will be the best one to advise on this. I cannot stress the importance of this. If you keep more than one dog (indoors or out) you should also vaccinate for kennel cough.
You need to check the bedding daily and get into a habit of changing it often. Rotting or wet bedding is a breeding ground for disaster and high vet bills for you.
Obtaining bales of hay or bales of red cedar shavings is not that hard. Don't let living in a non rural area discourage you on this. I lived in NYC all my life and can get these items in Manhattan any time I want. You just have to do some homework. And you'll pay more in the city of course! But all in all, you can readily find all this stuff in any farm supply, local hay farmer (most grow straw as well) or horse supply.
You can buy several of these at once and keep in a safe DRY shed outside the house if obtaining these items means a long drive, thus minimizing your time for driving for the straw.
Small dogs need to be protected from predators too. Yes, predators. Some areas have bobcat, coyote, Great horned owl, mountain lions, eagles among many more not mentioned. These animals can easily carry off a small pet 10 pounds and under. So maybe a roof is in order on the pen you have the dog house in.
If the area becomes wet and muddy, you can build a nice deck low to the ground for Rex. This will give the dog a nice area to get out of the muck.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - Jamminitin - 11-18-2010
Good post for this time of year. Our sissy nana will not go outside except to potty and randomly bark.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - Twitchin Kitten - 11-18-2010
I don't blame her.
In the winter of 94 when it was brutally cold, my greyhound couldn't even walk on the frozen grass. I had to make him leather paw protectors so he can go outside to pee.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - LH - 11-18-2010
I know who you are talking about, a real freaking piece of work that one is.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - Twitchin Kitten - 11-18-2010
You ain't kidding.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - vtxcandyred - 12-07-2010
From everything I've read and talked about, Yorkies don't like it outside and certainly don't like the cold and snow. WELL this little sh!t I have makes all that wrong. He absolutely loves it outside. We have a couple of different coats we put on him but he doesn't like or want them. He lets us put them on but they usually end up coming off. He's a site in the snow in the back yard. There's never any tracks out there and you can see him jumping from place to place because he can't walk. He loves snowballs and chasing them. He reminds me of our goldie we used to have. He ofcourse loved it out doors. Two pennies.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - Twitchin Kitten - 12-07-2010
Yeah but the Yorkie can't survive as an outdoors dog. They're not bred to be that way. His lifespan will be shortened greatly.
I don't know of any dog who didn't have a bit of fun in the snow but you leave them out in it for awhile when they're not used to it for long stretches of time, and you've got one cold doggie begging to come in.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - Sally - 12-08-2010
All 4 of mine are house dogs, they go outside long enough to use the bathroom and maybe dig a freaking hole to China.
My Newf does love the cold weather though. Once in a while we have a freeze here during the winter and those are the nights I can't get him to come in the house, he loves it.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - Twitchin Kitten - 12-08-2010
Newfies are built for the cold! My friend had a pair she used to take with us on competition - it was fun watching the try to jump up and down like a little JRT when she got back with the horses off the trail.
I hear ya with the holes to China. For some reason, my guys think winter time is the best time to dig.
RE: Keeping your dog outdoors - vtxcandyred - 12-08-2010
(12-07-2010, 11:00 PM)Twitchin Kitten Wrote: Yeah but the Yorkie can't survive as an outdoors dog. They're not bred to be that way. His lifespan will be shortened greatly.
I don't know of any dog who didn't have a bit of fun in the snow but you leave them out in it for awhile when they're not used to it for long stretches of time, and you've got one cold doggie begging to come in.
Believe me, he doesn't stay out longer than I think he can handle it, and thats usually sooner than he likes.