Outside Puppy?

[alananddora]

Hi All,

Started a thread today regarding crate training puppy and the sleepless nights involved.

Is keeping a puppy outside a fine thing to do ? Does it affect the puppy?

We have a good dry area that is shielded from elements where she will be safe and a toilet. She will put outside late at night at bedtime and bought in early as we rise early at 5am.

The other alternative is crating which ok she is inside but its a crate, whereas outside (and it being spring'ish) she has more room and a toilet to go whenever she wants.

It is not our goal to have an outside dog, as her crate training will continue so that we can as an option keep her inside all night crated (rain, thunder, fireworks, winter etc...).

What advice might you be able to offer us?

Thanks

A&D.

[Static'sMum]

We have an outside dog. Originally he was never going to be allowed inside at all, however my other half gave in

We let him in when we wake up in the morning for the half hour or so before we go to work, and then he goes outside for the day. We let him in to sit with us of an evening while we watch tv (unless he chucks a maddie and has to be put outside).

He sleeps outside by our back door. He has a kennel with a blanket (used to have a comfy cushion, until he ate through two of them, so he is going without for a period of time),and he has a frame bed, to lie on when he is hot.

Static is outside if it is raining, thundering, fireworks etc if it is nighttime.

If we are home, and awake, we will let him in if it is bad weather etc.

He loves the rain, and sleeps through anything, so the fireworks etc aren't an issue with him.

I think that it is up to the owner, what they choose to do.

We don't like the idea of 'crating' a 40kg rottweiler for 10 hours a day while we are at work. I think that is cruel.

He has a yard to play in - with nothing dangerous in it. His gate is padlocked, so he can't accidentally be let out (and he is much to heavy to lift over the gate)

He is registered, tagged, and microchipped. I don't think we are being 'bad' owners by choosing to let him stay outside. He loves it.

I know a lot of people swear by crating, but don't think it is necessary for a healthy dog - only one that needs to be restricted due to physical issues)

[poodlefan]

Where do you live?

What breed or crossbreed of dog do you have?

The reason I ask is that some climates and some breeds are not a good mix for an outside dog.

[alananddora]

Thanks for the reply. That gives me a bit more confidence we are doing the right thing. Crate training does lend itself to letting the puppy get used to us giving her attention when she wants it during.

Our yard is almost safe - I have to do a bit more work... but she is only 9 weeks old. Even though she was outside when at the breeders (albeit with 7 brothers and sisters.

[Kavik]

It is up to you where you want your pup to sleep.

I crate train my dogs, so they can be inside at night without me worrying about them, the weather and barking etc. The noise is probably the biggest factor in having them inside, evening/night time is when the Kelpies use their voice when you don't want them to! One of mine does not like fireworks and storms, so I know she is safe in a crate. The others don't mind fireworks and storms, but I feel better with them inside at those times anyway. I found that with pups it only takes a few days before they settle and are quiet in a crate at night.

During the day they have the run of the yard, and are inside with us in the evening (at the moment they are crashed out on the floor).

[cavNrott]

Hi All,

Started a thread today regarding crate training puppy and the sleepless nights involved.

Is keeping a puppy outside a fine thing to do ? Does it affect the puppy?

We have a good dry area that is shielded from elements where she will be safe and a toilet. She will put outside late at night at bedtime and bought in early as we rise early at 5am.

The other alternative is crating which ok she is inside but its a crate, whereas outside (and it being spring'ish) she has more room and a toilet to go whenever she wants.

It is not our goal to have an outside dog, as her crate training will continue so that we can as an option keep her inside all night crated (rain, thunder, fireworks, winter etc...).

What advice might you be able to offer us?

Thanks

A&D.

All my dogs (2 Rottweilers and 2 Cavaliers) live inside the house. None are crated though the Cavaliers have crates with doors always left open. No damage has been caused inside the house by the dogs because they have always been loose in the house and know the rules.

We are in Melbourne and it's too cold outside at night for the dogs. That plus I like having them around where I am. They sleep in my bedroom except for my old rescue girl who prefers to sleep on the couch.

Why do you want to put your dog outside at night?

[Livi]

I'd be thinking about where you want her to sleep long term.

If you are pining for a nights sleep, putting her outside wont work, she will probably cry for a few nights if she has been used to sleeping in the crate in your room

If you want to sleep, I'd suggest if you have a spare room..on weeknights take turns and one of you sleep in there, one be on "puppy duty" and on weekends you might want to share the marital bed but at least you can catch a nap during the day ?

If you do decide you would prefer her to sleep outside, just be prepared for even less sleep than you have been getting lately for another few nights.

[Dogsfevr]

As said if you think this will be the easy way until older think again.Toilet training starts now,what the pup learns now is what they follow through for life

" toilet to go whenever she wants." exactly so you achieve no tiolet training at all & to retrain an older dog is not easy.

Sleepness nights is part of getting a pup nothing is easy & there is no easy way out for achieving life long results

[alananddora]

Hi Poodlefan,

She is a German Shephard and we live in sunny Sydney.

[alananddora]

As said if you think this will be the easy way until older think again.Toilet training starts now,what the pup learns now is what they follow through for life

" toilet to go whenever she wants." exactly so you achieve no tiolet training at all & to retrain an older dog is not easy.

Sleepness nights is part of getting a pup nothing is easy & there is no easy way out for achieving life long results

That's is what I am afraid of... I think if I get my way then I will be in the spare room on puppy duty! But like you said Showdog it is for life....

This needs careful thought...

How long do the sleepless nights last on average?

[Kavik]

With my last two it was only a few nights that they were noisy in their crates.

And sunny Sydney - you forgetting the torrential rain we've had on and off?

[persephone]

You have already had her inside, and are doing good job of her training so far.

Sudenly now plonking her outdoors is , IMO asking for trouble

She will probably cry a LOT...then relieve herself where you don't want her to

There is also the problem of a young dog left alone....without the security of you and the crate, she may not sleep as much, and will be looking for entertainment.

By keeping her indoors now, you avoid her learning bad habits, like barking at noises, trying to escape, etc.

Oh....now I am thinking you are going back to work soon..and she will be left alone all day anyway Hmm..another reason to kep her indoors at night.... ...so she does have the benefit of training with you near.

[Danois]

I think the answer to sleepless night varies from puppy to puppy.

I was lucky with Angus and we only had a few nights of getting up between 2am and 3pm. We then had a week of 6am starts which saw me carrying him outside as he would get up and pee immediately. Within 2 weeks he was sleeping from around 11pm to 7am. Now (at 10 months) on the weekends I sometimes have to kick him out of bed after 10-11 hours

From 9 weeks (when I got him) he was only getting two meals a day - 3 feeds a day is ideal puppy word where we do not have to work (which we do so we can afford to have the puppy!). For the last couple of months he is not overly interested in a morning feed and I am more inclined to use the allocation to stuff a kong or treat toy.

If he is tuckered out before bed time then he might sleep longer and as his bladder grows, the middle of the night wake up will gradually get pushed further and further back and he gets through the whole night!

[MyMontage]

I think if you want her to stay outdoors at night, then you can start to leave her outdoors at night. But if you eventually want her to be crate trained inside, better to just start that now, rather than change any routines in the future.

My puppy was inside at night, no crate training though. We just ignored him (yes it was very hard) when he cried etc. He QUICKLY learned that he would get no attention at night and ended up just sleeping when we slept. He stays just outside our bedroom door or in the bathroom (go figure he has the comfiest bed ever!). Turned out to be a pretty sweet situation!

Good luck, hope it works for you the way you want.

[joanne76]

IMO its still too cold outside for a 9 week old pup. I live in "sunny" sydney and the nights are still very cool.

[Monah]

Hi. I don't think I'd put her outside, but this is one of those issues where people have vastly different views. In my opinion the pup is far too young. She could get distressed and dig out or any other number of awful things happen while you are asleep, and will probably cry a lot during the night keeping neighbours awake too. Ultimately it's up to you, as it is your puppy. If she's only 9 weeks old you may not have had her for long, so how much sleep have you lost? With one of my dogs, she slept fine but was up at 4.30am every morning for 16 months. When I had to go to work she slept!! Lucky@!#$%^ dog. I was exhausted, The next pup loves her sleep. All puppies (and babies) take a while to have a routine and sleep properly. I don't think crating encourages 'attention' getting. Mine are crated, mainly for their own safety, and they LOVE their crates (beds) and often go in them when they are tired. I'd love them in the bed but one can be bossy with the other so they just sleep side by side in separate crates. Personally, I don't thnk you've given it any where near long enough. If after 5 or 6 months this was still happening I'd worry. Just let her out for toilet and put her staight back in the crate without talking etc. Don't let her drink before bed. What time is her 'last' wes? Mine go at 10pm. then bed and get up at 6am. Even if I'm buggered I always stay up until 10pm for final 'wees'.Very soon she won't need to go at night at all, esp. being a larger breed. She's just a baby, doing what babies do.As persephone said, soon she will be alone all day, if she's out all night too that means no attention. She will also need a good two hours proper exercise each day. Dogs are demanding and hard work, as you've already found out. God, between kids, dogs and businesses, we haven't slept longer than 5 or 6 hours per night since 1980!!!!! Good luck with it all, Maybe you can have nanny naps on a Sunday. I find this helps me a lot.

[alananddora]

Yep, I also think it is too cold outside for her.

My better half has decided to sleep in the spare room, whilst I am happy to continue taking her to the toilet until she is able to hold for the night in the crate.

I believe crating indoors far outstrips any benefits that may arise from outside i.e. short term sleep benefits (even that is questioned!)

Plus I think she is far better off and relaxes very quickly and I am amazed how quickly she has taken to the crate, this morning I had to get her out as she did not want to leave it!

thanks

[Rhi*Jak*Ed]

I was severely sleep deprived for the first month that I brought Jak home... The first four nights she howled the roof down. She soon settled in, but would still wake me at least twice a night. Each dog is different, as is each owner. I am on my own, so got up for every toilet break etc. - bloody hard work! haha. I stayed at home those first two weeks while she settled in, but when I went back to work everyone commented that I looked like a walking zombie. Not very pretty lol.

I'd never considered putting her outside of a night time, for me the only option was to have her inside. She's only just started being put outside during the day when I go to work and even that was a big step for me!! Each to their own though, but I think she's a bit young to be out there all by her little self :-)

All the best with it.

Rhi & Jak