Inside Dogs And Geographical Location

[j]

I think a lot of this has to do with general acceptance of dogs. There are very few places in Australia where your dog will be accepted - cafes, restaurants, transport, shopping centres etc. You are practically discouraged from having your dog involved in your daily life. In European countries and many others, dogs are accepted and welcomed in these venues.

There are also the issues of predators, diseases and high density housing, which are prevalent in other countries, but not as common in Australia. Because the majority of people still leave in a home with a yard, not high rise apartments, they can leave dogs outside, without fear that they will be bitten by an animal which carries rabies, or indeed, is big enough to carry the dog off for dinner (let's just forget about snakes for the moment)

I think a lot of the attitudes experienced arose out of fear that this would occur

[Lisey]

When I'm home my girl is inside with me with free access to come and go as she pleases. When I go to work she is outside. But I think that's more fun for her anyway. She likes sunbaking in winter and playing in her pool in summer. When I'm home though she is generally in the same room as me.

I bought my dogs as I love spending time with them and having them close. They are my family. Some of my favorite past times with them are just chilling on the lounge watching TV.

[Perry's Mum]

Mine is definitely an inside dog - she wants to be with me most of the time. We often spend a lot of time outside but she generally prefers the comforts of being inside and the feeling of being part of a pack.

[Sheridan]

I think a lot of it depends on the weather and wildlife. I don't get constant crating but it depends on if you have a destructo dog or more than one dog and they require a lot of supervision. As was mentioned up thread, a lot of American places don't have fences and a lot of rural places in the UK don't have adequate fencing (from my POV anyway). Much of it is cultural.Mine are inside and outside, as seen by the amount of times I have to open the door for them.

[trinabean]

I think a lot of it depends on the weather and wildlife. I don't get constant crating but it depends on if you have a destructo dog or more than one dog and they require a lot of supervision. As was mentioned up thread, a lot of American places don't have fences and a lot of rural places in the UK don't have adequate fencing (from my POV anyway). Much of it is cultural.Mine are inside and outside, as seen by the amount of times I have to open the door for them.

I agree re the weather and that crating may be useful for some (eg. destructive) dogs.

My dog is generally wherever I am. Having a short coat he also tends to choose wherever is most comfortable (under an air-con vent in summer/ practically on top of the heater in winter or outside sunbaking). He is not destructive so I can leave him inside, and haven't crated him since he was a puppy.

Besides, the couch doesn't fit in a crate....:)

[korbin13]

We always grew up with the inside dogs and the outside dogs. The outside dogs had a better life in my opinion, they went everywhere that we went and went to work with my dad.

The inside dogs were small dogs and went on the occasional drive into town but spent most of their time inside or in the house yard.

Obviously we weren't in a suburban setting.

My own dogs are outside when we are at work and come inside after we have eaten dinner.

Like a lot of these type of things it is a personal choice and everyone has different circumstances. I do however get annoyed when people assume that because dogs are kept outside they are neglected. Yes, some are but there are lot that aren't.

[Dame Aussie]

I could never crate a dog all day.

[OSoSwift]

I had two Dobes that were pretty much outside dogs. They had dog runs to keep them safe from snakes and to make sure they didn't roam. I spent a good 6 hours a day with them and they both came with me to work mOst of the time. They did not miss out and had great lives.

The dogs I have now spend far more time inside but do not necessarily sleep inside and if the do they are crated. When I go out they are in their dog yard/run. It does not make me a bad owner. I do not think it is good for a dog ( or human for that matter) to be inside a majority of the time

If a dog has a good amount of quality time and has warm, dry bedding and a place to sleep then I do not see the issue. I choose what I choose because it works for me and I have happy healthy dogs. Someone else can choose to do differently and have happy healthy dogs

[CrazyCresties]

The vast majority of dogs in the UK would be indoor dogs, most outside dogs would be working ones. However not due to the reason below, while this may be true of mainland Europe, dogs aren't allowed in too many places like shops and restaurants in the UK.

I think a lot of this has to do with general acceptance of dogs. There are very few places in Australia where your dog will be accepted - cafes, restaurants, transport, shopping centres etc. You are practically discouraged from having your dog involved in your daily life. In European countries and many others, dogs are accepted and welcomed in these venues.

[Rebanne]

My first greyhound was a real gem but sometimes he would rip up paper if left inside or have the occasional chew on a book. So when I left him inside, while I was going out for a little while, I would muzzle him. Well if I could have been tarred and feathered through the internet I well and truly would have been. I was supposed to crate him not muzzle him! This was the biggest breed email group in the world but mainly from one culture. They thought a muzzle was incredibly cruel. I think they saw it as a sign of a, in their eyes, very cruel industry. But they would think nothing of crating their dog all day while at work, then crating all night while they slept. And to give your dog water from the tap, well..............

[Staffyluv]

All my dogs, including fosters when we have one, are free range. They have the option to inside or outside as they please.

I do crate train fosters to sleep in a crate in case their new homes need them to be crate trained...

Ziggy was crate trained but not sure how he would go now as he hasn't been in one in months..

Canberra is cold a lot of the year and I really can't imagine leaving a dog outdoors in these temps...

[Podengo]

I don't personally know anyone that keeps their dogs outside in NZ - except for farmers, and the very occasional person in my obedience class. Probably around 75% of the people I know use a crate, or have at some point, even the new dog owners and people who aren't particularly dog savvy.

[cowanbree]

I am not a fan of outside dogs and as a breeder if there is any hint of it the home would be automatically turned down. Even in the best of homes with owners working full time I don't see how the dog gets the time, attention and company it should. Allowing perhaps an hour for walks even if you sit outside with them for another hour that still means the dog is alone for 22hrs a day. Obviously there are some exceptions to this but I know a number of people with outside dogs and I am not a big fan.

[mixeduppup]

So you're saying that outside owners are inside 22 hours a day?

What if I said that I was outside from 6am until 8am back inside for breakfast and study for 2 hours back out side for a 2 hours walk, then back home for some training until lunch. Then back outside a couple of hours later (dogs have eaten and are sleeping) grab a leash and off we walk again for another 2 hours then homes, fun and food. My dogs are my life, apart from working on fridays they're all I have and all i do. Yes they're not allowed inside (apart from my JRT) but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed outside.

[Sares]

Mine (pug and frenchie) are free range - the pretty much come and go as they please, but are crated inside overnight. When I worked in an office they were outside while we were gone, but now I work from home so they are mostly inside. The pug would spend all of her time indoors if she could, the frenchie does like a bit of outside time (mainly for getting up to mischief, I'm sure).

My Frenchie is the same.. she is inside overnight when we are home, but while we are at work during the day she is mostly outside (except for extreme weather -really hot or cold).. but she loves being out the back , even on weekends when we are at home she is usually pottering around the backyard getting up to mischeif, chewing sticks and sniffing around, occasionally coming inside to say hello to us and make sure we are stil home.

[Weasels]

So you're saying that outside owners are inside 22 hours a day?

What if I said that I was outside from 6am until 8am back inside for breakfast and study for 2 hours back out side for a 2 hours walk, then back home for some training until lunch. Then back outside a couple of hours later (dogs have eaten and are sleeping) grab a leash and off we walk again for another 2 hours then homes, fun and food. My dogs are my life, apart from working on fridays they're all I have and all i do. Yes they're not allowed inside (apart from my JRT) but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed outside.

Even in the best of homes with owners working full time I don't see how the dog gets the time, attention and company it should.

[Starkehre]

Our dogs are inside and outside, on our terms. When they are outside they have access to their own "dog room" (our fully insulated double garage) which also has a door into the house, heater, comfortable dog beds etc.

Over night during Winter some of them are locked in the dog room with the heater on and the others (youngies and oldies) are crated inside our bedroom or the livingroom.

During the day they are in and out and spend their inside time in the livingroom where they have their own futon couch and lounge.

We rarely go out without our dogs, but if we do, they are left in or out depending on the time of day, weather conditions and duration of us being out.

Although I am not big on judging others on how they do things with their own dogs, each to their own I believe, I am neither a fan of my own dogs being inside 24/7 or outside 24/7.

What I do find odd is when some owners believe they are better owners for having their dogs inside all the time, allowing them outside to eliminate only, when this fashion of dog ownership does not offer the dogs enough vitamin D nor enough free stretched out movement of their joints. Many of these same people would rubbish owners for having a small backyard for their dogs, yet they feel it is OK to keep their dogs inside their home in the same amount of space or less. Puzzles me.

I think dogs should be able to exhibit normal dog behaviours by fossicking, digging, eating grass etc for at least some part of each day and absorb as much of the suns' rays as they require.

I would never crate a healthy dog all day and all night.

Edited July 11, 2012 by dyzney

[Crisovar]

People are very quick to judge, I know many well loved dogs belonging to owners who are only inside the house to eat and sleep, spending the rest of their days outside. These dogs are certainly not deprived of human company. They get far more company and attention than dogs who are locked in the house all day while their owners work full time. It sounds as if some believe that everyone spends their days cooped up inside their homes.

[aussielover]

I could not have an outside only dog. My dog is out and about for at least 4 hrs a day (walks, trips to shops, training etc) and is outside if we go out (tho never longerthan a few hours) so is not exactly cooped up.

I don't have a problem with people who do keep their dogs outside so long as the dog receives enough interaction or is a working dog.

It does come down to the individual dog and personal

preference of the owner.

I don't think crating for long periods (unless for illness or injury) is particularly ideal although again it comes down to the dog getting enough exercise, stimulation...

[sandgrubber]

What's this about Americans keeping their dogs inside? Mine are free range, though they sleep on my bed . . . I'd rather not have them meet Mr Skunk overnight or do a big barky thing when a coyote comes around and annoy the neighbors. Most of the dogs in the neighborhood are free range. Sure, when you live in town and you've got a pit bull next door and a yappy mix breed on the other side, it's simpler to keep your dog in during the day if your not home. . . . and to bring them in at night. And as a breeder, I don't like placing pups with families that don't allow their dogs inside. But if you're getting the impression that all Americans keep their dogs inside and crate them during the day, you're reading the wrong forums.