Puppy Sleeps Outside From Day 1 ?

[huski]

Thanks....I'll try outside first and if it doesn't work than inside. I think it would be better ouside. He would be under a verandah in a kennel I think that is fine.

It might take him a couple of night to get used to it so if you want him to sleep outside just persevere for a little while

[Sayreovi]

Well, my dogs are outside dogs. They sleep outside and are allowed inside only on certain occasions.

Nova was inside when we first got him for about 2 weeks, then was kicked outside, Darcy has slept outside since Day 1.

Certainly didnt ruin him.

Also have two foster puppies coming, they will also be outside. I am sure they wont mind as their other alternative was sleeping forever.

[MyMontage]

My dog is a mixture of both an indoors and outdoors dog....

When we first got him he was inside while we were at work, and then we gradually started leaving him outside during the day. If it is a horrible day outside though, we can leave him in. (he does have shelter but he likes to play in water so it doesn't mean much!)

As far as sleeping arrangements go, at first, I would close the passage door and he would sleep in our bedroom on the floor, then he decided it was too warm for him (he was getting furrier!) and slept on the wooden floor outside our bedroom door or in the bathroom on the tiles. Sometimes we even leave the back door open at night time now and he goes outside on his own accord and sleeps out there.

He usually comes inside in the morning for a cuddle up on the bed!

We are lucky though that our boy is happy in his own skin and is very laid back. If he was highly strung and whinged and wined all day or all night I would get him a companion.

[marica]

My puppy has always slept inside - she is a pointer so has a short coat, and she also *hates* water so I really don't want her to be stuck outside if it rains at night.

I don't like the idea of dogs in bedrooms, so Stella sleeps on "her chair" in the lounge room until I go to sleep. Then I put her in her crate in the laundry. She walks into the crate by herself, she knows it's her bed.

Eventually I'd like her to not be crated at night, as I want her to be a watch dog, and she isn't much use for that if she's crated! But she is still in the chewing phase, so it's safer to crate her for now.

[LilyW]

Every breed of dog is different, every individual dog is different. My pup slept inside for the first couple of months and until she had her final shots. She now sleeps outside, but is inside with us until we go to bed, at that point she pretty much gets in her kennel and goes to sleep. Then when we are up in the morning she is inside with us until we leave for work. When we get home from work, she is taken for a walk and then fed and spends the time inside with us until bed. She is an absolute delightful dog, no chewing, no barking, very happy and loving.. very well behaved all round. But like i said each breed, each dog is different.

I don't believe that by having your pup inside at the beginning you are not going to be able to put them outside later on. I had no issues with this - but you might find that you are happy with your pup inside all the time. Its just important to see how your dog is reacting to each situation and making sure that it is happy.

[Guest Amy Rose]

My boyfriend and I both have a dog. His sleeps outside and mine sleeps inside.

Tucker (my dog) has always been a bit of a sook and when I first got him I had to keep him inside an apartment while we organised to move our things to Victoria. My dad and I set up a bed for him, but he hated it. He was a pound dog, and had terrible seperation anxiety (understandably). So he slept in the double bed with me, and by the time my boy and I moved, Tucker was used to sleeping on the bed, which neither of us had a problem with. He will sometimes sleep in the hallway, on the floor, or on a mattress we have set up for him.

Buddy, my boy's dog, loves sleeping outside. He was a stray that was taken to the pound and I think that is why he isn't paticularly fussed about sleeping inside. If he's inside and falls asleep, we let him stay inside, but generally he wants to be let out at night to sleep on the couch that is out there. He gets a lot of attention both from us, our housemates, and regular visitors, and gets walked everyday, so he's not suffering in the slightest.

So, it can work both ways. Do whatever you feel is best.

[rockhard_mastiffs]

My dogs sleep in the garage with free access to the backyard, is that considered inside or outside :p

[shellbyville]

I have had puppies come and sleep inside for the first few weeks or even months and then I have adjusted them to outside with no trouble whatsoever. I have also had a puppy that I slept inside in her crate from day 1 of arriving at our home, she whined a lot for what seemed like forever. I got totally over it and put her outside and we never heard a sound from her again, she loved it outside. As long as wherever you sleep them they have their own space (crate, kennel, bed whatever) that is sheltered and they feel safe in.

I think whatever you do is fine, and you can change later if you like. My dogs all live and sleep outside, but I allow them in very often. I think they find it a real treat when I open the door and tell them it is ok to come in, they never walk in on their own (except youngsters). I am outside a large percentage of the time with them. I love letting them in at night when we watch a bit of tv, and they love it as well, but are quite happy going outside and being safely locked in their kennels at night.

[MrsD]

Our GSD has slept outside from day 1, the same as my previous shepherds, never had any problem whatsoever with it . She occasionaly comes inside for a short while if MrD is working in the garden or similar & she follws him upstairs when he comes for a drink etc, but she's certainly not an "inside dog" . Jonty, being a small dog, was bought as an inside dog, & sleeps in a crate in the lounge room, but spends more time outside than he ever does inside of his own free will. And guess what? If I didnt actually go to the back door each night & call him in, he would quite happily sleep outside as well - not that I would let him cos I would wake up to him barking every 10 mins but it just goes to show that you cant predict what a dog will like best.

Jarrah sleeps outside in his kennel under the back stairs, but is allowed in the house during the day & in the evenings - he is much more likely to come inside if you open the door to let them in than Jonty.

I agree with the bad connotations comment from a couple of posters - plenty of dogs actually prefer being outside.

[WorkingHard]

IMHO I think it is worse to leave a dog inside than it is out. Dogs are dogs they might be part of our family but they are still dogs. They like grass and dirt and sky and things to smell and chew.

That said mine sleep under my bed at night and if I go to bed late they winge at the door so I don't forget them

[persephone]

Sleeping outside is fine in my book So long as there are no hidden dangers,or visiting cats to stir him up

Most of our dogs are outside dogs....

Hamlet sleeps inside, but strictly on his bed.

[DagBoy]

Our GSD has slept outside from day 1, the same as my previous shepherds, never had any problem whatsoever with it . She occasionaly comes inside for a short while if MrD is working in the garden or similar & she follws him upstairs when he comes for a drink etc, but she's certainly not an "inside dog" . Jonty, being a small dog, was bought as an inside dog, & sleeps in a crate in the lounge room, but spends more time outside than he ever does inside of his own free will. And guess what? If I didnt actually go to the back door each night & call him in, he would quite happily sleep outside as well - not that I would let him cos I would wake up to him barking every 10 mins but it just goes to show that you cant predict what a dog will like best.

Jarrah sleeps outside in his kennel under the back stairs, but is allowed in the house during the day & in the evenings - he is much more likely to come inside if you open the door to let them in than Jonty.

I agree with the bad connotations comment from a couple of posters - plenty of dogs actually prefer being outside.

Just to add.

In our last house, I had fenced off a small corner of the verandah just outside our bedroom window that was just big enough for her bed and a water bucket and she would be locked in that when we went to bed and let out in the morning. The rest of the time she had full run of the house yard.

In our current house, I built her a decent sized run which has her kennel in it (bed in the kennel) and she is locked in there at night - mainly because she used to be a bit of a Houdini and some of the fences round our yard were a bit crappy. She is far less inclined to wander off now and we have put in a fence to secure the back half acre of our yard, so there is no real reason to lock her in her run at night, but I still do - mainly so she and Jarrah do not spend the entire night chasing each other round the house.

She never comes in the house when we are eating or watching TV (unlike the other two) partly because she is a clumsy bugger and walks round knocking thingts over, but mainly because she never has. If she is not locked away and we are watching TV she will often sleep on the verandah just outside our French Windows.

The only time I feel a bit bad about her being outside is in the middle of winter when it gets a bit cold and this year I will probably sort out some way that she can get into the shed from her run so she has a more sheltered place for her bed that is warmer than her kennel (or I will make her a new kennel and insulate it).

Cheers,

DagBoy