Comments on: Should You Allow Your Dog To Sleep Outside?

By: Lauranne

Lauranne — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:17:47 +0000

I think you are right, it depends on the situation and the dog.

By: Kimberly Gauthier

Kimberly Gauthier — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:22:31 +0000

I know a woman who has 6 or 7 Australian Shepherds and some of them prefer to sleep in the barn with her horses. Not technically outside, but not in the house. She lets them choose if they’re coming in or staying out. I think it’s the opposite of cruel, because she’s accepting them and not trying to turn them into something they’re not.

Our dogs sleep in the house, but the house is too hot some days for Rodrigo so I put him outside for periods of time so that he can cool down. He prefers to stay inside with us and his siblings, but appreciates the breaks.

By: Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart

Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:09:47 +0000

When we adopted our dalmatian, we had to sign a contract that said we would never leave her outside in temps below 40 degrees (F). Back in the day, our dal and yellow lab *would* stay outside during the day while we were at work, as weather allowed, but never at night. Where we live now, that would be too dangerous (predators), so our dogs are only outside if we are home — and in old age now, only outside if we are with them.

By: lexy

lexy — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 16:06:20 +0000

My dog is definitely too social/clingy to sleep outside – I love having a yard for playing in, but if i’m not out there, he takes care of his business and demands re-entry.

my neighbour’s hunting dogs always lived outside, though – for the same reasons as the malamutes your friend owns. Once they were old enough, they’d move to their dog-run with an indoor area that could be heated (but kept at a lower temperature than the house, which they found too hot) in winter, and cooled in summer.

great post

By: Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom

Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 13:54:16 +0000

In my opinion — and obviously most others’ opinion as well — it depends on the situation. When Callie and Shadow were young dogs (and both Sam and I were working), they spent their days out in the back yard. Before we had even brought Callie home, Sam had built her a nice, big dog house with a covered porch. And that house was big enough still for both girls even full-grown. Callie used to love napping on that porch. We had a big metal bucket that I filled every morning. And on hot days, I came home at lunchtime and refilled it. We also have a utility building in the back that sits on cement blocks on one side. They used to go under the building and curl up in the cool dirt if it got too hot in the shade of the trees. But, as soon as I got home from work, I brought the girls inside with me and except for potty breaks, they remained in the house with us until morning. I’ve already told you about our one neighbor’s dog, so I won’t go there. Anyway, I used to take the girls to daycare at the PetSmart near work one day a week, but it got expensive and it was a pain to get there in the morning. So, I found a pet sitter. Jennifer would come twice a day to play with the girls. And on rainy, cold, or exceptionally hot days, I would leave them in the house in between Jennifer’s visits. That way I didn’t worry about them being outside in miserable weather and I knew that Jennifer would call me if one of the girls needed medical treatment. (They never did, but I had that piece of mind.) She called and left me a message on my cellphone each time she arrived at the house. Sometimes she would send me picture messages of the dogs with “Hi Mom!” as the caption.

By: houndstooth

houndstooth — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 03:40:19 +0000

Yes, I do, and I think some dogs prefer it. Even when the weather conditions are extreme, there are some dogs who want to be outside, but that doesn’t mean I would choose to let them do so. Heck, there are some times when I would prefer to sleep outside, so I can’t blame a dog for wanting that sometimes, too!

By: Dachshund Nola

Dachshund Nola — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:24:35 +0000

For LGDs, working sled dogs, and the occasional oddball, yes. But for the majority of the population? No.
DM

By: Maggie

Maggie — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:23:15 +0000

There are outside dogs everywhere around here, and as you pointed out, there are wrong ways and right ways of doing it! I think if someone adheres to your main principles, then by all means… an outside dog who is taken care of is probably in a lot better shape than if he were turned into the shelter (or, worse, not adopted OUT of the shelter because he may be an outside dog). The flip side, of course, is when people don’t care for their dogs. Honestly, if we would let him (and I won’t!) Lucas would sleep outside by choice most nights. When the weather is just right, it’s seriously pulling tail to get him to come inside for bed!

By: Rebekah

Rebekah — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:09:57 +0000

As you said, it depends on the situation. We have a finished walk out basement, and that is where our doggy door is. I knew two of my dogs were not on the main level with me. I looked out back through my kitchen window, and they both were laying on their sides, in the snow, asleep. It was 13 degrees F outside. They are both northern breed mixes, and I knew they were comfortable. Like your friends’ dogs, they will pant inside during the winter. I have been accused by friends of “letting them freeze”, but they have a doggy door, and choose to be outside.

Thank you for writing this.

By: Rumpy

Rumpy — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 19:34:50 +0000

I believe I don’t have the right to tell another how their dog should live, provided the needs you mentioned are met. I know some dogs that live outdoors that (I think) are much better off than some dogs that live inside. Rumpy would probably love it, but it’s not safe for him to do so.