Outside dogs

[Bound4Tassie]

It seems to be almost the norm here to keep dogs outside  ( except maybe little ones that eagles like to eat!!) 

A colleague gota 9wk old pup at the weekend. It's already outside all night. ?

It's pretty cold at night in Tassie now. I must be soft but I'd never keep my dog outside. What's the point getting a dog if it's  outside all day/night? 

I see a loose/wandering dog nearly every day here. I assume it's because so many are yard dogs and they escape more easily.  Hardly ever saw a roaming dog in the UK. ( though I'm sure I would have in some areas! ) 

[starlight7]

Never see roaming dogs round here but there are a few round the Dandenongs apparently ( feral ones)

[Toots]

There is a lovely border collie round the corner from our house and she's never in the house always cooped up in the back yard.  The owners do take her for a good walk once a day but I still feel sorry for her.  The other dogs nearby are all house dogs as they are of the smaller variety.  I agree with you though, why have a dog if it's shut outside all the time.  I do have to remember though that many of the working farm dogs in Scotland don't have a pampered lifestyle - most of them are never in the house and it's a lot colder there.

[starlight7]

A border collie is a working dog though- so long as it has a dry area I wouldn't worry about it except maybe in the depths of Winter.  I would worry more if it was one of those little dogs with a thin coat.  We used to have a beagle and it wanted to be outside most of the time.  We did keep it in at night because we were afraid it would wander off and get into trouble. It was a very naughty boy ( stealing things from various neighbours and bringing them back to us) and eventually left us to live on a farm with another beagle.  Everyone was happy.

[Toots]

Just now, starlight7 said:

A border collie is a working dog though- so long as it has a dry area I wouldn't worry about it except maybe in the depths of Winter.  I would worry more if it was one of those little dogs with a thin coat.  We used to have a beagle and it wanted to be outside most of the time.  We did keep it in at night because we were afraid it would wander off and get into trouble. It was a very naughty boy ( stealing things from various neighbours and bringing them back to us) and eventually left us to live on a farm with another beagle.  Everyone was happy.

There were always border collies on the farm where I grew up.  Hard working dogs they were and they slept in a barn at night on top of old hessian sacks stuffed with straw.  

I think all the smaller dogs around us here are pretty spoiled.  I notice quite a few of them are wearing little warm coats when out out for their walks now it's getting colder.

[Booma]

my ozzie relatives & lots of my ozzie friends are animal lovers but none of them let any animals in the house not even cats or little dogs. they seem to think it's dirty & animals belong outside. I didnt know lots of ozzies think that & i let my in laws dog inside once when i just met them for the first time. my mother in law nearly had a fit. I suppose the climate is generally better in oz than in uk so that might be why its not as common to have them inside. all the dogs seem to have shelters & blankets etc though.

my husbands uncle has a farm with working dogs & you arent allowed to pet them or anything & they sleep in big kennels. he loves them & looks after them really well but they dont get treated like pets & they know not to even come near the house.

[Toots]

I often saw dog owners in Sydney strolling around the CBD area with their little dogs.  They lived in high rise apartments.  Not much of a life for those dogs either.  How many times do they get out to piddle and poo I wonder.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

It’s really tough as some people can do more damage to a dog by anthropomorphism. It’s true, I’d say singles or couples are more likely to treat them as babies than young families who seem to love the idea of a puppy until it starts peeing in the house then out it goes.

Also a lot of people rent and aren’t permitted dogs inside so that’s another reason you see them out. Others don’t trust the dog inside whilst they are at work, so the dog is kicked out.

We have seen a couple of dogs wandering where we have lived in the past but these have always been escape artists.  All we have near us now is dingos and wild dogs. 

[Marisawright]

Maybe I've been in Australia too long, but it seems cruel to me to keep a dog inside.  Dogs are made to run and play!    I wouldn't chuck them out in the yard and close the door, though.  

I've only owned a dog once myself, but it did sleep in the garden in a shelter with blankets.  If I'd let her in overnight she'd probably have eaten the cushions.

[Gbye grey sky]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

Maybe I've been in Australia too long, but it seems cruel to me to keep a dog inside.  Dogs are made to run and play!    I wouldn't chuck them out in the yard and close the door, though.  

I've only owned a dog once myself, but it did sleep in the garden in a shelter with blankets.  If I'd let her in overnight she'd probably have eaten the cushions.

Our rescue Lab sleeps indoors.  Has a bed under the stairs but is free to roam downstairs and moves around in the night and sleeps in the living room and study too.  He is not permitted upstairs where the bedrooms are and never even attempts it.  It was obvious that he had spent his first 3 years living outside as his elbows are thoroughly worn from rough sleeping.

He has adapted well.  He goes out for a last pee before bed and I rise early in the morning and let him out again.  Sometimes he is keen to get out quick, other times slow to rouse himself.  Not judging anyone else, it is just what we do.  Our daughter would have had a fit if we had suggested that he live in the garden.

[VERYSTORMY]

Ours sleeps in our room. When we go to bed, he will climb in with us. Initially between us, then after ten minutes, makes his way to the wife's side of the bed which we call the Wu Wing (he is called Wu). Then after mum cuddle goes to his own bed which is next to ours, unless it is a very cold night and he will sleep with us. 

[Marisawright]

19 minutes ago, Gbye grey sky said:

Our rescue Lab sleeps indoors....It was obvious that he had spent his first 3 years living outside as his elbows are thoroughly worn from rough sleeping.

...Not judging anyone else, it is just what we do.  Our daughter would have had a fit if we had suggested that he live in the garden.

I don't approve of people who put the dog out overnight and don't provide a proper, comfy dog bed under shelter.  

I also think it's cruel to shut your dog out of the house when you're at home - they are pack animals, and naturally want to know where you are and keep you company.   However when I had my dog, I followed my neighbour's example:  we both kept our back doors open so the dogs could come and go.   Given the choice, they spent most of their time in the garden, just popping in now and then to check up on us.  Some dogs are more sooky and are going to follow you around all the time.

[Gbye grey sky]

26 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I don't approve of people who put the dog out overnight and don't provide a proper, comfy dog bed under shelter.  

I also think it's cruel to shut your dog out of the house when you're at home - they are pack animals, and naturally want to know where you are and keep you company.   However when I had my dog, I followed my neighbour's example:  we both kept our back doors open so the dogs could come and go.   Given the choice, they spent most of their time in the garden, just popping in now and then to check up on us.  Some dogs are more sooky and are going to follow you around all the time.

We do get quite a lot of cane toads in our yard which we despatch when we find them but OH is worried our dog would find them first if outside at night.  Probably an irrational concern.

We tend to keep our screen doors closed much of the time to keep flies out in the day and mozzies in the evening.  He likes to be where we are (well, me mostly) anyway whether inside or out and follows me around unless I go upstairs of course.

[s713]

Our dogs sleep on our bed, usually cuddling the Mrs. The thought of them being outside at night is horrible. When I go to bed, I just have to find some spare space to settle, wherever it is. I'm thinking of getting myself a dog basket.

[Toots]

We've had our rescue dog (Jack Russell x Staffie) for 3.5 years and he was approx 2 years old when we got him. He hadn't been house trained and had a couple of accidents – luckily on the tiles – but he learned quickly that he had to go outside for his ablutions. We leave the back door open for him so he comes and goes in and out of the house whenever he wants. He also gets good long walks every day on and off the lead. He has his own sofa in the sitting room which he sits on in the evenings and a cosy bed in the kitchen where he sleeps at night.  He has a hot water bottle under his blankets in the colder weather which he loves. My OH wasn't well last week so Harry the dog spent hours up on our bed keeping him company. Dogs are friends and companions. I could never leave a dog outside 24/7.

[Davo453]

We owned a farm in the South of WA and our dogs always slept outside, they preferred it especially on a warm night but they always spent the evenings in with us.

We were unusual though most farm dogs never go indoors.