Outside Puppy

[sluggo]

We plan to bring a puppy home in late spring when the weather starts to warm up, and have some questions regarding leaving the puppy outside.

The plan is to have an outside dog, so the first question is, do we let the puppy sleep outside from the first night we bring him home or should we put him somewhere a little more secure like a locked laundry? If we house him in the laundry to start with, will it be more difficult to transition him outside later?

If we put him outside from day one, should we leave his crate unlocked overnight so he can do his business or will he wander all over the yard and not be able to find his way back? He will gets lots of attention and play from the family during the day, but will be on his own overnight.

[mrs tornsocks]

We plan to bring a puppy home in late spring when the weather starts to warm up, and have some questions regarding leaving the puppy outside.

The plan is to have an outside dog, so the first question is, do we let the puppy sleep outside from the first night we bring him home or should we put him somewhere a little more secure like a locked laundry? If we house him in the laundry to start with, will it be more difficult to transition him outside later?

If we put him outside from day one, should we leave his crate unlocked overnight so he can do his business or will he wander all over the yard and not be able to find his way back? He will gets lots of attention and play from the family during the day, but will be on his own overnight.

Do you plan to have him inside the house at all or will that be a no-go zone ?

IMO you should have him sleep in a laundry or similar in the crate for the first little while, perhaps even closer to you initially to ease him into it. Assuming he's 8 weeks when he comes to you, he's very young and will need some transition time to get used to being away from mum and littermates, being outside in the crate at night is probably an additional stress to avoid in the first weeks. During the day you can play etc. with him outside but also make sure he gets time out there alone so he gets used to that. Build up his time outside from when he's young - 5, 10, 30 minutes and over a few weeks, up to a an hour, 2, 3, 4 hours. Even when you're home.

The idea of the crate when it comes to toilet training is that he's locked in there and learns to hold his wees & poos for as long as possible; he should let you know when he needs to get out. If he's outside with the crate door open it could be harder for him to catch onto the idea that he should be toileting where you prefer him to. Even if he's outside 24/7 eventually, you want to know that he's still toilet trained.

[persephone]

Hi- what breed is your puppy?If you are buying a smaller breed , bred to be companions- they may not do too well outdoors all the time...

Is there a specific reason you want puppy to be outside all the time???

(A puppy/dog is as clean and well behaved as its owners make it )

Why not build/buy a decent kennel and run.. so pup can be outside and SAFE, plus warm and feeling secure? That way , too- if there are times you need to keep pup confined, everything is there ready!

[sluggo]

Sorry, i should have given more info...

We are looking at a Staffy, and due to the small size of our house and the number of occupants, there is simply no room for anymore. In addition, we have 3 daughters under 5yo, so i'd prefer the dog to be outside. He will be allowed to wonder inside on occasions, but predominately outside. We have a dry covered pergola out the back where a crate/kennel will be setup with appropriate bedding etc.

My first thought was to house him in the laundry for the first month or so for the reasons you state, but at some point he will have to move to the pergola, so i want to make that transition as smoothly as possible.

[Guest Pandii]

I am not sure where you live but its bloody cold outside atm, especially for an 8 week old pup.

We too have a small house and there are 5 children here too, dogs can be trained to behave inside and to sleep inside is no problems, they take up little room, we have slept 3 rottiweilers inside no problems

[poodlefan]

Laundries are heat sinks.. they sap heat. Baby puppies don't have a lot of ability to regulate their body temperature so its not a good combination.

An outside dog needs something warmer than a crate. You'll need a purpose built kennel.

You'll not successfully train a baby puppy not to eliminate in the house unless you do it intensively and consistently. That means regular access inside and total vigilence when that occurs.

Most Staffy owners will tell you a Staffy won't do well separated from its family and left to sleep outside. They have a lot of people focus.

An outside pup who only sees your children when they go into the back yard will be excitable, jumpy and nippy. If you cant' supervise those interactions, they may not go well. You will need some capacity to keep the pup away from the children while they play outside and you can't supervise.

Edited July 8, 2009 by poodlefan

[mrs tornsocks]

I am not sure where you live but its bloody cold outside atm, especially for an 8 week old pup.

We too have a small house and there are 5 children here too, dogs can be trained to behave inside and to sleep inside is no problems, they take up little room, we have slept 3 rottiweilers inside no problems

OP's pup is coming in spring

[Guest Pandii]

I did read that, but spring here can still be 2 degrees at night.

Staffys like their humans, they will want to be inside with you

[sluggo]

An outside dog needs something warmer than a crate. You'll need a purpose built kennel.

Obviously we wouldn't just throw a crate under the pergola with nothing else... It will be raised off the floor to avoid drafts, fully covered during the cooler months etc.

Growing up, all my dogs were kept outside... it's just a personal choice. I know they can be kept clean etc, but i still want him outside. I want my children to grow up with dogs... he will be walked with the kids too and from school, played with during the day and after school.. so there is no shortage of interaction.

[poodlefan]

An outside dog needs something warmer than a crate. You'll need a purpose built kennel.

Obviously we wouldn't just throw a crate under the pergola with nothing else... It will be raised off the floor to avoid drafts, fully covered during the cooler months etc.

I would argue that no matter how you set a crate up, it will not be sufficiently insulated to provide a comfortable year round den. Buy a decent kennel. If you build a run and put the kennel in it, you solve both the "initial sleeping arrangement" issue and how to contain the pup when the kids want to play.

Prepare your neighbour for some initial noise while pup adjusts to sleeping alone outside. I doubt that will happen without some complaint.

[WreckitWhippet]

Staffords are very human orientated, they are NOT the breed to purchase if you want a dog that lives outside in the back yard.

Staffords denied companionship ( and I include living in the yard full time as that ) quickly become bored, lonely and begin to exhibit unwanted behaviours. This includes barking, digging, fence fighting, mass destruction of your yard and garden and once they work out how to get out of your yard, you can add serial escape artist to the list.

It's not fair on a Stafford to live in a back yard. They like to be indoors with their family at night and to be involved in whatever activities you do during the day.

They are also far easier to train and set your expectations when it comes to the children, if they are in the home and interacting with them from an early age. Having them around the kids inside the home, reduces the excitement that the puppy gets when seeing the children, there will be less jumping, biting and rough play from your pup if it spends time inside with them.

Staffords are very smart and can be quickly house trained, crate trained or taught to lay on their own mat or in their own degignated area.

[Incavale]

Get a cat not a dog

[Ellie1]

Get a cat not a dog

I agree you cannot get a dog and not let it inside at all, it wont feel at all part of the family. I wouldnt make my cat sleep outside either...

[Teebs]

Get a cat not a dog

why would you suggest one animal over another? Cats need just as much love and attention as a dog does... my Kitten needs more attention that my Staffy needs. I would also not suggest letting a cat outside.

OP. I grew up with outside dogs, a staffy and a cattle dog, my SIL also has a staffy that is outside during the day, but sleeps inside (in the kitchen) at night, unless it is warmish (dog rather be outside)

all dogs are find and coped well, BUT they had a LOT of attention, we were a family that spent 99% of our time outside, summer or winter, all dogs had/have fantastic kennel set ups that keep then nice and warm. Staffys seem to feel the cold a lot too.

It is your choice to keep the dog outside, but nothing beats having a dog in the house as part of the family Staffys are the best kids dogs. My niece sneaks her staffy up to bed most nights, only to have her mum come in yelling to take him back downstairs. the dog just lays under her covers and pretends he isnt there

[GotAnyBlacker]

PPS and Teebs know what they are talking about

Is there any reason you can't at least let your dog sleep in the laundry even when it is grown? Staffords really feel the cold and are total sooks so especially during winter they should at least sleep in the laundry.

Whenever I bring home baby puppies I set up their crates in the lounge room with a blanket over them and a nice snuggly bed on one half, but also the other half covered in newspaper to make accidents easier to clean up. You can also attach a puppy pen to the crate so the pup has a little space for exercise during the day but you can close the crate door at night time and you're not supervising.

My girls sleep in their own beds in our bedroom and are really well behaved inside as I have taught them what is and isnt appropriate behaviour.

Edited July 8, 2009 by GotAnyBlacker

[Jetty]

I definately understand when you prefer an outside dog even to sleep outside at night thats how my family have always had there dogs. I now have my own puppy who I orginally wanted to sleep outside. So i did what you have mentioned and had him in the laundry in his bed for the first month or so then I moved him outside into a bed. (Living in sunny queensland there isnt much of an issue with the weather) We also at home have a household full of seven people so there is not alot of room for anyone else.

Now recently he had an injury and I was told to sleep him in the crate. So since then he has stayed in his crate at night and now I prefer it to be that way, he does not make a mess, he can sleep through the night without needing a toilet break and he now even goes into the crate on his own without me putting him in there (originally he would whinge etc but not anymore)

Its down to personal choice and you try what you think is what you would like to do and see how it suits the puppy all puppies have there own personalities. In regards to him wondering off, it depends on the size of your back yard, fencing etc. If it is a rather basic medium sized yard he will have no problem finding his way back to bed.

[sluggo]

Is there any reason you can't at least let your dog sleep in the laundry even when it is grown?

That is our other option, i guess i could put a doggy door on the laundry. I have seen insulated kennels, so this is probably the way we'll go.

People are so quick to jump down one's throat at the suggestion of leaving a dog outside. It's a personal choice and should be respected accordingly. If i didn't care about the welfare of dogs, i would have bought home a pup in the middle of winter and just thrown him in the backyard. On the contrary, i am doing a lot of reading and research in preparation of bringing a pup into our family, and fitting him into our lifestyle. We, as a family don't want animals inside the house (including cats), but very much want a dog as part of our lives. All our previous dogs were rescued from shelters, so i think our hearts are in the right place.

I would appreciate comments/suggestions from like minded owners who keep their dogs outside.

[sluggo]

I definately understand when you prefer an outside dog even to sleep outside at night thats how my family have always had there dogs. I now have my own puppy who I orginally wanted to sleep outside. So i did what you have mentioned and had him in the laundry in his bed for the first month or so then I moved him outside into a bed. (Living in sunny queensland there isnt much of an issue with the weather) We also at home have a household full of seven people so there is not alot of room for anyone else.

Now recently he had an injury and I was told to sleep him in the crate. So since then he has stayed in his crate at night and now I prefer it to be that way, he does not make a mess, he can sleep through the night without needing a toilet break and he now even goes into the crate on his own without me putting him in there (originally he would whinge etc but not anymore)

Its down to personal choice and you try what you think is what you would like to do and see how it suits the puppy all puppies have there own personalities. In regards to him wondering off, it depends on the size of your back yard, fencing etc. If it is a rather basic medium sized yard he will have no problem finding his way back to bed.

Thanks for a non-judgmental and informative reply, much appreciated.

[GotAnyBlacker]

I wasnt intending on being judgemental, I was trying to be informative.

Most people won't have a problem with your dog sleeping outside or being an outside dog if it is your preference, but the breed you have chosen is not an breed best suited to being an outside dog.

When posting on an open forum you can't expect all responses to be exactly what you are after and you can't stop people posting their own personal opinion on topics, but you can choose to listen or not to listen of course.

[Sandra777]

We are looking at a Staffy, and due to the small size of our house and the number of occupants, there is simply no room for anymore. In addition, we have 3 daughters under 5yo, so i'd prefer the dog to be outside. He will be allowed to wonder inside on occasions, but predominately outside. We have a dry covered pergola out the back where a crate/kennel will be setup with appropriate bedding etc.

My first thought was to house him in the laundry for the first month or so for the reasons you state, but at some point he will have to move to the pergola, so i want to make that transition as smoothly as possible.

Personally I would never sell a Stafford puppy to be an outside or kennel dog.

I would urge you to reconsider the idea of buying a Staffordshire Bull Terrier (if this is what you mean by "staffy") if you are not going to allow it to be part of your family. Staffords are utterly miserable if separated from their people - and if they are raised separate from their people you will never see the true nature of the breed you have chosen. I find it very difficult to believe that you don't have room in your house for a 2.5 foot square dog bed - a Stafford doesn't need any more room than that to sleep.