When Does Puppy Go Outside?

[retrostyler]

My husband & I are very keen on getting an aussie shepherd pup early march but we are building our 1st home & not sure if our fencing will be done by the time we bring him/her home. At what age does puppy go outside on it's own?

[Tralee]

My husband & I are very keen on getting an aussie shepherd pup early march but we are building our 1st home & not sure if our fencing will be done by the time we bring him/her home. At what age does puppy go outside on it's own?

Dog needs access to outdoors for toilet training.

I think you need a temporary fence, or fenced area.

[dogfan]

If you plan to keep him/her outside during the day, you will need to keep her inside until the fencing is done. She obviously can't stay outside off lead with no fencing done. When she does need to go out, I suggest keeping her on a lead to toilet. She shouldn't go out too much anyway because she wouldn't of had all of her vaccinations yet.

[W Sibs]

Depends on the puppy.

Charlie never had an issue to stay outside by himself from a very young age. He is a confident little fella, that loves to explore. But, it took Emmy more time to go out and about by herself (or be on her own in general), but at 12 weeks, i will walk to the backyard with her and when she is distracted, I will quietly slip into the house without her knowing. When she realise I'm gone, she will run back inside again to make sure I'm still there. Gradually, she stayed outside longer and longer, and now is happy to go outside by herself.

ETA: Just want to add that my 2 have access to inside and outside 24/7. Doggie doors are awesome.

Edited January 11, 2011 by CW EW

[poodlefan]

In the case of my dogs.. never!!

My dogs have 24 hour access to my house and to a secure yard. If you want the pup to have unsupervised time outside, wait until your fences are done. You'll find toilet training a lot easier for a start.

[Miranda]

She shouldn't go out too much anyway because she wouldn't of had all of her vaccinations yet.

Rubbish, puppies need access to the outside from the very first day you bring them home, even more so if they're a large breed. Surely you're not suggesting that, apart from toilet breaks, a puppy should be confined to the house until it's 14 weeks old? Puppies need fresh air and sunshine and room to run and explore. Although I agree that puppies should be kept away from dog parks and unvaccinated dogs, not allowing them to leave the house during the peak socialisation period is setting the dog up for major problems in adulthood.

To the OP, please be aware that the majority of breeders won't sell a puppy to a home with an unfenced yard. Do you intend to keep the puppy outside on a permanent basis? If this is the case you will also find that some breeders are reluctant to sell to an outside only home.

[Dogsfevr]

Our pups have free access to the backyard from 6 weeks,they run half an acre & are smaller than a chihuahua at that age.

They are taught to use the doggy Door & would go mental without being outside for more than just a quick pee run.

I guess you need to weigh up have much EXTRA time you wish to put in by not having a fenced yard,it will be more work because your pup will be reliant on you for toilet/play & more than a 5 min quick go pee.

If the pup starts to destroy the house you will have to accept that unless you plan to keep it crated ???

Like Miranda said many wont sell unless you have a secure fence before hand & to be honest i would wait until you are able to have a pup at home safe & secure & able to do the things it needs.

Having the same breed as Miranda i would hate to bring a pup home not have it be able to run outside i think i would need a rubber room to survive ;)

I guess you need to ask your self even with the fence is the yard ready for a pup ??

[Gayle.]

Mine all went out on their own at different ages depending on their size/circumstances. Mine are all Aussies, all gotten as pups.

First one, Benson, came home when he was 10 weeks old. He was a big, solid puppy and right from the start, he got to be in the backyard while we were at work. He coped just fine, he had shade, shelter, water and toys. And secure fences.

Puppy 2 was Dusty, she was 8 weeks old when we got her and she was tiny. I had 2 weeks off work to settle her in, and we built a puppy run for her so she could stay in there during the day and not be accidentally injured by the much, much bigger Benson (he was about 1 year old).

She got put in there at 10 weeks when I had to go back to work. She had a kennel, shade, water, toys and Benson for company although there was a fence between them.

Puppy 3 was Isaak, he came here at 8 weeks, but by then we'd moved to a small rural property (with secure fencing). He stayed in the house on his own until he was about 4 months old. I was a bit worried the older dogs would be too rough with him, and we could easily block off a big tiled area for him to stay in during the day.

Aussie puppies are generally robust and adaptable. Puppy will cope fine with shelter, shade, water, toys, a comfy bed and some toys. But your fences will need to be secure, they are smart little buggers and WILL find a way out if there is one.

ETA, Aussie pups need loads of socialisation right from the day you get them, so take him out, take him everywhere you can and get him meeting friends, strangers and other dogs. The breeder I got Benson from said there's a much higher risk of an unsocialised Aussie being PTS or dumped later on because of bad behaviour than there will ever be of catching a disease through not having had all their vaccinations.

Edited January 11, 2011 by GayleK

[dogfan]

She shouldn't go out too much anyway because she wouldn't of had all of her vaccinations yet.

Rubbish, puppies need access to the outside from the very first day you bring them home, even more so if they're a large breed. Surely you're not suggesting that, apart from toilet breaks, a puppy should be confined to the house until it's 14 weeks old? Puppies need fresh air and sunshine and room to run and explore. Although I agree that puppies should be kept away from dog parks and unvaccinated dogs, not allowing them to leave the house during the peak socialisation period is setting the dog up for major problems in adulthood.

I'm sorry this is what I meant (the bolded part), I do agree that puppies should be outside in the backyard, not "out" and about eg. dog parks.

Edited January 11, 2011 by dogfan

[retrostyler]

Thanks for all you replies. My husband does not work so I know he will spend a lot of time with the pup so it won't be unsupervised outside. It will have to get used to boundary fences anyway as we are on property however the part he will be housed will be a dog proof fence.