Indoors? Outdoors? When?

[Myles]

Max is a one year old healthy happy shepherd and with the warm weather coming up i was wondering if he should the majority of his time outside or inside? we have a medium sized fenced in yard. so i was wondering if i should have him out there during the day or at night or what? Thanks .

[onyx'girl]

My dogs are in the house when I am home, outside when I am outside and inside when no-one is home. I don't want anything happening to them outside when not supervised. Of course they want to be with me, or the family always, so I think they would not be comfortable if I left them out to their own devices when nobody was around. I only crate the youngest, the other two are free to roam the house when we are gone as they have proven they aren't destructive.
There have been recent reports of thefts, I know my two females would not take kindly to strangers coming near, but my male is a happy boy, an offered steak and he would probably be compliant to a stranger.

[Hunther's Dad]

I leave them out if I'm home, but when I leave they come inside. We have a few criminals and former criminals in the neighborhood, and at least one of them thought I was using them to check out his truck for drugs when I walk them. I don't need him trying anything stupid. My dogs aren't even dope dogs, but in the words of the Old Foghorn Leghorn cartoon character, "That boy is so dumb he probably thinks a pig pen is something to write with."

Plus, they all howl at fire engine sirens (not ambulance or police car sirens), and we live 1 mile away from the main fire station in town. The neighbors can't hear them through the walls.

[Hunther's Dad]

By the way, Max is a good looking boy, and welcome to the board!

[doggiedad]

i'm against leaving dogs outside
unattended.

if you do leave your dog outside
make sure he can't dig out from
under the fence or jump, climb
over the fence.

is he safe from being stolen???

[arycrest]

I let the Hooligans out a few times a day. A lot depends on the temperature. They usually go out about 7AM and if it's hot I make sure they come in by 10 or 11AM. Sometimes I join them, sit under the tree out front and read. I put them out about 3 for a quick potty. Then I let them back out for a while about 5 PM unless it's hot, then they go out about 7 or 8PM. At night I put them out about 11 or 12AM and let them stay out an hour or two as long as they don't bark - if they start to bark they have to come in.

[JKlatsky]

I will not leave my dogs outside when I am not at home unless they are in the padlocked kennel on my back porch, which is IN my locked, privacy fenced yard. And even then I'm not totally cool about it. Perhaps I am a little paranoid, but I've known people who have had their dogs stolen or poisoned, and there's really no good reason to NOT take precautions.

Tag spends part of his day when I am at work in a 5x10' kennel that is rubber matted and on concrete. He can't dig out, he can't jump over. The kennel is mostly under roof on my back porch completely non visible unless you are in my back yard (and to be in my back yard you'd have to jump the 6ft privacy fence), with a fan on for the heat.

We did this because he is a puppy, and I have to work 8hr days for a few more weeks until I am out for the summer. I wanted him to be able to move around and being in that big space helps not to interefere with his potty training. He's still accident free in the house! However, my 4 other older dogs spend their day in the house in the AC. This is preferable to me. In addition to the secure feeling of knowing they are home safe in their crates, to me they also stay cleaner and better smelling than dogs that stay outside. While I am home over the summer you can bet that Tag will spend most of his time inside with the rest of the family.

[kaiapup]

When I am home during the day, I let Kai decide where she wants to spend her time. I will let her out in the morning to do her business, and if she wants to come in, she will come to the door. Usually though, she goes and hangs out under the tree. I think, now that the weather is nice, she would rather be outside. Sometimes I catch her chasing flies, bees (eek!!), ladybugs and other flying critters around. I think she is way more entertained outside. But, when she wants to come in, I let her in.
At night, or when I am away, she is in the house. I have an acre fenced in yard, away from the street, and she doesn't dig, but I would feel a little nervous leaving her outside. And, I feel like a bad mom leaving my "kid" outside after dark.

[Lilie]

It depends on the dog. Hondo enjoys being out doors with our Golden. So normally when I am not home, Hondo is outside. We have a very large back yard, with two secured gates and I use hot wire on the top of the fence. When I'm home, Hondo wants to be inside, so he is in with us. He sleeps in a kennel next to our bed. When he was a puppy - he stayed in doors in his crate when I was gone. If we are going to have adverse weather conditions, he is crated in the house when I'm gone.

Our Golden can not tolerate being in doors, so he remains outside 24/7. My dach stays kenneled when I'm not home, and goes out for supervised potty breaks when I am home. Hondo thinks we brought her home as his personal squeaky toy, so they can't be left alone together.

[kiya]

Weather permitting my dogs are in the yard during the day. Bugs are too bad at night, they come in when I come home. My neighborhood is safe and I have a 6' chain link fence. The puppy is in the house till she's older.