Is your dog and inside or outside pet?

Discussion in Pets started by H.C. Heartland • Sep 23, 2014.

  1. H.C. Heartland

    H.C. HeartlandActive Member

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    Is your dog and inside or an outside pet. If so, why? We have a new puppy and it is going to be mostly an outside dog (for protection). However, while we don't mind a dog guarding his loved ones, we do not want him to be a risk and not like people. I have used this as an excuse to carry him like a baby and he is spending more and more time in The House and I just hate the thought of him being outside! All growing up we had outside dogs and then as I got older my family started having inside ones. Any opinions?
     
  2. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    Our dog was brought up mainly inside our house, but as he grew older, he decided that he much preferred the outdoor life style. So we put his bed on the veranda, where he used to sleep and hang out most of the time when we were at work. At the time, we lived in the country, and our dog was able to rest and play wherever he wanted in the garden. Eventually, his favoured spot was near the hen house, where he formed a special bond with one of the chooks.
     
  3. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    My dogs are inside but only because I live in an apartment. I guess it depends on the dog but if I had a house they most likely would be outside at least half the time anyway. I think a lot of times dogs are better to be outside because they want a den and a doghouse would be perfect for that. They also have a lot of room to run. I think as long as you have a good solid fence, they will be fine. The only issue is more chance of fleas/ticks but just bathe them regularly and maybe have a flea collar.
     
  4. LuckyGirl08

    LuckyGirl08Active Member

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    When my husbands dog was a puppy we kept him inside. As he grew older we put him outside with the other dogs. Sometimes, he sleeps in the house but he really likes being outside.
     
  5. Danyel72

    Danyel72Active Member

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    We have 2 dogs and 2 cats and they are all inside pets. I have found over the years that it is the safest way to keep your pets healthy and safe. I see so many animals that have been hit by cars and it's heartbreaking. We do take our dogs for long walks and of course they go outside on a leash many times during the day to go to the bathroom.
    Our cats have the choice if they want to go out on our enclosed back porch as well. Sometimes they like the feel of being outdoors. :)

    We love them and want them to be safe and with us for many years to come. :)
     
  6. beccagreen

    beccagreenActive Member

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    I have 3 guard dogs and they're all outside. They all sleep in my porch and they pretty much have everything that they need there. The only inside pet that I have is my cat which is a good thing because if my cat stays outside my dogs might tear him apart, they don't really get along that well.

    I live alone and the house I'm in is pretty big so I tend to leave my dogs outside every night to guard the house (and me) while I sleep but during the day I let them in for company.
     
  7. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    I'm very much against leaving dogs outside. They prefer to be around others, not chained up by themselves. That's a miserable life to live, if you are isolated like that and cannot even get free be around anyone else. Plus, they can just as easily guard your house from the inside too - of course they will bark and alert you if someone is trying to break in. In fact they are probably much safer inside the house, since a burglar could injure/kill them if they are outside. Dogs are not lawn ornaments, nor are they some sort of emotionless home security system, they're companions and friends and they have emotions too. Plus you are exposing them too all sorts of bugs by leaving them outside, not to mention stuff like Parvo virus which can kill them easily.

    I would encourage you to keep the dog indoors, it's better for their physical and mental health. They will still need to go out once in a while to walk and exercise of course, but that's just cruel leaving them outside all day, especially during severe weather. We have a lot of problems in our area, and I would assume elsewhere too, with dog owners leaving their pets out in dangerously cold weather as well as chained to a tree with no water when it's dangerously hot outside.

    Some dogs will enjoy being outside a lot and running around, which is normal, but always make sure they are welcome indoors too.

    Something else to keep in mind, if they are outside all day, and your dog attacks someone, you can be stuck with some astronomical bills. I've heard of cases where a dog attacked a kid, and the bills totaled over three hundred thousand dollars in reconstructive surgeries that the owner was held responsible for.
     
  8. etc

    etcActive Member

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    I do have a kid who is allergic to furr and dogs are now outside due to her. I don't mind having our dog inside though. The problem with dogs outside is that it barks every now an then whenever it sees anything movies from the bushes.
     
  9. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    That's true. I didn't think about the severe weather but I definitely think it's optimal to roam free outside instead of having a leash. You would just need to make sure the fence is secure and provides enough space. I would think that the best thing to do is have a doggy door. That way they can come and go as they please.
     
  10. sthrngypsy

    sthrngypsyActive Member

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    I would only ever have inside pets - not that they could not go outside, of course they would be welcome to, but their main home would be inside with me. My last puppy (who tragically died due to sago palm poisoning) was taken out to run for an hour twice a day, as well as numerous potty breaks, but the rest of the time he stayed in my room with me. He was very protective of me and would bark at anyone who came in my room, though guarding me was not his main function.
     
  11. pennylane

    pennylaneActive Member

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    My cat and dogs are all inside pets. I'm used to it and can't imagine it any other way. The dogs have a door where they can go outside in a fenced area if they wish. As long as keep the place tidy the hair doesn't get too bad.
     
  12. troutski

    troutskiWell-Known Member

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    Our dogs stay inside most of the time, even when we're not home, so they're inside dogs. Obviously, we take them out all the time and they love spending time outside, but you won't catch them out there unless someone's with them. They prefer being inside at night and in the early morning. That doesn't mean they'll pass on their daily walks, though. I'd rather be an active owner and keep my dogs as part of the family rather than sticking them outside to go mad from boredom in the backyard even when we're all home and free.
     
  13. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    Both. We don't restrict our pets inside or outside because of the weather changes here in the Philippines. One of our dogs, a poodle, really enjoys being inside the house and playing with us. However, we still let him out for his daily walks because we do not want him to become obese.
     
  14. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    My dog is most definitely an inside dog. I live in an apartment, so I couldn't have an outside dog if I wanted to. He's a small dog, and my apartment has enough space for him. I wish I had a yard or somewhere he could play and potty at, but as I don't he potties in the service area close to the laundry room and plays around the house.
     
  15. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    When we had a dog it stayed outside. The dog had very long hair that was all over the place which meant we were always cleaning up the hair. The dog was also large and got in the way all the time so there was no way I could have the dog stay in the house.
     
  16. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    We only had 1 dog that was kept inside the house. He was only a puppy that time, but when he got older he was put outside of our house to become a guard dog. Aside from him, all of our dogs were outside dogs. They are either inside a cage or they are let loose to roam in the yard.
     
  17. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    I live deep in the country so most people here always have a guard dog to scare off any small wild creatures that wander into their compounds. My huge guard dog never wants to get into the house because he has more fun outside pursuing whatever small animals make the mistake of stopping by. Whenever I get myself a puppy, for it's safety, I prefer to have it spend the nights inside the house. When it grows up and is able to take care of itself, then it will stay outside.
     
  18. Mayvin

    MayvinActive Member

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    That sounds so cute! He seems like he had a happy life. It's good that you were tuned into his wants of liking to be outside more than inside.
     
  19. Mayvin

    MayvinActive Member

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    The dogs I have are both inside dogs more for the fact that we live on a large property and the majority of it is not fenced in. A small part of the yard was fenced in for them but they didn't like being in there so they're inside dogs. I had a mother daughter pair of cats and the mom liked to be outside on the prowl (that's how we got the daughter cat lol) but the daughter liked to hang around the house.
     
  20. Thejamal

    ThejamalActive Member

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    Growing up, I lived on 10 acres, so my dog was mainly an outside pet. She had an absolute blast running around the property every day. But when she got older, her legs started to go, so we brought her inside and transitioned her to becoming an inside pet. What was nice was that she already knew that she was supposed to go to the bathroom outside, so we didn't have to go through the process of training her.