Keeping a pup in an outdoor kennel?

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:20 pm

I have a question for those of you that keep their dogs outdoors majority of time.

We have a new pup on the way and this pup will be an outdoors dog but with permission to come into the house to limited areas and she'll be kept out in the kennel at night, periodically throughout the day, and when we aren't home.

For those of you that keep your dogs outdoors majority of the time how have you introduced your new pups to this situation. Do you bring the pup home and start her right into the outdoor kennel both day and night, or do you start her out in the kennel during the day and bring her in and keep her crated at night, or do you keep her mainly indoors in a crate and slowly ween her to the kennel over time?

Keep in mind I'm only talking about the times when the pup needs to be locked up/crated/kenneled and not play time etc.

Dude · Post by **Dude** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:27 am

My 5 month old Setter pup stays in the kennel outside while I am away at work and comes inside when I get home. She spends the night in a crate inside though. My thought is if you want the dog house broken it needs to spend time in the house. I also want a family dog as well so she spends as much time inside that she can. Introduction to the kennel was: dog, kennel; kennel, dog. She stayed in there the first day while I was at work. She whined a little I was told but she had a doghouse, water, and shade. She's fine now, although she will whine some if I am outside working and she is in the kennel and can't be with me.

With the crate inside you have to take into account a pups bladder. As they get older they can spend more time in the crate. The first few weeks I got up a couple of times during the night to let her out. Now she goes out right before bed (10:30ish) and can make untill I get up around 5 in the morning. During the early stages of the crate and even now some I will not respond to whimpering in the crate. You soon come to learn your dog though, I think I can tell the difference in a 'I don't want to be in the crate' whimper and a 'I need to go to the bathroom' whimper. I think that my dog truly loves her crate. She lays in there all the time and it is her safe place from my young son. She knows when its bed time and if she isn't already in the crate all I have to do is point most of the time and shes in there waiting on her biscuit.

I am soon to be pouring concrete or using pavers for my kennel floor though. I am tired of muddy paws all the time. I clean it out everyday and keep lots of water available and feed twice a day. I feel like mine is growing into her role as a member of the family and am very fond of her. Now if I could just get her into some wild birds I wouldn't have a single complaint. Sorry for the long post. I got to the office early.

Dude

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:44 am

I'm curious if there is anyone who takes their puppy home and puts her in the kennel for her first night and from then on out. How did she do?

Post by **ezzy333** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:10 pm

That is where I normally put them till they get used to being alone. Think they feel more comfortable with other dogs nearby and if they cry I don't have to listen to it.

Ezzy

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:12 pm

Sounds like you have other dogs in the kennel as well. If you didn't have any other dogs in there would you still put your pup in there right off the bat?

Post by **ezzy333** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:28 pm

Yep, if that is where you are going to keep it. I don't think it is really important where the pup is as long as you spend plenty of time with it and get it out to investigate the big world it is going to work in the rest of it's life.

Ezzy

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:09 pm

Thanks Ezzy.

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:52 pm

Ya know.....I'm actually really surprised there weren't a lot more opinions on this subject. Must not be that many who keep their dogs outdoors.

If I was single I'm sure I'd keep my dogs indoors all of the time but my wife isn't keen on the idea of having a dog inside all of the time.

griffgirl · Post by **griffgirl** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:30 am

Ours is in his kennel during the day inside when we are not home.I dont think I could bring a puppy home for the first time and put it in a kennel outside.There just babies and need to feel safe in there new home.

Why are you asking the question?Is the only reason you want to keep him outside is because of the wife?If its because of the wife then I will keep my comments to myself.

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:47 am

Yes that is the main reason.

She is ok with me bringing the pup inside a little every now and then and she doesn't mind her sleeping in the crate inside. I just know that as the puppy gets bigger she'll be relegated to sleep outdoors in the kennel and I'm curious if I'm better off just to get her used to those sleeping conditions right off the bat.

Will · Post by **Will** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:10 am

Teewinot - I'm in the same position as you. We'll be bringing home our new GSP pup in a few months and I figured all along the wife would expect it to be kenneled from the get go. We are not home during the day enough to effectively potty train a puppy so I kind of expected to kennel it also. But, the other day, she mentions how we should bring the puppy in when one of us gets home (anywhere between 3pm and 5pm) and let it sleep in its crate in the house, then return it to the kennel in the morning when we leave. This was my underlying plan all along.

I think this may be the best of both worlds for us. The pup will benefit from the socialization of being indoors with the family, including a house dog, it will be house broken, and it will understand that sometimes it will have to be kenneled. The exposure to the different situations provides training opportunities such as teaching the "kennel" command, etc etc.

Good luck!!

Stump · Post by **Stump** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:17 am

Ive had several labs and they all were in the house from the get go. I kept them in a laundry basket next to my bed for a few weeks and I always kept my hand in there. they would snuggle up to my hand. I have always had a tight bond with them and they would do anything for me. Now Im waiting for my GSP/GWP to get here and I'll be doing the same. My wife is cheap all id have to do is tell her how much a kennel would cost to build and that pup would be sleeping between us. LOL don't get me wrong our back yard is fenced but I have no kennel persay.

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:07 am

Stump -- Are you gettin both a GSP and a GWP? Who are you getting them from?

As far as the kennel goes I've always kept my dogs in the kennel the majority of time and I've also always had a very tight bond with them. I spend a lot of time with them and keep them well exercised which I think makes a big difference.

Thanks for your comments. Good luck with your new pups.

gr_elliott · Post by **gr_elliott** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:34 am

my wife never had a dog growing up, and to this day is not real comfortable around dogs. The minute she laid eyes on that little 8 week old puppy I could not get it out of her lap. it was love at first sight for her.

Here we are a year later, the dog stays outside in the kennel during the day, and my wife will not let him stay out there over night. he has to come in to sleep in the crate in our room....moral of the story is, she will come around, puppies can work magic on just about anyone.

DGFavor · Post by **DGFavor** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:40 am

I brought my new little dude home a couple days ago. I've got 3 5'x10' Prieffert kennels in the 3rd bay of my garage with a Kuranda bed in each. I've got radiant heat lamps hanging in the two end kennels each aimed towards the middle and keeps it pretty warm in there. I have hardly heard a peep out of the little guy when he's out there and usually find him curled up on his bed. Of course he's got 3 other dogs out there with him and I suspect it would be a different story if he was all alone...probably some serious howling going on!! I've been having him and one of the other dogs in the house in the evening to hang out with me but he's in the kennels all day while I'm at work. So far no problems and his kennel mates have all survived the same regimen!

As far as in the house, he's gettin up the stairs good now but still not sure about the coming down part. Yours was going up and down 'em last week...seems like the girls were all a little quicker for stuff like that. So far his "kills" are two socks and the corner of a throw pillow - I gotta pay better attention.

Teewinot · Post by **Teewinot** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:46 pm

Yea...it's always those "kills" that test my wife's patience the most. That's why we already bought some of that bitter apple to minimize the amount of kids shoes lost and pillows, etc. I'm really looking forward to come and pick up my new little girl. My wife and boys are really excited as well. In fact we're probably going to be picking it up on my little boy's birthday this week and he can't contain himself. Today at school for show and tell he took a picture of her to show off to everyone. He told them she's his new hunting dog and he's going to help dad train her. My little boy will be 4 this week.

gr_elliot -- I think you're right that my wife will probably give in a lot when the pup arrives. She's more than open to letting the pup sleep inside and be inside a little bit but once the pup becomes a full size dog she's not too thrilled about it having free roam of the house. More than anything she doesn't want the house to have hair all over and to smell like animals. We'll most likely do like we did with our labs. They could come in the house but they had to stay on their pillows while we watched TV and hung out in the house. In fact, talking about pups melting wife's hearts, we were at a fundraising banquet and they had some little Visla pups and my wife just about had to take one home even though she already thought two dogs was too much. We'll see how it goes.

rahauge · Post by **rahauge** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:04 am

I really appreciate this post, I'm getting a lab in about one month, and am planning to build an outdoor kennel for it to be in while we are gone and he will be in the house the rest of th time. How do you begin with the process of getting them used to thier kennel? I can be with it for the first week because I don't have to work so that isn't an issue as much, but after that it will spend the day in there while we are at work, will it be difficult to get the little guy used to the kennel if I don't have hime spend any time in there when it does become time to go back to work?

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:42 am

I didn't realize that people kept dogs outside. I like mine inside right away so they can decide which side of the bed is theirs.

Wagonmaster · Post by **Wagonmaster** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:54 am

That part was easy. Mine both decided that my side of the bed was theirs.

Don · Post by **Don** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:00 am

Otis like's the whole thing weather the bed or the couch. Funny story, a while back a lady friend spent the night. I woke up about 3am and she was gone. Otis came in and pushed her out of bed and I found her on the couch!

She was wrapped up in his couch blanket!

Nice couch huh?

Post by **pear** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:24 am

Don, your ol'buddy Otis is trying to tell you something...... Maybe you better listen to what he's say'n.... "pear"

Don · Post by **Don** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:31 am

Actually I did. That lady lived with me for awhile and hated my dog's in the house. She live's in Bend now!

gdog · Post by **gdog** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:39 am

I got it easy...

"Our" first hunting dog was a lab. I went out and bought a 12x6 kennel, poured a concrete slab, built an insulated dog house and put a water spicket next to the kennel. Obviously this was going to be a tough outside hunting machine.....

Wrong...

Wife got one look at puppy and it spent maybe a few hrs in the kennel total in its lifetime.

Our 1 yr old pudelpointer has it's own pillow now. Thought about getting another one, but I'm afraid I'll end up sleeping on the couch....

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:56 pm

AND DON'T FORGET THE COVERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GROUSE CAMP AND THE OL' GUY LAST FALL.