What compels people to get a dog only to keep it isolated outside, away from the family?... They are animals born to be part of a social structure, a pack or a family, yet this is denied them. They spend their lives on the outside, looking in. The experts say many of these dogs will never really bond with owners who interact with them so little...When I was growing up, a small family dog (springer spaniel) was allowed indoors, but our larger dogs (retrievers, labs) had a doghouse in the garage with access to the outdoors. Nowadays I see large dogs routinely kept indoors by neighbors and relatives.
I have always had difficulty understanding why people want to keep dogs outside. If keeping a beautiful house and yard are of the utmost importance to you, then don't get a dog. If you know someone in your family can't abide a dog in the house, for whatever reason, then don't get a dog. If you can't let a dog be part of your family, then don't get a dog.
You don't get the benefits of companionship from a dog you see so little. You don't even get much in the way of protection from the pet who has no access to the house. And don't count on outdoor dogs as an early warning system. These animals often become such indiscriminate barkers that you couldn't tell from their sound whether the dogs are barking at a prowler or at a toddler riding a tricycle down the street. Besides, people who keep outdoor dogs seem to become quite good at ignoring the noise they make, as any angry neighbor can vouch.
Outdoor dogs often become a problem to their owners. Bored and lonely, these animals develop any number of bad habits. They dig craters in the yard. They bark endlessly day and night. They become chewers of outdoor furniture, sprinkler heads and siding. And sometimes, without the socialization all dogs need, they become aggressive, ready to bite anyone who comes into their territory.
If you're considering getting a puppy or dog with the intent of keeping him exclusively outside, please reconsider -- for the animal's sake as well as your own and your neighbors'.
Is it unkind to keep them outdoors?
You had dogs, plural. I think it IS a very lonely life for a dog left outside and with very little human interaction. Two or more dogs not so much.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we had dogs singular, serial. I agree they would have enjoyed a yard-mate. My wife and I keep cats (multiple) for the same reason.
DeleteAll the outside-only dogs I've met, with a very few breed-specific exceptions, are starved for attention. I don't understand why you'd even get a dog if you're not going to let it in the house to be with its humans. :(
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of the problem is that most people spend way more time in the house now than when you were a kid. I know a couple of happy dogs who spend the majority of their time outside, but they live with families who spend a lot of time in the yard.
I live in an extremely rural area and have a Pyr/Anatolian cross, and due to circumstances he is currently an only dog. (I would prefer to have at least two more due to our predator populations, 2 or more are less vulnerable to attack) He isn't starved for attention, but the LGD types are known for their aloof independent nature. He has his goats and chickens to guard, and seems quite content as an outdoor dog rather than an indoor companion animal.
DeleteEmily Yoffe in Slate had an article about how shelters choose owners, and for a lot of shelters, if you say on the application that you are planning on keeping the dog outside, they will not allow you to adopt. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/heavy_petting/2012/01/animal_rescue_want_to_adopt_a_dog_or_cat_prepare_for_an_inquisition_.html
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting opinion piece with some commentary on both sides. I live in an old neighborhood with a lot of dog people, and the outdoor dogs are insufferable. They bark constantly, at any stimulus.
i thought guard dogs were supposed to sleep outside.
ReplyDeleteWhen your "big dogs" were kept outside, they had each other, and I'm betting you spent a great deal of time outside, too. Keeping a single dog outside while the kids are playing video games inside is cruel...
ReplyDeleteWouldn't this also depend on how much time you and your family spend outside? I grew up with several dogs who were allowed inside, but really only to a certain secluded section of the house (they were consistently filthy from being outside 80% of the time). But we took them on extensive daily walks down to the river, and were often outside doing yard work. So despite never being part of our close indoor living quarters they all seemed extremely happy and included in the family structure. In fact, they never really were too excited to come inside the house, even during the winters when we weren't outside much at all.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the key is not where the dogs spend their time, but how much access they have to companionship. Even an indoor dog, who is left alone at home for most of the day, then ignored all evening, will be miserable and ill behaved.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with this. Dogs are by nature pack animals, and really do for the most part, need social interaction and engagement. That can be another dog, other animals, humans...but it needs to be present or the dog will not be mentally very healthy.
DeleteOutside city dogs vs outside farm dogs are two entirely separate beasts.
You two hit it on the nose... I lived in a semi-rural area and my neighbors always kept their dogs outside. They weren't contained in yards, so they were free to wander the outdoors and visit each other as they chose. Most people spent part of their days outside tending their gardens and doing yardwork. They were happy and healthy. In cases like that, keeping them inside would be the cruel option.
DeleteGiven the number of dogs developing diabetes and other very serious metabolic disorders it may also be unkind to keep them indoors.
ReplyDeleteLike everything the details count. If they sleep outdoors and get sufficient companionship they will be OK and if they sleep indoors and get sufficient exercise they will be OK.
I agree with the other commenters that the article makes certain assumptions, not least that there is only ONE dog, as opposed to a pair of dogs who can be companions for each other. I was raised on a farm, where outdoor-only dogs are pretty much universal.
ReplyDeleteRight now, my parents have the problem of the Last Dog, whose name is Guten. Sooner or later people may not wish to keep any more dogs, and then when the older dog dies, the other one has to be the last. And that is a problem. You do what you can to give that dog as much human companionship as your lifestyle permits, but it will feel lonely sometimes, and in Guten's case, periodically wander off to visit the dogs of neighbours.
[Note: OpenID commenting not working right now, though I get no error message. Trying with a different profile.]
I agree with those who say it's not too bad to keep a dog outside if there's more than one.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that wasn't mentioned, though, is that dogs that are in the yard all the time get teased by kids and lowlifes, and that can turn them vicious. I've seen kids pass by dogs in yards and throw stones at them, poke them with sticks, and bang on whatever fence is containing the dog.
A neighbor had a very nice dog who was left outdoors. They lived on the alley, and that dog got teased so much he became dangerous. When he got out and bit one of his tormentors, he was 'put down', or, in my opinion, murdered.
It's just not good to keep a dog by himself. It's not how they've evolved.
If you smoke the dog is better off outside than inside. And get two if you get any at all. They need the companionship unless you are home all day long.
ReplyDeleteThis is a silly article. It boils down to not owning a pet if you cannot give them the care, attention and training they need.
ReplyDeleteI think this must be slated towards urban and suburban dog owners. I grew up in a rural area of Northern California, and my family always had dogs, always outside only. None of our dogs ever tried to come inside - why would they want to? They have the whole world to play in outside. But I guess we were outside a lot too, as kids, so we probably kept them company.
ReplyDeleteAs a dog breeder and trainer I develop close relationships with my dogs, who are working stock dogs. for the most part I think people don't understand dogs or get the most out of them or their abilities. A lot of comments about having two outdoor dogs, but none relating how they still don't relate well or completely to their humans. They look to each other and there is no real guidance, so they never really reach their true potential. They become a miniature self-directed pack. For a one or two year old dog the rough equivalent of a couple of 7 to 14 year old children left to their own devices. I wouldn't do that with kids but people do it with dogs all the time and expect no problems. Then we wonder why the shelters are full and we kill hundreds of thousands of dogs and blame the dogs or the breed. There were some comments about dogs having outdoor 'freedom' as if that is some ideal. It isn't. Neighbors have dogs, cats, livestock, children...roads have cars, bicycles, all of these are an invitation for trouble, harm or death of the dog. About the only thing people are more irresponsible with than their children, are their dogs.
ReplyDelete@Clearcut, I nearly gave myself whiplash I was agreeing with you so hard. Well put!
ReplyDelete