Positive or negative, an outdoor dog house?
Dog houses evoke memories of big dogs that lived outside. When we grew up one of our close neighbors had a dog house in his side yard. Because he tied out his black Labrador retriever, that dog became a nuisance barker and a problem for us. Never did we have any quiet until the neighbor returned from his job and let the dog inside.
“All the goodness and the heroisms will rise up again, then be cut down again and rise up,” John Steinbeck wrote to a friend on the first day of 1941. “It isn’t that the evil thing wins — it never will — but that it doesn’t die.” BrainPickings
Why do dogs bark much more when outside?
Certainly, outside the house with raised noise levels, olfactory information, and moving objects raise most dogs’ excitement levels. Cars, basketballs, kids on bicycles, skateboarders, etc. go wooshing by. Dogs who have been tied out or penned in a backyard can’t often see these moving items, but surely, dogs can hear swift, sharp, and loud sounds out front. I do not know if the tendency to bark more has been documented by observations along all breeds, but I do know the neighbor’s Pomeranian barks nonstop each and everytime he gets to go outside. Certain breeds of dogs bark more. That has been studied and verified. Pomeranians and Cocker spaniels bark more than other breeds. Cocker spaniels have been observed to emit more barks per minute than others. Up to ninety barks per minute from a Cocker spaniel were recorded as reported by Stanely Coren.
“Cocker Spaniels can be yappy and need to be trained to stop barking on command.” from the Bondivet.com site, the page on dogs/cocker-spaniel.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t like to be a chained out dog. I would far rather be with my family. I have written about the danger and raised alarm dogs feel when forced to be outside and away from their families. You will find it at Don’t Chain Me: Dogs Deserve Better. Either inside or outside with other dogs or with people would be my choice. But how often do we give our dogs choices?
Do we give our dogs choices?
This is actually the subject of an entire book for dog lovers. I recommend it in my Books for Dog Lovers page. Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog -Ted Kerasote Website http://www.kerasote.com/ Ted Kersasote found himself and his dog in an area where his dog could safely come and go. So he left his door open and watched when his dog came and went. At first, his dog, Merle, went visiting other people and dogs in the area. Do to the area being mostly free of motor vehicle traffic, Kersasote’s dog enjoyed a rather large area to roam. Soon, Merle served as the unofficial mayor of that small county town. He made his rounds happily. He welcomed old friends and new.
So the question of whether a dog would rather be with you or off socializing in a dog park or other free-flowing social arena comes as a rarely asked question.
Do you offer your dog or dogs choices?
Please leave us a note below if you do.
When the sheep dogs were alive and I was still working, I had 3 dog houses of various sizes. They enjoyed being outside on chilly days and easily could seek shelter at any time. Too often I’d arrive home to find them ‘flocked’ in snow. As they got older I made sure they were able to stay indoors on cold days. Currently it’s a safe bet to unequivocally say the poodles are ‘indoor’ dogs though they enjoy a rousing walk in the snow. They seem to prefer life on the sofa to the dog house. Anyone need an extra igloo doghouse? {smile}
Thanks for your reply on dog houses. I, too, set up a dog house, only to find the dogs napping on the door mat. I know that cat lovers and feral cat caregivers like to have spare “houses” perhaps a local group would like your’s?
Dogs are pack animal & should be with their pack. That is not to say they don’t enjoy a little alone time but no dog likes being tied, chained or left outside in a dog house. It is cruel & can lead to aggressive behaviour,depression & other mental health issues.
Nose nudges,
CEO Olivia
Yes, kept away from people and other pets has led to dogs losing the social elements of trust, enthusiasm, empathy, etc. Without social companions dogs suffer mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Thanks for your comment and for blogging on positive and healthy canine care. 😀