Mastiff's outside

[JLeighL]

Does anyone keep their mastiff outside?! I adopted my big man 3 years ago and have kept him in a outside pen since, which is on concrete with a roof and fan and all! He loves the outdoors and much of the time when he is inside (extreme heat/extreme cold days) he sits at the door and whines to go back out. I know people say its terrible to keep them outside but he doesnt seem to mind. He is walked every morning and then as soon as i get home from work, i immediately take him out again for about 2 hours. Just wondering peoples outlook on this bc having him outside is not the worst thing. Also, the boyfriend and i differ on how i think he should be taken care of. If it was up to me i would def keep him in, but he doesn't think that its necessary. He says that he sheds alot and is scared that he will have an accident while we are at work. He is house trained though. =( but all in all he lives a happy life!

 

[northernmastiff]

I don't. All my dogs are inside but it sounds like you give him plenty of attention so it is not like he is alone outside 24/7. There are many cons to keeping them outside but some breeds do better outside while others do not. I grew up with outdoor dogs (large dogs) and indoor dogs (small dogs) and one of the best dogs we ever owned was an outdoor dog but he was a stray we rescued from the shelter so he spent a lot of his time outside before us.

I don't think Daisy would thrive outside. She is too spoiled. I rescued a German Shepherd when I had first moved out on my own and she had spent her entire life outside. My idea was to keep her outside in the backyard but I brought her home, looked in her sad, geriatric eyes and brought her inside. Never had a problem with accidents and since then, I have never kept an outdoor dog. Not sure if this was helpful. Probably not. LOL.

 

[Smart_Family]

I'm not a fan of dog's being kept outside and we would never adopt a dog to someone who was planning on keeping them outside at work either. Without being rude can I ask why you got a mastiff or a dog even if you didn't want to deal with accidents in the house or shedding? I'm just genuinely curious.

 

[JLeighL]

Well i adopted him bc i feel in love with the breed. When i saw that he needed a home i could not pass it up! At first i was going to keep him in but at that time our in-laws were remodeling their house and staying us for a few months and mother in law is very allergic to dogs. So i set him up outside and since then he has enjoyed it out here. I give him plenty of attention and he does still come in on occasion. But he is quick to want to go out the door as soon as its opened. Im not concerned about accidents bc he has only had 1 in the house since ive had him. I keep him inside during the winter alot when i'm home bc i dont want him to be cold, but my vet assured me that in Louisiana, it rarely gets cold enough for him to shiver. Just wanted to wanted to know peoples thoughts about this. The boyfriend and i have argued lately bc i want to start keeping him in bc i have a busy work schedule and i dont get home until around 7-8pm and i feel like i dont get the quality time with my dog anymore. I still wake up early and walk him in the mornings and play with him. He is scheduled to have his L eye removed in the next few weeks and its already been said that no matter what, he is staying inside until completely healed! =) just was wondering if anyone else had argued with their spouse about keeping a dog in...

 

[Kelly]

I wouldn't get an outisde dog, what's the point of having a companion if you keep them outside? My favorite thing is to snuggle with them on the sofa at night.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

People frown at outside dogs they think if a dog is not in the home on the sofa its abuse but honestly it depends on the dog. Some dogs like and prefer being outside, others don't. My boys for example don't care too much for the outdoors they do their business and come back in. However before them my previous dogs LOVED the outdoors, the only time they came in was when it was "extreme" heat or cold. You'd tell them to come in the house and they would just lay there and look at you, or run off in the grass, LOL. That was a pain trying to get them in when it started raining.

My friend with the farm also has a few outdoor dogs both hounds ( most likely hunters hounds) they have the freedom to roam the 30 acre property day or night, they do just fine. I'm not advertisng the let your dog roam LOL, but I'm just saying most farms do have outdoor dogs. I know a lady that does rescue who keeps a few dogs outdoors on her property.

As long as you have adequate shelter, food, water, mental stimulation, and attention. I see no reason why a dog can't be outdoors. However that's just my opinion though.....

 

[JLeighL]

I agree. I have a large yard and he's never roaming around the yard without my supervision. He is constantly watched and walked and loved on and played with. As i said before, i would def have him live inside with me. He doesn't cause any prob and isn't allowed on the furniture when he does come in and he obeys very well. However, my boyfriend doesn't think he needs to be in so thats the only argument lol. He does adore the outdoors, otherwise i would bring him in no matter what anyone says!

 

[Smart_Family]

Well I hope he at least is on heartworm preventative every month as well as flea and tick preventative. Your boyfriend and I would not get along haha.

 

[JLeighL]

lol. i get his point though. I'm just a dog lover and would let him sleep in the bed with me if i could. and yes he is very well taken care of and gets vaccines every 6 months along with monthly flea/tick preventative. he's very spoiled. if i ever felt that i could not take care of him outside efficiently, i would def do something about it.

 

[chicano]

Totally agree with you how folks believe an outside dog is abused, as long as you don't keep him tied up and he has plenty of space to run a dog is as happy outside as being inside.

 

[Marrowshard]

The husband and I argued a lot over that kind of thing before we agreed to adopt. He'd always had "farm dogs": outside all the time, no vaccines or heartworm pills or flea/tick stuff and they had to take shelter in the barn with the cows if the weather was bad. They ate whatever they could catch and whatever cheapo crap food was available. I grew up with parents who didn't really like dogs but nevertheless felt that a companion and pet was better off safe with its family indoors; especially since the neighbor's loose dogs terrorized the local wildlife, crapped all over our yard, and dragged roadkill all over the place.
Hubby didn't want a dog indoors at all, but we live in Wisconsin and I put my foot down about leaving an animal outside in -30F winters and 100F summers. We ended up compromising thusly: the dog has a kennel. He sleeps there (occasionally he's granted a night left out, when he sleeps on his doggy bed). We have one "good" couch for humans and one "grubby" couch that's dog-friendly. Oscar is not allowed in the master bedroom; we've got two cats and that's their sanctuary should they need it. Other than that, Oscar gets regular walks, rough-housing, training sessions, toy-chasing rounds, and hide-and-seek - all outdoors.
If the dog enjoys being outside most and doesn't lack for socialization or time with his pack, then so be it. Up here it's impractical for a short-coat dog and besides ... some of my best evenings are curled up with a book and the dog and the cats (and the hubby, if he can fit) on the couch.

~Marrow

 

[JLeighL]

I agree. I would love to come home on a cold evening and sit with my Charlie on the couch and snuggle up to a movie, but however, i dont see this happening. The only thing that i have argued more about lately is that we have recently adopted a lab mix who is now 12 weeks and she is allowed to stay in and on the couch and on the bed and all. Well this didn't go well bc if one is inside, then so is the other right?! But we still bicker about it alot. We have come to terms with it where i have "somewhat" settled on. We have an extra room in our home that our freezer and hunting stuff goes in, if we make this the "dogs" room then they can stay in and whenever we will be gone for more than 8 hours, we will put them in their "LARGE" pens outside just in case. He has even said he doesn't care if they tear up that room, he will just fix it! so we will see! lol. i'm working on him day by day!

 

[chuckorlando]

I aint got a problem with it. My dogs all live inside, but their animals so I dont think outside would hurt them a bit. Hell most breeders keep their dogs outside. And if you walk the dog, I dont see why they need a ton of room to run all day. They aint running laps in the kitchen. Once apon a time in door dogs was un heard of.

Now I may take exception to how some go about it

 

[Confused68]

My dogs would never have it, they go out and potty might play for a few minutes then they want back in and will sit and bark at the slider until I let them in. Viking has his own love seat in the livingroom, they also have a crate next to the couch that we leave open in the event they want to chill out there. We just started letting them stay out in the house while we're at work and they are doing great- remember he ate our couch when we first got him so we had no choice but to crate. We have a dog run on the side of our house with a nice dog house and shade and occasionally they will stay in their for a few hours but neither of them really like being away from us for very long.

 

[DDBsR4Me]

I've only had one dog "live" outside, and that was a GSD that I rescued that had been kept outside for the first 2 years of his life. Didn't have any issues housebreaking him and mainly kept him inside, but he preferred to be outside as much as possible. We had a doggy door so he could go in/out as he wanted and a lot of times we had to make him come in, even in severe weather.

Other than that, I've never kept a dog outside. I didn't grow up that way, and IMO dogs are family members that need to be indoors with their people. I never could understand people that got a dog and then abandoned it to the backyard (I'm not saying that is your case - it sounds like you take good care of your boy). That's just my personal opinion and I know I wouldn't get along with your bf either. It's just a difference of opinion, not saying mine is right or yours is right.

I know my boy would die if he was kept outside, he does NOT tolerate heat at all and a fan just wouldn't cut it! He generally goes out to potty and comes back in, he's allowed on the furniture and sleeps on my bed.

 

[Smart_Family]

That's my thing too, I just don't understand why you would get a dog just to keep it outside. I have both my dogs because I wanted companionship and to not be alone when my husband works and it just wouldn't feel right not having them in the house and sleeping with me at night. If keeping a dog outside works for other people, that's their business as long as the dogs are well taken care of but I don't think I could ever do it.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

The same could said for those that don't understand why people do keep their dogs inside. I was the ONLY one in my entire family that kept dogs in the house, I'm talking both my dad and mom's side. Since then only three more members keep dogs in the home. The rest keep the dogs outside. Or at least they kept the little inside and the big ones outside. ( kind of unfair if you ask me, LOL) Many people see dogs as dirty even some of my co-workers I worked with NEVER permitted animals in the home as either it was unsanitary or that was how they were raised. Others see as its a dog's "place" outside. Either way it certainly is taboo.

 

[JLeighL]

I think it depends on the people and the dog. At times during the winter when my big man was inside i was trying to clean and was like "ok this is it, your going out for a while so i can clean all this hair up" but i dont mind him inside at all. But he loves to be outside. and as i said before i do keep him in when its either really really hot or really really cold! but other than that, he's quite adventurous and loves to be out...

 

[Jadotha]

Since you asked, I will offer my opinion. With all respect, I don't believe mastiffs or other companion pets/guardians belong outside. They need to be with their families, and a central part of family life (again, just my opinion). If they don't have this experience, I don't believe they are able to bond as closely to their people as dogs who are part of the family, and I feel that both the dog and the family are missing very enriching and rewarding aspects of pet/human relationships. I think it speaks volumes that your dog would rather be outside than interacting/being with you and your boyfriend.

A companion/guardian dog is a completely different story from an 'outside' proper working dog. The latter's main purpose is not to be a companions to their families, but rather to do a job (guarding premises, herding and protecting livestock, etc.) Most are totally committed to their work.

Do I think keeping your dog outside (with adequate facilities and interaction as you describe) is 'abusive'? Absolutely not. But you and your dog are totally missing out on a vital dimension of pet/human experience. If it were me I would put my foot down with my boyfriend, and (if you are a dog lover) pick my dog over the bf.

Re: DD, I appreciate your offering a different perspective, but again IMHO if people are worried about dogs being unsanitary, shedding etc, they shouldn't have dogs. BTW recent studies have shown that dander and other 'dust' shed by dogs and cats enhances children's immune systems and seems to reduce the incidence of asthma and allergies.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Well you can have a dog inside and still "neglect" it, LOL lots of people do.........