DP thinks dogs should be out most of the time....

[lightsandshapes]

I like them in (though we have a small house which gets hairy quickly).

How do we solve our differences / compromise?

It's fine in summer (though today a horrible rainy day) but don't know what will happen come winter!

[Scuttlebutter]

How many dogs do you have and what sort/age?

Dogs can live out, but if they do, you need to construct proper kennels and runs, with heating, lighting, proper shelter and so on. You also need to be mindful of your neighbours - they will not appreciate a bored, lonely dog barking all day long. Your dog is also at much greater risk of theft if it is out.

What is simply not acceptable is to just dump the dog in the garden to entertain itself. In hot weather dog will need shelter. If you are going to have a pet dog, the interaction with the dog is the whole point, and that generally means having them in the house. And yes, a hairy house comes with the territory . Get a really good Hoover (generic), a lot of the animal friendly ones have HEPA filters and so on. Having dogs does mean housekeeping goes up a level - my own view is that as a dog owner I've come to accept dog hair as a condiment... In all seriousness, it's also possible to co-exist with dogs when someone in the house has an allergy/asthma - and again, yes, it just means a LOT of cleaning.

A dog outside in the winter with no proper shelter will get you (rightly) reported to your local Council, RSPCA and every animal lover for miles around.

[musicposy]

I've come to accept dog hair as a condiment...

PMSL! So true!

Seriously, dogs are sociable creatures and need to be part of your lives. Our younger dog has a dog flap (I say younger because our elder dog is too stupid dignified to use it). She goes out and plays quite a bit of her own accord but if we shut her out there with no choice she'd be utterly miserable and would start crying for us. I can't see any point in a dog if you're not going to have it as part of your family. To get him round to your way of thinking, suggest that maybe DH would like to be shut in the garden in winter instead!

[musicposy]

As an aside, DH spent hours building the most beautiful kennel for our elder dog as he thought it would be a bit of shelter for him if he ever needed to be put in the garden (sometimes when I teach piano he goes outside for the half hour if I have nervous pupils and it's a nice day).

He refused to set foot in it until the day we got our younger dog and she took an interest in it. Then it very quickly became his property! However, most of the time, the cat sleeps in it. .

[lightsandshapes]

the dogs are 2 x lab collie crosses and a lurcher with a bit of collie in her. We ended up with 3 as I had 2 and he had one (the lurcher). They have an tiny annexe / back porch with a open panel that they can come in and out of and the third one has a small kennel or a larger bikeshed that leaks a bit when it rains.

Sometimes its a bonus having them outside and one in particular likes to roll in stinky stuff.

In terms of heating - we only have a woodburner in our house! can't imagine DP constructing anything with heating outside!

[Scuttlebutter]

Ask your DH how he would like to be outside in a cold, leaky run in the winter with no heat, especially for a lurcher,who are generally pretty skinny, no body fat to keep them warm.

There are lots of regular posters here (folk with gun dogs, farm dogs etc) who do keep dogs outside, but they do so properly with well constructed, waterproof kennels and runs, that can be heated in the winter. And lots of us have dogs who roll in stinky stuff, that's what dogs do, especially Labs..

It may be a "bonus" for you and DP, but I'm really struggling to see any benefit at all for the dogs, in fact the accommodation sounds awful, especially as the poor lurcher is kept by itself.

[musicposy]

"one in particular likes to roll in stinky stuff."

We have a roller - on a depressingly regular basis! She has a good "leave it" command but I don't usually see the runny fox poo until after she's rolled in it

We have a mantra we repeat to the dog - "Roll in fox poo - have a shower! Roll in fox poo = have a shower!" She never makes the connection. We're wasting our breath entirely except to make ourselves feel better!

I wouldn't leave her outside smelling of it, though. I think that's not very fair on the dog (although our dog might think differently - she obviously thinks fox poo is Chanel).

I do think you need to try having them in a bit more or improve the accomodation for them. How about if they took turns inside as a start? I think you need to work on DH a bit on this; it isn't really fair on the dogs.

[DooinMeCleanin]

I can't imagine wanting my dogs outside all the time. The cat is the culprit for leaving hair all around place.

We have avoided poo incidents with our dogs, mainly. There was one time I coould smell shit everywhere (the dogs follow me about the house) but I couldn't see shit. I soon found it when I went to move Devil Dog by his collar and got my hand covered in shit that was hiding under his collar [vomit].

He is very a muddy dog though. If there is mud anywhere withing a 5 mile radius he will find it and he will roll in it. We have accepted that our house will mainly be covered in mud and cat hair.

DH once decided that we should have a kennel after me feigning confusion and asking would he not be cold sleeping outdoors and how would he fit his bed in a kennel he dropped the issue.

I'd never keep a Lurcher outside unless in a purpose built, heated kennel. I think you and DH are being very cruel, tbh. Whippy wears her coat in the winter just to go out and pee.

[Ephiny]

It doesn't sound ideal to me either. Yes working dogs often sleep outside, but as others have said that should be in proper kennels suitable for the climate, and also working dogs tend to be out and about with their owners during the day which is not the same as being left on their own in a garden. Dogs usually like to be with their people, interacting with you etc. I know they have each other for company, which is better than one dog on its own, but not ideal. I would be worried about the lurcher in particular being cold and uncomfortable out there.

Anyway I enjoy my dog's company and like having him around, can't imagine wanting to shut him out in the garden away from me. Yes he does get hair everywhere, but you can keep it to a minimum with regular brushing (of the dog) and hoovering (of everything else!) and really it's just part of having a dog!

[BooyHoo]

why does your DP keep dogs if he doesn't want them around him? what is the point?

[mollymole]

who came first your dogs or your partner ??
but seriously if they are to spend some time outside they need warm dry spaces to shelter - it does concern me that your DP can be so cruel to animals (and putting them outside without adequate shelter is cruel)- why is the lurcher kept separate ? dogs like company
there seem to be quite a few issues here with your animals

[DooinMeCleanin]

Oh it's new DP? I'd run a mile from anyone who moved into my home and wanted to move my dogs out, sorry Op.

[QuietTiger]

As Scuttlebutter said, there are some people who keep their dogs outside, one of whom is me. As SB said, outside dogs still need really good quality shelter.

I have a slightly different take on it, in that we have 2 working farm dogs who live outside 8 months of the year and I actually have no problem with certain working dogs living outside . BUT and this is a HUGE BUT mine live in a properly constructed, heated, kennel (think small garden shed) with proper dog beds and double duvets and blankets decent bedding, with a secure, lockable run and they are full working sheep & cattle dogs who start work at 6am with my DH (who is a farmer) and are on the go with DH outside all day.

They then get shut in their kennel at about 9pm after getting fed in the kitchen, when they are only too glad to collapse in a heap. The reason they live outside is because they are covered in cow muck and mud most of the time. In the winter, they live in the kitchen because DH & I damn well wouldn't want to be living outside in the winter, and so we don't see why they should.

Quite apart from the fact my dogs live in the kitchen in winter, they also have their thick winter collie coats that grow in accordance with the seasons - coats that grow because they are outside 90% of the time and never bathed and they are a fairly hardy breed with double coats too. An "indoor"/short haired/fine coated dog without adequate insulation will really suffer if outside in the winter, regardless of a heated kennel. Not only that, but my dogs are used to being outside a lot - they have acclimatised to it.

It seems to me, that you need to really assess your priorities. Your DP is being unreasonable to expect indoor dogs not used to being outside, to suddenly live in the garden. Especially without good, well constructed and adequate shelter.