Puppies/dogs - should they live outside?

[Hillary]

Just a quick question really as I have a puppy who's 8 weeks old, I have two dd's under the age of 3, our pup lives in our kitchen but my mum and sister insist he is to go outside and not be allowed in the house. I have a large ish garden and a shed which is the size of a garage where our giant bunny currently lives (pup & bunny get on really well) I'v been told to put him in a cardboard box with a hot water bottle so he doesnt' get cold or die.

I really don't know what I'm supposed to do, I had it all set, Usually a very organised person but have had poisoning and not in great health at the moment. It was working well I thought, everyones saying the children should be allowed on the kitchen floor (even thought they wern't before) My dd2 sits in her high chair with pup under anticitpating food droplets & dd1 sits at table with pup tooing & frowing.

(Obviously pup comes in & out of garden to do his business)

What to do?

are they worried about germs? fleas?

there is evidence that kids growing up with pets have less illnesses, allergies than those brought up in a sterile environment

our daughter has been crawling into the dogs basket, lying next to him, reading him a book, kissing him! and is not a sickly kid

our grandparents used to talk about a mouthfull of dirt a day doing no harm - think there's some logic in that - not that i go round forcefeeding my kids dirt

as long as you kept them wormed and de-loused and keep their toilet away from play areas think a pet can only benefit kids

the dogs not the kids wormed and de-loused!

Hi Dunscared,

They have the old values of animals should be kept outside and if a dog fouls to rub his nose in it etc..

My mum is a bit OCD not diagnosed or anything but wont have visitors. My dd's love him as do I, I don't really want to put him in the shed.

it's your dog and your house

our dog is free to wander downstairs, stone and wood floors, but not allowed upstairs, carpets

he's not allowed on the furniture, has his own basket in the kitchen and cushion in the lounge both of which i clean/wash each week

he's a springer and so comes back filthy from his walk and gets hosed down daily

yep the house would probably be cleaner, definitely less hairy without him but it would also be less of a home

think working dogs are often kept outside but most family pets are part of the family and not! - ggod luck

I personally wouldn't advise making the dog live outside. I have two dogs myself, large breeds, and three children.

Your children and the pup need to learn the boundaries with each other, need to learn what's acceptable and what's not, how to bond so that they can all live together in harmony. Keeping them seperate is asking for problems later on.

Personally, I don't see the point of having a dog as a pet if it's not going to live with the family. It is a pet, not a proper guard dog.

Don't feel that you have to conform to your Mother and Sister's ideals, if you're happy with the pup living in the house, then do it. It's normal after all. I would not in a fit of madness make any dog, especially an 8 week old pup who has just left the warmth and security of his Mum and littermates, live outside in this weather. Don't know that a hot water bottle would prevent his demise tbh.

Hi all, I don't have a porch or antying like that, he's only allowed in the kitchen and garden with tiled floor etc.. not allowed in the rest of the house.

There is no reason your pup should have to live outside.
As long as worming/flea treatments are up to date there is no problem.
Studies have shown that living with a dog boosts the immune system. Article HERE

My own dog lives outside, but that's our own choice

I thinkits quite cruel making a dog live outside.
Going on that, whats the point in having one in the first place.
All pets should be part of the family, companions and fun. Not to be stuck outside in the cold weather.

We now have 2 dogs. They dont go into the bedrooms but sit on the landing. Our eldest is quite protective of the children and he likes to watch while they bath and get ready for bed, lol.
They have the run of the downstairs and when we go out they go into a big cage which is set up in the kitchen.

I'd advice you to get a cage because they can be very useful. Just dont use it as punishment and remember that your pup is only a few weeks old. She has alot to learn yet but it will be fun.
Enjoy her

Our dog has the run of the house, she doesn't shed hair though. She has a bed under the kitchen table, apparently they like a cave-like place to feel safe. She's allowed on all the furniture, upstairs, a couple times a week sleeps on our bed, she generally sleeps on my lap when we're watching telly. Don't know what she'll do when the LO comes along, but certainly won't be banished to the outside. We put a dog door in the kitchen so she can go out when she wants to, although she's a mincer and will mess in the kitchen rather than face the wind, rain and snow!

Hi JustUsTwo,

He's a Jack Russel (I did buy him from gypsies) but they told me to keep him inside for a while as he was under a heat lamp outside in a well built block.

My mother is very controlling when I had my dd1 she totally took over, I couldn't even choose what clothes to put on her.

We have a border collie who lives in the house, she is not allowed upstairs and sleeps in her basket in the hall.

When MIL visited from Ireland she told dh that the dog should be outside as she was too big to be in the house.

We ignored her.

If your worried about him being all over in the house get a crate for him. Its the dog equivalent of a den/room and will help him feel safe and you can use it for him to sleep in and if you need to go out, you can shut him in it. It needs to be a positive place that he feels safe in and not used as a punishment.

you have to do what you're comfortable with. Are you living in your mum's house? because if she's not living there then it's none of her business and I would tell her so.

No I have my own house, I always said when I got my own house and my dd's were old enough I'd like to get a dog. My mother is very controlling and always gets her own way.

My sister said try and keep the dog out of her sight and she may let me keep it but its not allowed to be inside at any point. My mum says its the childrens house and the dog shouldn't be in it.

I didn't tell anyone I was getting one, I'd thought long and hard about it, making sure I could afford upkeep & vets bills etc. I'm a SAHM so its never alone. I had it 80% house trainned and it came out with us on walks in my jacket etc but after becoming ill I'v not been able to keep it up so its lapsed alot (poo on floor etc) this is what people are seeing not the bit before. My mum just kicks him out the way and tells my dd1 if she goes near it the pup will savage her.

I live 100 miles away from all family and live in a town where I know nobody. We walk everywhere & have the lifestyle for a dog.

My mother is looking to move here too so I don't want the dog to become vicious if permanantly abused by my mother its just not fair, she hates dogs, every dog we had turned nasty.

Its your house, I would keep the dog in the house, but keep it well away from your mum when she visits, if she keeps kicking it it could become aggressive, she shouldn't abuse an animal like this.
Walking a dog is a great way to get to know people, you'll make some new friedns with your puppy. Is there a dog training class you can get to locally, some are great, alot of fun and kids are welcome to moany. Or just a puppy socialising class would be helpful.
Sorry to hear that you've been unwell, I hope you're better soon, and can resume training again.
Have fun with your puppy!

"my sister said try and keep the dog out of her sight and she might let me keep it". tbh it sounds like this goes way deeper than just your mum's hatred of a small puppy.

it's your hous, your dog, your children, if your mum comes to see you she is a visitor, and has no say in what you do and how you do things. You need to stand up to her and make it clear that it's your house and she has absolutely no say in what you do, and that if she kicks your dog again or says such nasty things to your children again then you will seriously have to reconsider whether you want her to visit at all.

She sounds like a prize bitch to me tbh and if she was my mother I would have cut contact by now - who the hell does she think she is, you're not a child any more.

When I was a kid we had our first golden retriever puppy, and he lived outside for his first couple of years. He was born in May so was about 9 months before the weather got really cold. He had a big kennel with a bed and lots of straw, and always seemed snug enough in there. He came inside for periods during the day, but slept outside. Then he started escaping from the garden in the early hours following smells, so faced with either making the garden like Fort Knox so he didn't get shot by a farmer or bringing him in at night, - in he came.
In my house, we too have a Golden, but he doesn't go upstairs (well, not often), as much as anything to confine some of the areas that need de-hairing!
But, sounds to me like your main issue is to do with your mother and her level of influence on your life (wherever she lives), rather than what to do with the dog. You are a mother yourself now, and she should be able to respect that you can make your own decisions and need your own space.
I'm sorry you have been ill, and that can't have been easy, but for your sake, and your dd's, and your dog, you need to create some independance from your mum. It will probably take quite a shift in your way of thinking, an won't happen overnight, but I suspect you will end up happier for it.

I don't see anything wrong with dogs living outside so long as they have shelter from the wet and wind. However, its so much more fun to have them living inside and as a full part of the household.

Am tempted to say that its your house, do you wish!

If other people don't like it - tough. Your house, your rules.

Thanks guys, my mum has always been a bully, I was thinking of getting a cage & put it in an area in the kitchen for when she comes so there are bars between mother and pup.

It is my house and they are my dd's, I'm angry with her but also feel 5 years old and being told off.

Do these cages work? I don't want to put the pup outside, I really want him to be part of our family thats why I bought him.

(she should be lucky I didn't buy the Rottweiler I wanted originally)

Yes she's only small but she goes for the throat (my mum I mean)

cages work, they do a nice dog bed/cage in Argos - made of material

My dog has one of these she usually retreats into it if dd1 is too much for her - the door doesn't shut anymore but she chooses to doze in it

I hope you can stand up to your mum - I would suggest boundarys and rules (for both your mum and the dog!)