Would you/do you keep your dog in the garage?

[petitdonkey]

Please don't flame me - I am a total novice, our new pup is due to come to us in 5 weeks time.

Last weekend we visited friends who have two dogs which sleep in their integral garage - the door is open all day and the dogs can go in and out, they are then put in there at night and when the family go out. (They have proper metal kennels in there. They are very much family dogs and in the house all day and evening.

DH thought this was a great idea as we have an integral garage. I am not so sure so thought I would ask the MN experts!

My reservations are as follows:

• will it be too cold? Pup is being reared in a stable right now but obviously he is in a bundle with Mummy and siblings. DH suggested we could get a heat lamp for winter.

• is it a bit mean? or will doggy know no difference?

Could I crate train him in the house then when he is a bit older gradually move the crate towards the garage, leave him for short times in there etc.? There is the potential to knock a hole though the wall and put in a door so that he could have outside access.

Would I be better, in the future, to just use the garage as a daytime run but always let him sleep inside? We have a large house but strangely, nowhere obvious to put the crate.

Any thoughts will be gratefully received. I've ordered 'The Perfect Puppy' and another book but wanted to wait until after Christmas to get stuck into reading them. Maybe I'll have a better idea when I read them.

Many thanks

No, I wouldn't get a dog if it was going to sleep in a garage, I don't think it is acceptable. A dog is part of the family and should be in the house. What has the breeder advised you?

Places for a crate - I would look for somewhere with an easily cleaned floor really, maybe a corner of a kitchen, or in a utility room?

Wouldn't with our dog (or garage, have thermometer in there & its about 7 degrees in winter), she's a pet.

Know friends who have 'working' dogs who get house acces but mostly in run/shed & don't object to that but our dog is a pet, plus we like the security of knowing that she's in the downstairs hall.

Personally, I wouldn't want to have our dog sleeping in the garage as a long term measure- we got her as part of our family and I wouldn't make DS sleep in the garage tempting as it may be so I likewise wouldn't do it to the dog.

We have done it temporarily when visiting friends who don't have dogs but only for a night or two. She is crated with lots of extra blankets but it's no substitute for her own basket in front of the nice cosy range.

I feel bad enough making ours sleep downstairs (though no choice as older dog can't manage stairs).

Dog won't care in the sense that we might, i.e. they don't have any emotional awareness of the garage being a less 'proper' place to sleep than any other room! Though he might want to be closer to you. And I'd be concerned about the cold this time of year. Think about security as well, especially if you're putting a door in for outside access - in terms of both escape or theft, this applies during the day when you're out, not just at night.

We have one dog that sleeps upstairs in our bed and the teenage BC sleeps downstairs, he has the run of the kitchen and living room overnight.

I feel really guilty at treating them differently but the old girl has been sleeping upstairs with us for ages, but she is small and dainty and doesn't want to play in the night

When he is older and more chilled out I can see him creeping in with the DCs though.

I would be firstly very concerned that your breeder is keeping dogs in a stable - how much social interaction will they be getting? Does your breeder have other breeding dogs too?

A garage has some disadvantages. Your dog will be more vulnerable to theft - if it's a valuable pedigree, especially if entire this is a real problem. You will need to make sure the garage is safe - so think about how/where you store items like sharp tools, garden chemicals, fire safety, access etc. Warmth at this time of the year could be a real problem. For a pup, I'd be concerned that if kept alone, they would be away from human contact/interaction, alone in the dark - that's no way to keep a pet, especially a young pup, which will need hours of interaction/training/cuddles. It is perfectly possible to keep a dog in an outdoor kennel/run - this is how many working dogs live for instance and there's nothing wrong with it, but in that case, they are in purpose built accommodation which allows light, exercise, and social interaction, and is secure, warm and waterproof.

Lastly, I guess I am just baffled by the idea of getting a puppy then as soon as possible moving it out to where you cannot see/play with it - seems to defeat the whole object of getting a pet. If your DH is really so unwilling to have it in the house, is it time to rethink having a dog at all?

Thanks so much for all of the replies and for such an overwhelming majority answer!! I guessed that many people would wonder why we are getting a dog if I'm considering the garage for his bed so I hope that I can explain.

The thought with the garage is to seal off one of the bays (it's a 3 car garage and currently the first bay which leads into the house is used for freezers, boots, kit bags etc.) and create a kind of boot room. It would have plastered walls, a window, heating etc. There would be no tools there or chemicals etc. just boots, coats, freezer and the thought was perhaps the dog's bed. If we knocked through the back there could be a secure run for the dog if we are out. (Our garden would be too expensive to fence totally to give the dog free run of it.)

Scuttle - I am really happy with the breeder but I am a novice so prepared to be corrected. The pups were born in the house but are then moved out to the stables which are heated. She is horse and dog mad and shows her horses, the stables have had considerably more money spent on them than the house and are brick built and immaculate. There are grooms, stable hands there all day so I think the dogs get more social interaction out there than they ever would if they were in the house - I think that the breeder is outside all day. Yes she has other breeding dogs.
I did start a previous thread on DHs reluctance to own a dog and have made the decision based on all of the very good advice I received then. I feel happy (if very nervous) to take full responsibility for the dog. I am at home all day so it will only be on very rare days that he would ever be left for 2-3 hours (and I realise that won't happen for a long while yet).

Back to my original question - based on your advice, I will keep the crate either in the kitchen or the walkway between the kitchen and the garage. I still think that the boot room will be worth doing as a place to dry off pup, keep all out boots etc (it drives me nuts at the moment where we all come in) but perhaps the thought of him sleeping there was a bad idea. He will be downstairs though - I grew up with dogs and they were never allowed upstairs.

Thanks.

I don't see it as any different to the dog sleeping in a kitchen or utility room with the door closed to the rest of the house which is an arrangement that many dog owners that I know use.

Personally, my dogs sleep where they like which is often on our bed but I understand that wouldn't work for most people. As long as the dog is fully incorporated in family life the rest of the time, I don't see that where it sleeps is much of an issue...and neither will the dog.

My Mums dog (and cat) slept in their garage, it was a double garage, with windows and a door into the garden as well as the house. Whilst it was colder than the house, they both had cosy beds in a sheltered spot away from any draughts - the dog was long haired with a very thick coat. During the day they were in the house, or wherever my Mum was, but being able to put them in the garage actually gave the animals a lot more space than if they had been shut in a room in the house. I don't think there was any suitable space in the house for pet beds and they were not allowed in bedrooms.

I think I remember your previous thread?? The labradoodle breeder who lived near you? Correct me if I'm wrong!!

Re garage, that sounds like a utility room, so don't see a massive problem when dog is older for where the bed/crate would go, but our dog and all dogs I've had do prefer to sleep in the living room, where the humans are! It's nicer to have them near you, too!

Our dog sleeps in the utility room. if we didnt have a utility room, and we had an integral garage that was warmer than the one we actually have, he could sleep in the garage. we like our dog to sleep in a warm dark place, so that he is cosy and he doesnt wake up at the crack of dawn.

he is so much a part of family life. and our garage is very much part of our house, with its door just off our study/ hallway.

to say 'i wouldnt make ds sleep in the garage' is an absurd comparison. do you let your dog sit on the back seat of the car, or does he sit in the boot/ footwell?

you wouldnt say its cruel to make a dog travel in the boot of an estate car, would you? dont humanise dogs by making silly comparisons

Thanks again everyone. Inthepotty - yes, well remembered! I hesitate to mention he's a labradoodle as people seem to have strong opinions about them!! DH and I talked about it lots then left it for a little while. One day I was sorting out a cupboard and was going to get rid of some old towels - he said, 'won't you need them for the dog?' and that was it!!

Pup is gorgeous if a little dopey! It's the bitch's first litter and she is such a lovely Mummy - they are all fat little things but have just found their feet so should be running around soon.

I was planning on, in time, having a small bed/cushion in the kitchen, snug and living room so that he has somewhere to flop while we are watching TV, cooking etc but the crate will be his actual bed. As you can probably guess, I'm very much feeling my way so may be naive in some areas, thinking the worst in others! Just like having a baby for the first time I guess.

I'll put a pic on my profile for those who want a nosy - I really am grateful for the advice. We should get him in three weeks time so no doubt I'll be abandoning my usual S&B threads and spending lots of time here! (Although I did manage to link the two by buying a lovely dog walking coat... )

noonar - I agree with you regarding the kiddie comparison. I come from a family of dog lovers but they are very much the dog, as you say, part of family life but a dog nonetheless. I have no problem if other people want their dogs to sleep in their beds but it just won't happen here (saying that, I could count on one hand the number of times my three children have slept in our bed!)

Our puppy sleeps in the utility room at night - with the door shut and a radio on to keep her company. In fact she is not allowed anywhere except the kitchen/lounge/diner area.

She has beds in the kitchen and in the lounge as she follows us around the place but the utility is where her crate is and she only goes in there at night or when we are out.

She is very much part of the family and is spoilt rotten - in fact I think I read more to do with the dog than I do to do with the DCs!!

Memory like an elephant me!

Will need to see pics!

Pic on profile!!

Seriously? No cooing over pup???

Oh now, that is super cute. You must give him his own bedroom and sofa

Why thank you Chickens! May move DH out to the garage and pup into my bed....

Awww I could just squeeze his fat little face!! What r u calling him/her?!

OMG!

How could you not be thinking of just having that gorgeous little thing with you at all times!

We have a dog flap in our garage and the crate is bolter inside so that our dog can go in and out when we are out, instead of having a kennel. It's only for a few hours during the day though and I've put an oil filled radiator in the garage near the crate so that it takes the edge of the cold in the winter. He has a really padded bed in there and blankets.

I wonder if it would be hard to settle puppy in garage if puppy doesn't spend a lot of waking time in there, too. Could feel very lonely otherwise.

oh wow such a cute dog. hope you enjoy him