alone...

[primabella]

this might seem dumb but i need to know

mickey can now do the stairs on his own so we let him in and out whenever he needs to pee. he also loves to be outside, so now he gets to the door (his sign to let us know he's gotta go) but once he's out he just sits on the balcony and looks around. i'm sure this is okay and i don't mind. is there any reason i shouldn't allow this? he usually sits there and starts barking (yeah, he's starting to become a barker ) with the neighbors dog. we have a fenced yard and our backyard connects with three other yards so there really isn't a way for him to escape. i'm just curious to know if this is okay. he seems to want to be an outside dog

[Pam]

Some dogs just love to be outside - that's my Bella and now also Ripley! Bella asks to out 100 times a day and often it's just to sit on the deck and sniff the smells that waft along the breeze. Now that we have Ripley when I open the door for Bella she always looks to make sure Ripley is going to come out too. I don't think that you really have to assume your dog is an "outside" dog just because he likes to be outside (in fact I hate that term - in my opinion no dogs should be exclusively outside dogs and we have discussed this in other threads). Some dogs just like lots and lots of fresh air and sunshine and plenty of sniffing and there's nothing wrong with that. As for the barking, I wouldn't worry about it. Unless it is excessive or Mickey does it when people are trying to sleep (late at night or early in the morning) it shouldn't be a problem for your neighbors. Bella has been known to bark at critters late at night or early in the morning but I always bring her right in then. Hope this helps!

[lovemyshiba]

Kito loves to sit out on our patio and stare at nothing, while he is sniffing the air. Abbey prefers to sit out there and bark at nothing, while sniffing the air also I have to watch them, because it is a second story balcony, but they really enjoy being out there and just sitting sometimes. I think as long as he is not bugging any neighbors with the barking, let him go out there when he wants too--just not all the time!!!!

[primabella]

it does, thanks!

and no, mickey isn't an outside dog and he NEVER will be. dogs belong inside with the family. as long as i know its okay to leave him out, then that's all i needed to know

as for dogs who bark late at night, there is a golden retriever (i think this is the dog mickey "talks" with) who is left outsidea lot. he is always barking. when i took mickey for a walk and passed by this house, i was sure such a deep, strong bark was comming from a large dog. it was a small golden. really surprised me! those people should really let the poor thing ionsid ethough

thanks again

[Pam]

Originally posted by primabella
it does, thanks!

and no, mickey isn't an outside dog and he NEVER will be. dogs belong inside with the family. as long as i know its okay to leave him out, then that's all i needed to know

as for dogs who bark late at night, there is a golden retriever (i think this is the dog mickey "talks" with) who is left outsidea lot. he is always barking. when i took mickey for a walk and passed by this house, i was sure such a deep, strong bark was comming from a large dog. it was a small golden. really surprised me! those people should really let the poor thing ionsid ethough

thanks again

I just visited your website and it is so well done. Mickey is adorable! Congratulations to you and Hugs to Mickey! What a cutie pie!

[Rachel]

Originally posted by primabella
once he's out he just sits on the balcony and looks around

We call this *surveying our territory*. Hannah likes to do this as well. So much so that she often forgets the other reason one goes outside. When she is ready to come in I ask her *Did you go potty*, and if she didn't she will turn around and go. It never fails to amaze me since my previous dogs would always squat first thing whenever they went outside. As Mickey is still a pup at heart, I would periodically check on him when he is outside alone. As long as he isn't getting into stuff and is not barking, I don't see any harm in letting him enjoy the outside. As for barking, dogs will start barking at who knows what, but they should learn *no bark* or *that's enough*. A dog should feel that once he has alerted you to whatever, his job is finished. One, two, three, four barks...fine..but to keep it up is not fair to the neighbors.