Leaving Dog Outside During Day

[Triciaanne]

Hi all--I am new to this board. My hubby and I just got two 8 week black labs (sisters-Ezzie & Zoey-total cuties) and we would like to leave them outside (when they are older) while we are at work. We think they will just have a better time during the day. Do many of you leave your dogs outside during the day? How old do they need to be before they can be left outside all day? We have a large backyard, plenty of shade and the fences are secure all the way around.

[Karen]

What part of the country do you live in? How hot/cold does it get? How large is the yard, would they have shelter in case bad weather came up?

Do you live close enough to come home at lunch?

Welcome to Pet Talk by the way, and congratulations on your new arrivals! Be prepared, people will beg for pictures! Two labbie babies at once, wow! Hide the shoes! :)

[Triciaanne]

We live in Central Arkansas. We have a large backyard with ALOT of running and playing area. They have several areas for them to be in the shade, we are also putting up a shelter area for them. During bad weather we will keep them inside. We are planning on having them inside with us when we are home--they are not just going to be total outdoor dogs.

[Logan]

There will be some that disagree with me on my response. But here goes anyway.

If you are certain that your yard is secure (they won't/can't dig out or jump over the fence), and they have a place to be protected (shade and cover), plus an ample supply of water and toys to keep them occupied, and most importantly, if you don't have concerns about someone stealing them or harassing them, then I would try it, even if you do it in short spurts for a while. But that's my opinion. I have two Golden Retrievers, who were puppies at the same time (5 months apart in age), and I did it. But they wore their collars, with proper vet and personal id, and I had them microchipped. We never had a problem, but you just never know. I knew they were happier outdoors than being gated in the kitchen (couldn't trust them with the whole house) or crated. Of course, on rainy days, I left them in. But I was lucky because I was able to come home almost every day for lunch, and when I couldn't, I had retired neighbors who kept an eye on them for me. My only other concern would be barking.....and they may not even do that. Obviously, if they are excessive barkers, you wouldn't want them disturbing the neighborhood all day while you are gone.

One of my Goldens has grown up to be a couch potato and I have to literally beg her to go outside. :rolleyes: The other one would rather be outside than anything else. But they do still spend a lot of time outside. I am fortunate that I can be their official door opener now because my office is in my home.

Good luck, and congratulations on getting two beautiful Lab puppies at the same time! I think having two puppies is no harder than one, and they have each other for chew toys rather than you!! LOL!!! I'm envious, and I applaud you for asking questions about the pros and cons before you make your decision.

Logan

[Triciaanne]

Oh yes, they will have their id tags and everything. My husband and our neighbors on each side have reinforced the bottom of the fence all the way around so they can't dig under it. Our neighbors on one side have 2 dogs and the neighbors on the other side have 2 dogs also. We have a very "dog friendly" neighborhood.

This is not something we are planning to do right away-they are still too small. What age is appropriate?

[lovemyshiba]

Welcome to Pet Talk!!! I can't wait to see pictures of your labbies.
I have a black lab pup, who I got about 6 weeks ago--he's around 18 weeks old.
I agree with Logan--enough shade, good fence, large yard, no barking problems, and water for them--and they will probably love it out there.
I don't know at what age you can start leaving them outside alone though.

[binka_nugget]

I think that it would be fine leaving them til you get home (assuming everything is there..shade, water etc). Do you have any pics of your lab pups? we'd love to see them!

[KYS]

Welcome Triciaanne,

My personal opinion,
is probably when they are around 4 months of age.
But you need to make sure your back yard
is puppy proof, so they can not get into any trouble.
I also would lock your gates.
(but be prepared for the normal destruction
of digging and tearing up plants etc.) :rolleyes:

[gkristian]

Welcome to Pet Talk!!
I think that they will be fine if you leave them. I started leaving Foxy alone outside strate away because i had to got o school and my parent had to go to work.

[Demigodess]

I'm pretty paranoid, so I don't think I would ever leave a dog outside all day, but that is just me. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, per se.

I have a foster dog right now who was surrendered by her owner because he left her out all day and she was destroying the fence and getting loose. She is a very high drive dog and there wasn't enough to stimulate her. She has scars all over her nose from the fence. She is a wonderful dog and we now keep her crated inside during the day and she is doing great! She just sleeps all day and we play with her outside when we get home. For her, crating was a much better option and she is happier and safer than leaving her out. Your dogs might not be like that at all, of course, but I would observe them and see what they will tolerate. My foster's owner has another dog, same breed (german shepherd) who had no issues being out all day and even when she escaped he would not follow. It depends on the dog.

Also, one thing I would worry about (and I am curious what other people think) is them getting their collars stuck on something and strangling themselves. But of course, you would want a collar on them so they have id if they got loose. Do you guys that leave your dogs out use quick release collars?

See, I told you I am paranoid. :)

Good luck with your new babies!

[KYS]

posted by Demigodess: one thing I would worry about (and I am curious what other people think) is them getting their collars stuck on something and strangling themselves?>>>

Excellent question, and one that has bothered me since
I got multiple large dogs.

(In my case the dangers were not from the back yard such
as hanging, but when the dogs would grab each-others necks.
I was afraid one of the dogs would get their jaws caught
etc. on the collar.)
I am a stickler for collars/id's.
So with Rocky and Sheba I bought
those quick release collars awhile back.
Pretty much daily I would have to hunt for their collars
around the back yard because the collars came
off when the dogs would horse play.
(I am sure they made the collars a bit less quick released
since I bought mine)
So neither dog wears a collar
unless they are away from the house.
Rocky is chipped and Sheba is tatooed,
but it still bother's me about them not wearing a collars.
My yard is escape proof/gates are always locked.
I do not think anybody would or could steal my Akita's. :D

I recently ordered a leather rolled buckle collar just for Rocky.
He will wear a collar/ID and Sheba will not, unless she is away from the house.
Sheba is in the house most of the day, and
Rocky is in the house with her when I am at work.
(In the house both dogs sleep) so I think I am safe
with Rocky wearing his collar all the time.

[wolf_Q]

I leave my husky outside during the day. I live with my parents, so with their rules either he'd have to be in a crate all day (which he would hate) or outside.....no dogs roaming free in the house.

I have him in a large (10x14) dog run, it's covered, has an igloo, and I always keep it locked. He always has fresh food and water in there. He actually really likes it, he goes right in, never barks.

I don't think it's a problem to leave a dog outside while you are gone (as long as they are inside when you are home). Honestly, I think it'd be safer if you got a large dog run instead of the entire yard. It's much easier to keep such a small area secure...you can put a lock on it, cover it, and make it so they can't dig out. Good luck, and we'd love to see pics! :D

p.s. I wouldn't leave small pups out there just yet...I crate trained Nebo also, and left him in a crate while I was at work for quite a while, then transitioned it to the dog run...that way he was older, and used to be left alone for periods of time.

[anna_66]

We leave our 3 out during the day while we are at work, but this is usually only about 3-4 hours at a time (we work different shifts). We also have an electric fence we put up last year after our girsl got out, needless to say, they don't go close to the fence now;) Both the girls wear collars with our id,rabies & tags, but Angus does not wear a collar, he never has. He's too old to try and jump the fence & he doesn't dig....plus, I can't imagine anyone even trying to come in our yard:eek: We always keep our fence locked also.
So I personally don't have a problem with letting your dogs stay out, unless the weather is bad (we leave ours in if it's bad).
I think Roxey was around 4 or 5 months before we left her out with Angus in the yard.

[Rachel]

Originally posted by Demigodess
I'm pretty paranoid, so I don't think I would ever leave a dog outside all day, but that is just me
No, it's not just you , it's me too. I would forever be worrying about someone taking them or their getting into some kind of trouble, and what if a thunderstorm came up while I was gone? I couldn't do it with my two even if I wanted to. Once Hannah got left out in the back yard (fenced) accidently when we went to the grocery store. She must have barked the whole time we were gone.

[lizbud]

Here's another paranoid doggie mom.:D I've never left my
dogs outside all day either. There are too many variables when
outdoors. If I worked at home, I leave Smokey out longer, but
I want to be able to see him every once in a while. I always
thought a barking dog could do little to deter burglers if they
were confined to the backyard. I also agree with demigodess
in that a lot of things depend on your dog's temperments. Some
might be fine outdoors & some not. Good luck with your choice.:)

[Pam]

I would never leave a dog outside either. There was a dog not far from me some years back that was stolen right out of its yard. The poor owner keeps running an ad in the paper periodically asking for the person who took her to return her and it's been about five years now. Though my dogs enjoy the yard tremendously they prefer to spend their days lounging on the sofa anyway. :rolleyes:

[NWS_Haven]

I won't leave mine out if I'm going to be gone more than a 1/2 hour for most of the reasons everyone else gave and one more I didn't see. I don't want them barking and disturbing the neighbor's. Right now the neighbors are great and I have 4 large dogs, 2 GSD's, a Rottie and a Pit mix. Them barking all day is the last thing I want. I don't need to see Animal Control in my driveway saying the neighbor's are reporting neglected, barking dogs. :rolleyes:

[wolf_Q]

Yes, and I'd just like to add that it all depends on the situation/dog. My dog doesn't bark at people, he's very quiet. Also, my dog run cannot be seen from the road at all.

[Triciaanne]

Gosh--thanks so much everybody! I really appreciate all of your thoughtful input.

I will post pictures of Ezzie and Zoey as soon as I figure out how to do it!

Have a Happy Doggie Day!!
:)

[Tonya]

I leave my two big dogs outside when I am gone. They don't have a problem with it at all. They play all day long. I leave different toys out each day so that they don't get bored. We have a 15ft trampoline out back that they jump on too, its funny. My little pom stays in the house, he can only play with the big dogs when I am around. I confine him to the kitchen while I am work. The cats play games of chase with him, so I am sure he's entertained too.

[mruffruff]

I have 4 dogs and leave them all day, every day of the week. But I also have a wonderful little thing called a doggy door. I have my kitchen/hallway gated in the house so they don't have complete run of the house. The yard is divided in half, and they can't escape or damage anything in their half.

Now that they are older, I can leave for short periods and let them have run of the house.

I'd probably wait until the're 4 months old to leave them in the yard, even with all the proper precautions. Puppies have an uncanny knack of finding stuf to get into.

Mary

[Byakko's Mom]

I have never left mine out all day so I don't know how well it would work.I am to paranoid about stuff happening.I can say I have always had dogs/puppies and about a month ago our then 7 month old lab mix just going out to play no more than 1/2 hour without being checked on or supervised he ate some sticks that caused blood in his stools enough to last a few days and make me worry ( and I don't panic easily about something when they are sick,I take precautions before) enough to go to the vet and 5 days of meds and he was fine but I worry if it had been all day unsupervised what he would do.He just goes out to go to the bathroom and play with the other puppies for a while and someone is almost always with them unless we are coming in for a drink or something quickly.There is also digging and I know if unsupervised digging out could someday happen, or a board pulled off the fence, even though it is 6 ft, wood,I check it every day,plus things can be thrown over the fence.,some people,sometimes who you least expect ,or kids can toss things over and can cause problems from mild to serious and my friends dogs did get their teeth caught in the collar of the other dog and blood was everywhere.It was terrifying.I can't imagine what would have happened if no one was there.I guess teeth would have been lost,or worse the other dog would have strangled.It is a hard decision to make and a scary one too.Good luck.I am lucky,I am home mostly and with our schedules someone is almost always here.
Laurie

[MissCinnamon'sMom]

We have a 3 year old Pointer Lab mix, her name is Cinnamon. She stays outside during the day. We live in Colorado and have pretty mild weather. She has her choice of three houses in our yard. She has her wood doghouse with a blanket, a crate outside, and a cozy crate in our garage that she has access to through a doggie door. We tried to crate train her when we adoped her and she had problems with it. We tried putting her in her crate while we were at home and all she did was cry and whine. We then tried to put her in it when we left for an hour, well that result was not pretty, she broke out, and ate all our chinese food that was too warm to refridgerate. I think that was our fault, she smelled it and couldn't resist. We do bring her in when we are home. She is only alone for about 6 hours. We have a huge backyard with lots of fun stuff. Her favorite thing to do is sleep on the trampoline:D! She also has a lab friend next door that she loves to rub noses with under the fence. We have never had a problem with her barking, in fact, our neighbor didn't know we had a dog until he looked over the fence one day.

[bnormal]

Sounds like you've gotten great advice here!

:D :D :D

[Triciaanne]

Thanks for all of your input. I really appreciate it!
:D

[Zero]

i leave buck outside for most of the day :-|

[Kfamr]

Even though both of mine LOVE to bask in the sun, no matter how hot they get, they could si tout there for hours, I'd never let them stay out there. I'm too petrified, although someone could NEVER steal Simba.. of maybe someone throwing stuff too them or teasing them enough to break the fence or just ANYTHING. I think it's cruel to leave a pet outside.

[slleipnir]

Mine bark so I can't really leave them out, but I think in the summer it would just be to hot and not fair to leave them all day..

[wolf_Q]

Originally posted by Kfamr
Even though both of mine LOVE to bask in the sun, no matter how hot they get, they could si tout there for hours, I'd never let them stay out there. I'm too petrified, although someone could NEVER steal Simba.. of maybe someone throwing stuff too them or teasing them enough to break the fence or just ANYTHING. I think it's cruel to leave a pet outside.

Do you think I'm cruel for leaving Nebo in a dog run while I'm at work? It's covered/shaded, he has an igloo, food/water, toys.....I *always* keep it locked...It's either that, or he stays in a crate all day, which I think would be more cruel. (It's not my fault my parents won't let the dogs roam the house while nobody's home)


Originally posted by slleipnir
Mine bark so I can't really leave them out, but I think in the summer it would just be to hot and not fair to leave them all day..

Nebo doesn't bark at people, and honestly, it's usually hotter in my house then it is outside, lol. We don't have central air...just a stupid swamp cooler, and we don't like leaving it on when we're not home.

[AngelZoo]

Personally, and I don't care where you live, city or country.

There are too many risks on leaving a dog outdoors fenced or chained up while you are not there to supervise, specially for long periods of time.

They could escape, hang themselves, hurt themselves, people could posion them, steal them for labs or breeding/selling, or use them for target practice... if you will.

Letting them free roam indoors, or even confined to one room is the best option in my mind, hoping that your pups can be trusted indoors with out destroying the place.

Even then you can crate them while you are away, and get a neighbor/friend, or higher a pet sitter to come out and take care of them for a while each day, so they can still get their excersize and attention.
I am a former pet sitter and I can say that it really can work wonders for the dog, and their owners.

[The Cat Factory]

My dog is never allowed outside when nobody's home :)

[G-Diddy]

I leave my 2-year-old GSD outside while my wife and I are at work/running errands. It is well shaded and good sized. She can run around to the back of the garage where there is a dog-door into the garage. Inside the garage is food and plenty of water. Also inside is a dog house that I have built that has two layers of standard house insulation built into the walls (actually much better than my house). She also has two pieces of lawn furniture that she lays in if the ground is wet/snow, but she doesn't feel like hanging out in the garage or her house. Even when we are home, Gracie will often choose the hang out in the yard so she can keep an eye on the neighborhood.

I really don't see how anyone could describe this as cruel!

[cloverfdx]

it is not cruel at all , as long as the dog has shade,cover,water,toys etc it is fine

my big girl (clover) stays out during the day weather permitting , and we dont have any troubles with that , she has a kennel with a doggy mat inside, she has plenty of water and plenty of toys, and is never alone for long.

if we are going to be gone all day during the winter and colder months or when it is hot she is left indoors (large sunroom) where she sleeps when its not to cold (if its cold she sleeps in my room,usualy on my bed)

oh and the little dogs we CANNOT leave outside because they bark ALOT lol :rolleyes:

[AngelZoo]

No, if you provide proper shelter, warmth (or a cool place) fresh food and water, and the dog doesn't DETEST being outside alone for so long, I don't think it's cruel. (But not everyone has taken all of the measures you have).


The only thing i REALLY don't like about it all, is the chance like I said, of the dog being posioned, stolen, or used for target practice, and the many which escape from backyards to who knows what end every year.

[MissCinnamon'sMom]

I have seen some people chain thier dogs up, leave food on the ground for them, etc. That is cruel. My neighborhood is sooo dog friendly, most everybody has a dog, that I feel very comfortable leaving Cinnamon outside. When we are home we leave the door from the garage to our house open and if she wants to come in she can, she chooses to stay outside most of the time, especially in the summer. If you provide plenty of clean water, food, and shelter for the animal, there is no problem.:D

[Mich]

Well, I am a too soft type person, and I have always worried about leaving my animals outside. I have a number of Dog Nannies I have been able to call on to baby sit............and have done so with all of my dogs that I have owned since the late '70s. My last cat died in '99, and I used to have them baby sat as well.

Tiffany comes to work with me. My daughter takes her whippet to work as well..........seems I trained my daughter to be too soft as well ! !

[redruby]

My two are outside dogs but we live on a farm and there are no fence but there is so much area it would be to far for them to run away and get off the property. they don't usually leave the house. they are always outside.

I have seen some people chain thier dogs up, leave food on the ground for them, etc. That is cruel.

We have to do that for our other dog. he can't live inside and if he is outside he attacks the horses and will run away. we can't fence him in because he can jump 6 ft in the air.. so other than chaining him up what would you all suggest.

[MissCinnamon'sMom]

If you have to chain them, you do it. What I was talking about are those people who never socialize with their dogs, leave them chained outside all the time. In your case, it is understandable. Sounds like you are doing the right thing. Have you tried to fence him in a enclosed kennel, I know that work sometimes, might not be the answer for you.

[wolf_Q]

Originally posted by redruby


We have to do that for our other dog. he can't live inside and if he is outside he attacks the horses and will run away. we can't fence him in because he can jump 6 ft in the air.. so other than chaining him up what would you all suggest.

Why can't he go inside? You can get dog runs with covers you know.