Weather

I have a Dalmatian that stayed in a dog carrier in my home for 8 months of his life and has been outside since July 2000. Because the weather has been bad lately, I have moved him back inside. My question is; Will he get sick if I put him out during the day and inside at night? I am concerned about the temperature changes and his health. I am keeping him inside now except for potty trips. Presley was a pup when I got him and he turned a year old this past June. I put him out in a pen because friends felt he needed more room to exercise. He is happy in the carrier and likes being in with us. He hears our voices and we walk by and talk with him. He is so hyper that I can't let him run the house. He also did well in the pen outside. I brought him in due to the weather. I guess I want to put him out during the day for exercise, but I don't want to take a chance with his health. He has human contact, me. I feed and play with him twice a day even when he is out in his pen. He is content in the carrier and has plenty of room. He would rather be in the carrier than outside away from me. I guess I can't get anyone to understand that my question was about the weather and his health and not about his behavior.
Thanks.

[This message has been edited by ddansberger (edited December 14, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by ddansberger (edited December 14, 2000).]

I think before anyone here can give you advice you would need to give more information. Why was your Dal in a dog carrier for 8 months in your house??? And why put outside since July??? Is it a puppy? Do you have a big change in the temp from daytime to nights? Sure you will get some good advice from experienced dog owners of Dals or similar type.

Wow! I'd probably be real hyper too. Is this dog trained? I don't want to be disrespectful, but it doesn't sound like your dog has too much of a life. Sounds like it needs more human contact (out of a cage) and serious training.

Are you saying that the poor dog is kept in a dog carrier (how big?-both dog and carrier) when he is allowed in the house??? He does not have the run of the house or at least some of the rooms in the house? He is cooped up in a carrier??? Does he have some muscle or leg development problems from being confined to a carrier for 8 months of his young life? He has been outside since July? How big is his dog run? What kind of weather do you get there? You say he has contact with you. How much time do you give to him? You walk by his carrier and talk to him? What do you mean by contact? Please explain further your circumstances.

I have two large rescued German Shepherd Dogs that have the run of my house. They are part of my family. They are involved at all times. One sleeps on my bed at night and the other sleeps on my son's bed. I can't imagine a Dal locked up in a carrier all day!


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***Save a life, ADOPT***



[This message has been edited by Sudilar (edited December 14, 2000).]

Please don't get frustrated with us. We do understand your question, but you have to realize that we are taken aback by how you have chosen to accommodate a dog into your life. First, I believe you care for your dog or you wouldn't be here or asking this question. Second, I believe your instincts about the welfare of your dog in the cold is correct. A Dalmation is not a breed that can tolerate temperatures that are too hot or too cold, and no breed should be left in the sun without shade or the rain without shelter. The mental health of your dog is important as well and I don't think you want to jeopardize that either. A dog is a very social animal and in that respect probably closer to a human than any other animal. They are able to make a lot of adaptations to our routines and schedules but they want to live their lives in the company of their precious loved humans. A dog may be able to accommodate the fact that their human works all day, but they need to be part of the family for a good portion of the day. A good size dog such as a Dalmation also needs a LOT of exercise. Generally he won't get sufficient exercise left to his own devises in a pen. Don't leave us. Please read some of the posts in these forums and try to understand what we are all about. We get a tremendous amount of pleasure, joy, and restoration of our spirits from living our lives in the company of dogs. There is not one of us here who would not do things differently if we could go back and do it all over again with the dogs we have owned in the past. I would not want to have to enumerate all the mistakes I have made over the years. One of the reasons we are here is to learn from the experiences of others to improve the quality of our lives as we live them with our dogs. Some of us (I count myself as one of them) are probably more challenged than others. Please stay with us. I think you will find the people here willing to listen and to try their best to help. Read the posts here with an open mind and I think you will find your life with Presley can be more rewarding.

ddansberger, First welcome to Pet Talk, I'm relatively new here myself. I normally keep my dogs in the house and I take them out three times a day. The length of time depends on the weather. If the weather is nice and not too cold I'll leave them out for almost the whole day, of course they have shelter and plenty of water. How cold does it get during the day? I live in the south so we have only a few really cold days a year. I guess you can tell by the responses that the majority of people here consider their pets as another family member. I know I do. I call my dogs "my boys" so much some people actually think I have 2 little boys. I guess that's why so much attention was made to what you said. I understand what you mean by a hyper dog. I have one. If you want to try to get your dog to calm down, this is what worked or should I say is working for me. In your home, doggie-proof it. When I first got Jeffrey, he would rip apart everything. I was told to leave him in a crate when I wasn't home. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Yes, there were a lot of mini-disasters: chewed shoes, books, fish food eaten, garbage cans knocked over with the contents spread from the kitchen to the living room. I learned to put things away. Now that I think about it, Jeffrey helped me become a better housekeeper! Anyway, these are all material things. They can be replaced and I can clean up the mess. But when I see that goofy grin (with a tiny bit of guilt mixed in) greet me at the door, the mess sorta doesn't matter. That can't be replaced. It's been three months and with patience, a lot of stern "NO, NO", and a whole lot of chew toys (kongs with peanut butter are especially great) we almost have it under control. I still make sure there is nothing left out for him to destroy when I leave home. He pretty much has the run of the house when I'm gone with the exception of the a couple of bedrooms. We keep the doors shut. My daughter's stuffed animals are too much of a temptation. We have to make sure the chairs are pushed all the way to the table because he'll use them to get on top. Can't tell you how many bowls of fruit have been toppled over by him. Next sign up for a dog obedience class. You can learn to handle your dog better and perhaps it will calm him down. Is he left alone for a long time during the day? I am lucky to live only 5 minutes from my job so I can come home during the day to take my dogs out for walks. Do you have a big yard or is there a park nearby where you can take him everyday for exercise? If so that's good for the both of you. Gives the dog some much needed exercise and helps you two to bond. Please continue to visit Pet of the Day. The people here are great. I have learned a lot. Sometimes I don't even have to ask a question because someone else is experiencing the same thing and it's already posted. Keep coming back and let us know how you and your dog are doing.

I don't know what you people think I do to my pet. Presley is like one of the family and I also have a small mixed breed that stays indoors and sleeps with me. Presley has a fenced in back yard and a pen with an igloo dog house. I just wanted to know if I bring him in for the night during the winter months if it would hurt him to leave him out in his pen during the day. I was concerned about the temperature changes (from inside to outside) and how it might affect his health.

You people are quick to judge someone without asking questions or getting the full story. I am an animal lover and anyone in this area would tell you so. I also donate to our local SPCA.

I am glad you all are concerned for animals. I am glad to be a part of that, but I don't think I would be so quick to judge someone or give advice without asking questions if there is doubt in my mind. Thanks for your opinions. I guess I will go on my gut instinct.

Please take no offense to my questions. I have asked you some questions in my last post, but you haven't answered them yet. I wanted more info on your situation. It is good that you have a fenced in yard that Presley has access to. Does he have the run of the yard during the day or just his pen? How big is the pen, if he is confined to it? You say he is treated like part of the family? Good. He does need that people contact. Does he stay in his carrier all the time that he is in the house? Is this a carrier or a cage? (what size?)Dals are high energy dogs that need exercise. It is possible that being in your back yard all day will give him exercise. What are the temperature conditions in your area? Where I live, we get below freezing temps. You probably don't. Give us an idea of the temp range. We are trying to help you because we all love animals as you do. Give us some info and we'll try to help.

[This message has been edited by Sudilar (edited December 15, 2000).]

The temps range from the teens to the fortys. He has the run of the yard while I feed him and play with him. He chews everything so I put him in his pen during the day and at night when we go to bed. He has chewed parts of my air conditioning unit and water hose. He also digs. So you see I am trying to protect my property and my dog by having him in the pen (8X10). He has toys but seems to chew other things when he gets a chance. The carrier is huge and I made sure the attendant at the pet shop knew the breed of my dog before I bought it. He told me it was plenty big and allowed room for him to move around. I just want to keep him in it at night and when the weather is bad. I guess I will leave him in his pen and on real bad nights bring him in. He doesn't seem to be suffering any because he lives in a pen.

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Originally posted by Sudilar:
Please take no offense to my questions. I have asked you some questions in my last post, but you haven't answered them yet. I wanted more info on your situation. It is good that you have a fenced in yard that Presley has access to. Does he have the run of the yard during the day or just his pen? How big is the pen, if he is confined to it? You say he is treated like part of the family? Good. He does need that people contact. Does he stay in his carrier all the time that he is in the house? Is this a carrier or a cage? (what size?)Dals are high energy dogs that need exercise. It is possible that being in your back yard all day will give him exercise. What are the temperature conditions in your area? Where I live, we get below freezing temps. You probably don't. Give us an idea of the temp range. We are trying to help you because we all love animals as you do. Give us some info and we'll try to help.

[This message has been edited by Sudilar (edited December 15, 2000).]

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The simple answer to your question is yes, it is a health risk for your Dalmation to be put from warm house to outside cold.His immune system will be weakened unless he his using the food for the things the food is meant for. Dalmations should be lean ( this is a disadvantage to keeping warm but they should never be allowed to run to fat!), short haired dogs that need a high energy food to be able to do what their genetics tell them to do - that is run all day every day. A Dalmation using the food to keep itself warm at night will not be using the food for other vital functions. If there is a significant difference in temperature can I suggest taking the dog out for some "brain work" and some serious off lead running - say fetch or playing with another dog (somewhere other than the back yard to add mental stimulation) - for at least a half hour before you put him in the run for the night. Make sure you up his food intake to compensate for the added excersise and that his shelter is rain and wind proof. Good, warm bedding is also vital. These dogs relied on their physical activity in the past to keep their systems and body heat in top nick and were fed the very best as only very rich people could afford to maintain them. As long as they have good food, plenty of constructive and supervised running during the day and a good warm place to sleep at night they are happy. Never put him to bed wet, in a draught - however subtle it is to you - or not exhausted (easier said than done!!)

Please don't be upset by the reactions you have got. It does sound as if the dog is only excersised in the run, which as a day time kennel is excellent. How about telling us where else you take your dog and what things and places he enjoys?

D-
You have my sympathy with your chewing dog. My Honey chewed all of the insulation off my air conditioning pipes, has chewed up numerous hoses and still does, and if I dare to plant something in my backyard, even if I fence it with chicken wire, she finds a way to pull it up.
Here's what I did. I paid someone to fence in my a/c unit and hot water heater. Of course the vines I planted to grow on the fence are long gone. Next time I will plant them inside the fence! I also finally reconciled myself that I just am not going to have a lovely backyard until these pups grow up a little bit. My backyard is not huge, but Honey and Lilly run laps around the perimeter of the fence. I am fortunate that I now work from home, but I do have to travel too. On nice, sunny days, even if it is somewhat cool outside, I leave them out when I am gone, and much of the day, even when I am here. Of course, they play with each other too, so they get a lot of exercise. On rainy, really cold days, I leave them inside. That is a little selfish as they don't care if it is raining, I just hate all the mud they track in. I often gate them in my kitchen.
Why don't you allow him to be outdoors on the nice days and make sure he has good shelter for the colder ones. Bring him in every night and work with him and let him sleep in the crate. Carrie is right. You want to make sure he gets enough exercise by devoting some time to walking and playing with him.
I'm sure everything will work out. I believe that your weather is similar to mine and I don't see any reason why he can't stay outdoors in the pen or just in the yard on nice days. People "babyproof" their homes all the time and I've learned to "Honey proof" mine, inside and out. As long as he is getting a lot of attention from you when you are home and you keep him with you as much as possible, he'll feel secure and I'm sure he will be fine.
I've said this before on this site....if you ask a question of these dog loving folks, you need to be prepared for the responses and DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. It is not personal. People here have had excellent experiences and you will learn from them.
I know some of the responses might sound harsh, I just think people are trying to better understand the situation. "Talking" on the computer can sometimes be misleading and people can get the wrong idea. Take it in stride and know that everyone wants the best for you and your dog.
Just know that you have a lot of sympathy from me as I have endured a lot of the same problems with my mischevious Honey.
Good luck and keep coming back here. We want to know how things are going.
Logan http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif

Is the reason he isn't allowed to be inside is b/c he is hyper?? Will he grow out of it, I understand that Dals are naturally hyper.
At the risk of people chewing me out, 2 different houses in my neighborhood have Dals outside ALL the time. One is in a pen the other is not. I have heard that Dals are similiar to greyhounds which are not to outside at all either. Today it was probably in the 20's here in Ohio and I took Shaianne outside and as soon as she hit the door she was shivering!! So the next time she went out she had her sweater on!!:-)
Please don't run from the discussion board!, we are animal fanatics you could say and they are looking out for your dog and you. A person who doesn't love their dog wouldn't be on this site, so obviously you care deeply for you dog, and that should be commended. You should also check out www.baddogs.com for other stories about dog tearing up stuff!! If you want to read Shaianne's story just go under search and put her name in and greyhound under breed and they should come up!!!

Thanks, you have been the most understanding yet. I sure appreciate that. I will take your advice. Presley and I will be fine. He does get a great deal of love and exercise. I will check into fencing my air conditioning unit. Thanks again. Happy Holidays! Deb

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Originally posted by shais_mom:
Is the reason he isn't allowed to be inside is b/c he is hyper?? Will he grow out of it, I understand that Dals are naturally hyper.
At the risk of people chewing me out, 2 different houses in my neighborhood have Dals outside ALL the time. One is in a pen the other is not. I have heard that Dals are similiar to greyhounds which are not to outside at all either. Today it was probably in the 20's here in Ohio and I took Shaianne outside and as soon as she hit the door she was shivering!! So the next time she went out she had her sweater on!!:-)
Please don't run from the discussion board!, we are animal fanatics you could say and they are looking out for your dog and you. A person who doesn't love their dog wouldn't be on this site, so obviously you care deeply for you dog, and that should be commended. You should also check out www.baddogs.com for other stories about dog tearing up stuff!! If you want to read Shaianne's story just go under search and put her name in and greyhound under breed and they should come up!!!

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Thanks, I appreciate your suggestions and I will check the site out.

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Originally posted by ddansberger:
Thanks, you have been the most understanding yet. I sure appreciate that. I will take your advice. Presley and I will be fine. He does get a great deal of love and exercise. I will check into fencing my air conditioning unit. Thanks again. Happy Holidays! Deb

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