Is it fair my puppy to stay outside overnight in a kennel?

Question

He is 6 months old and wrecking our house, he doesn't cry when he is left outside but i feel bad leaving him out there as he's used to sleeping in the warmth of the house!
What are your views?

Also as he is a Springer Spaniel he is completely nuts, and runs wild around the house, i think if i were to put him in a crate/cage/box he would become even more nuts and just knock it over until he becomes free!

This was not my choice, i have one of those fathers 'who knows everthing' he reckons he grew up with 6 afghan hounds and they were completely fine outside all the time!
Yeah i say thats cause there was six of them! I want a house pet not a pup banished to the garden, i don't know what to do, if my dad doesn't get his own way then i'll lose the little chap!

Answer 1

If your dog is ok with being outside all night and it isn't too cold or hot, go ahead and let him. Just make sure he has a dry place with a roof and blankets and a bed he can curl up in. Some dogs prefer to be outside than inside.

I would not recommend tying your dog up, as he seems very energetic. Puppies can get caught in the tie off rope (or chain, etc.) and strangle themselves.

If you are concerned about crating your dog inside because he will knock his crate over, you can do a couple things. If there is a tight space you can fit his crate in, put it there, as it will not be able to tip over if he is too wild. You can also block out part of his crate with plywood. This makes the crate smaller and he is unable to run about inside it. (This also works for housebreaking.)

Instead of a crate you could also try using a baby gate. My family uses on for my two Golden Retrievers when go to bed at night. (If we let them roam the house they stand at the bottom of the stairs and whine for us). Your puppy wont be big enough to jump over the gate, and you can change its location if needed.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I don't believe that this is the right thing to do. Shutting your dog outside won't fix the problem; you need to find out WHY your dog is being destructive and then correct the behaviour.

You mention that your dog is a 'wild' Springer Spaniel. You need to concentrate his energy onto something positive. As he's a puppy, you need to make sure that he receives plenty of exercise WITHOUT over-exercising him until he is fully developed. Neutering is the first course of action that I would take in making him more responsive. Then, I'd recommend two 30 minute walks per day; one in the morning and one in the evening. Adjust the amount of exercise according to your dog.

As well as physical exercise, your dog needs mental stimulation. Springers are intelligent breeds, so training is needed to stop him from becoming bored. As he is only a puppy, he probably has a relatively short attention span, so I recommend giving him short (2 or 3 minute) training sessions throughout the day. .Remember that during training you are CORRECTING your dog, not punishing him, and don't expect a puppy to get everything right. I would ensure that the command is taught properly before I would correct the dog for getting it wrong. Make sure that each session is ended on a positive note; if you feel yourself becoming frustrated, end the session with a quick game and a command that you know he will respond to correctly.

I highly recommend crate training dogs as it gives them a safe place of their own and somewhere secure for them to stay when you can't watch them. When your dog has adjusted to his crate he will see it as his den, but you must introduce it to him slowly. There are right and wrong ways of doing this, but just look up 'crate training' and you will find a wealth of information. A website that you may find useful if you have any further questions is www.petshub.com/forums. There are many knowledgable members who would be happy to help you out.

While it is never too late to train a dog, if you consistently ignore the problem it will become harder to correct as he grows up.

Answer 3

Ah your poor puppy. It wants to please and is instead upsetting you. Please see your vet about good dog trainers who will be able to help you. I would suggest looking in yellow pages, but there are some out there that are very cruel to the animals.

I wouldn't leave a dog outside in a kennel, what's the point of having a dog? Plus dogs get stolen and used as bait by nasty people. Also, it's a horrible sight to seeing a dog shivering with the cold. See the vet and take the dog for training. Your dog is wrecking the house because he wants you to come back.

When you're not going out. Leave him for a minute or two (as if you are going out, don't forget to put you coat on), then return to him, telling him what a good boy he is, keep doing this building up the time. Once your dog knows you are coming back he will not become stressed. Give him doggie toys not your old shoes (dogs don't know which shoes are your new ones).], to play with, you can buy those toys that you put tit-bits in and the dog spends ages trying to get them out.

Go to the library and get some books on your type of dog and training.

Good luck and I hope you can sort it.

Answer 4

I know its frustrating right now, but if you don't train him properly from the start, he will get mixed messages about how he is supposed to behave, and the more you ignore his bad behavior by putting him out where you don't have the deal with him, the harder it will be to make these behaviors go away.

Secondly, dogs are a domesticated animal, and they belong with a family, indoors. You should never keep a dog outside overnight. It is not where they want to be.

I am not sure why you never thought of crate training? If you don't know anything about it, talk to a vet or trainer in your area. Crates are ideal for housebreaking, teaching your dog to sleep at night, and keeping him confined yet comfortable for when you can't provide him full attention.

Answer 5

Any dog should be crated at a puppy. Why do you have to put it outside? If you want an indoor dog, (they should all be kept indoors) then teaching it early on, inside behavior is your best bet. It may cry at first, but that helps with housebreaking and also it becomes a safe place for your dog inside. Never use a crate as punishment. Some dogs will always need to be crated. Some need it longer than others.

Answer 6

Yes, it is fair. Your puppy will be less naughty outside as there aren't much that he can chew, or wreck. Puppies tend to get bored in enclosed places - this is why they get so crazy and/or naughty. Leaving him outside will be a pleasure for him as he will have more space to play, and run around him.

Also, animals' fur protects them from the cold, so you don't have to worry about that. Just make sure that you get him a doghouse with a nice and warm blanket in, to keep him warm and dry in rainy weather.

After a while of staying outside on his own, he will also become more disciplined, making it OK for him to visit you inside the house every now and then as he will see this as a treat, and therefore not wreck the whole house.

Don't worry about him - no harm will come over him while he's outside. Keep loving him like I can see you do! :-)

Answer 7

You poor thing, I so would not let my dog sleep outside in a kennel even though its a normal thing for a lot of people to do with their dogs, he is only young and will calm down, get him a toy from Pets at Home called a Worry Toy, you stick bits of dried meat, biscuits, fruit or whatever inside and then the dog has to try and get them out again, seems to intrigue them so much they spend hours on it trying to get the food out, maybe your dad did have hounds outside when he was a lad but times have changed and there are those dog nappers about too, you have you baby with you and get rid of your dad to the kennel.

Answer 8

You need to train your puppy before its too late as after he turns a year old there wont be anything u can do. My dog was always like that very hyper and all the time. We started training him by teaching him the word 'NO' whenever he went into mode and when he quitened down we gave him a treat! It also helped just holding him close to us by the collar and petting him until he calmed down and also i think you'll find that lots of exercise ie taking him for walks will help. If all this still fails you should look to sending him to be properly trained otherwise you'll have a hard time when he grows up.

Answer 9

try some calming techniques like, when you are reading or playing at the computer tie him to the seat and make him lie down stuff like that.also don't just put him in a crate one night for the first time and see how it goes he won't be used to it.while it is day put him in it for a couple short periods of time and have him lie down give him treats and alot of praise for being calm once he understands that the Kennel is a calm and safe place then you should put him in it over night it will take awhile but be consistent.Also try walking him to get all the energy out of him he is a spaniel so he has alot of energy take him for a long walk and when he is tired he will be calm praise him eventually he will learn.

Answer 10

Its no wonder he is destroying your house. Its like leaving a 2 year old to run around with no supervision. You need to crate train him. That will stop him from ruining your house and also be safer than making him sleep outside all night.

You are probably right about him not liking it. He definately won't at first but if you give him time, he will get used to it.