Is it ok to leave dogs in fenced yard unsupervised?

Question

When we first got our dog he was in a crate inside our house, however I didn't feel good about leaving him in there for 8 hours while we were at work. I would come home for lunch and walk him but he always peed and then I had to clean that up. We have an average sized backyard that has high fences and he seems to do fine out there so far. Our vet, however told us he should be kept inside. What do you think?

Answer 1

This is an opinion question. The Humane Society requires that dogs be kept inside, but I've also read that crate training often creates more hyperactive dogs with poor behavior. It seems like a bit of a contradiction, no? My personal opinion is that it's okay to keep the dog outside while you're at work as long as he has a constant source of water and a place to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. During extreme weather, dogs should also be given "breaks" by staying inside for longer periods of time. If you've got a fenced-in yard, the dog should be fine unsupervised. He'd certainly feel happier with regards to what he can do (there's only so much you can do in a crate for 8 hours). Remember, he's YOUR dog. YOU know him better than the rest of us, so go with your gut and do what feels best for you and your pet.

Answer 2

I have 3 dogs and I go away for a few hours and I leave a door open so they can come in or stay out. Food and water are provided . The Yard is enclosed by a 61/2 foot cedar fence. I have never gotten a report from my neighbors that anything was out of the ordinary. These setups beat having a dog penned up inside all day. I have seen nothing bad happen. I don't have anything in the back yard but the dog toys they like outside. I have a gate the same height as the fence with no way to open it from the outside. Ask yourself what in these places the dog can go may harm them, fix that and they are safe.

Answer 3

I once had an elderly lady for a friend. She had a wonderful little dog. A mix of some sort. She had the dog trained well and it behaved very well. Learn here https://tr.im/crAOY

She kept an uncovered candy dish on her coffee table with candy in it. The dog was forbidden to eat the candy. When she was in the room observing the dog he did not even appear to notice the candy. One day while she was in her dinning room she happened to look in a mirror and could see her dog in the living room. He did not know he was being watched. For several minutes he was sitting in front of the candy bowl staring at the candy. Finally he reached in and took one. He placed it on the table and stared at it, he woofed at it. He stared some more, licked his chops and PUT IT BACK in the bowl and walked away. Did he want the candy, oh yeah. Did he eat it? Nope. They can be trained that well but most, I'll admit, are not trained that well. When I was a young boy, maybe 5 years old. We had a german shepherd. He was very well trained also. My mom could leave food unattended on the table, no problem. She would open the oven door and set a pan roast beef or roast chicken on the door to cool. No problem. He would not touch it, watched or not. But butter? Whole other story. You leave a stick of butter anywhere he could reach and it was gone. He was a large shepherd so there were not many places he could not reach. Really, I think the number of dogs trained to the point they will leave food alone when not being supervised is very small indeed.
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Now if we are talking obedience training, not food grubbing, that is a different story. Way back when I was first learning obedience training one of the final exercises was to put our dogs in a down/stay and not only leave the room but leave the building for 15 minutes. The only person that stayed was our trainer, not the owners. Most of the dogs in my class did not break their stay, which would be an automatic fail. I'm happy to report my dog was one of the ones that passed.

Answer 4

make sure that there is nothing for him to jump onto to jump over the fence and that noone can get in and let him out. Give him food, water, and a shelter. Of course if the weather is supposed to be bad keep him inside. I think keeping him outside is great but what about weather? Maybe try a room with floors that are easy to clean (not carpet!) and that you can either shut the door or put up a gate. You may need a gat regardless of the door because he may scratch it all up. Also make sure there is food and water and possibly a dog bed in there. take him out to do his duty right before you leave. Also make sure there is nothing he can ruin and no wires to chew on. maybe turn the room into a dog room. Give him some toys. Also you could try a doggie door into you back yard then have a gate so he can only come in one room, but personally I wouldn't want a doggie door. Good Luck!! I hope this helps!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

Fenced In Yard

Answer 6

I think it depends on your neighborhood/weather. We live in the desert, so I only leave the dogs outside in the early morning or night-time. If you have ample shade on a day that's maybe high 70's or 80's your dog should be fine. Also, don't leave him out there if it's below 40-50 degrees.

If your fence is high and nobody can see in it (if it's not chain-link) then I think you're definitely fine. Also only if the fence is buried in the ground and doesn't start at ground level---dogs get bored being out there and might get inclined to dig a bit if they see an opening! If you live in a bad neighborhood and if you have a chain-link fence it might be a bad idea to leave him out there because someone might steal him. Either way, be sure to lock your gate when you leave and make sure that the gate isn't loose/can't open on accident.

Always leave a LOT of fresh water out there for him to drink, and I would also suggest leaving his kennel out there with the door off so that he has somewhere to retreat to if he's used to it.

Answer 7

Yes, your vet is right. Keep the dog inside.

There's way too many risks outside....

-Weirdo people doing awful things to your dog
-Someone stealing your dog (yes it happens and isn't that uncommon)
-Neighborhood kids tormenting your dog
-Your dog becoming a nusiance barker, prompting your neighbors to consider some unsavory options to shut him up
-Your dog escaping somehow, digging out or jumping the fence creatively (my dog learned how to lift a gate off it's hinges)
-The weather--even if it is normally temperate where you live, what if there's a thunder storm, a hail storm, some really weird freak weather event?
-Another stray dog getting into your yard and fighting with your dog
-A neighborhood cat getting into your yard and mixing it up with your dog

The list goes on and on.

My dogs are 2 and 5 years old and are crated during the day. They have no sense of time and if they weren't in their crates they'd just be sleeping somewhere else. It makes no difference to them. Just keep crating.

Answer 8

leaving him outside unsupervised for 8+ hours at a time is a bad idea and your vet is correct. lots of bad things can happen when you aren't home and by the time you get home it will be too late. What if he digs under? Or another dog digs under and attacks? Or a wild animal does the same? there are so many bad scenerios that could happen! Or leaving him out all day and a neighbor shots or poisons him because he barks for 9 hours straight? (or calls ASPCA on you)

Answer 9

Agree with your vet.He should be inside.
Too many things could happen while you're away.Dog could get bored and figure out he can dig under fence,escape and get lost or hit by car.He could be stolen.He could bite someone who wanders into your yard like a child retreiving a ball or meter readers.Someone could toss something poisonous over the fence for your dog to munch on or he could eat plants already in yard that are poisonous to animals.he's far safer in the house.
I feel guilty everytime I have to leave my dogs inside with our great big fenced yard they could be in.But I tell them on my way out that they have to watch the house and protect our kitties by barking real big and loud if somebody comes before we get home.That's their job and if they do it good when I get back they'll get a treat.
They have plenty of toys to play with and things to chew on to keep them occupied and they get a special treat when we come home so they settle on the couch to wait patiently.

Answer 10

what kind of dog is it and why cant you leave him i the house notin a crate, is he a puppy, is he a chewer? there is a lot of dfactors that go into where to leave the dogs while you are at work, i have a pitbull and a rottweiler and i leave them in the house by themselves for 8 hours a day and they are fine together, but i wouldnt leave a puppy outside all day, if thats what you have, if its not a puppy why cant he just stay inside but not in a crate?? maybe you should do some research on your breed of dog and see whats best for them before you lock them up all day or just leave him in a back yard, a lot has to so with the breed of dog, do some research on the breed and see whats best for it but dont leave it outside all day so many things could happen while your not there.