He's a puppy but is it allright?

Question

Is it all right if i leave my 5month (right now) old american bulldog outside during the winter? right now he's inside but since we have family coming to stay with us for a couple months (wife's sister and husband) there isn't room for him and he's allerjic to dogs. Would it be alright if leave him outside for the winter if i build him a nice house with a covering and a roof? Will he be warm enough? I don't want him to get sick or anything so would this be possble.

im my area vancouver bc canada its alright be get some snow once in a while but im asking is it alright for a american bulldog to stay outside

Answer 1

When you have a dog he should be part of your family. Leaving a young Am. Bulldog outside alone is not a good idea and can effect your dogs behavior in a short period of time. A dog left outside can be agitated by kids and people passing by which is very bad for any dog. This can cause your dog to be overly aggressive and a biter. It is the primary reason dogs become biters.
I train and compete with my dogs and have done so for nearly 40 years. If this were my family they'd either learn how to behave around my dogs or stay elsewhere.
My dogs would never be thrown out of the house for any reason.
One possible compromise would be to get a crate and crate train the dog. Then keep him in your room at night and in the day when you are there you can supervise the dog while he is loose in your "hopefully" fenced in yard. If your yard is not fenced then he should be on a leash when taken out to relieve himself.
There are also indoor gates you can buy to keep a dog confined to certain areas of your house inside. You might try that.
You really need to speak with these relatives and make a better plan than just building your pup a doghouse and leaving him outside when they come. He is after all a member of your family too.
So the answer to your question is: No it is not alright to leave him outside.

Answer 2

Frankly, I am not willing to say that it is EVER okay to leave a dog outside, unsupervised, for long periods of time. Weather changes. Animals can get into your yard and pick fights. Kids can get in and pick fights, for that matter!

Cold lowers the immune system in animals, not just people. This is not a good idea. Plus, dogs are social creatures and he will feel like he is being punished for an unknown reason, going from being a housedog to a "reject."

They know you have a dog and they chose to stay with you for those couple months anyway. Either isolate the dog to a part of the house and keep everything very clean, or, if he is not severely (see: only sniffles and such) allergic, just make him deal. At the very worst, put him in a kennel.

Answer 3

So someone is coming to stay with you - and they're allergic to dogs - so the solution is to kick the dog outside? Why on earth would you invite someone to stay if it meant that??? That's pretty cruel.

American Bulldogs are a very shorthaired breed. My friend has one and he shivers if it's under 50 degrees. I can't imagine how your dog would handle the winter when it gets down to freezing. I'm from Vancouver so quite aware of the weather we have.

Dog houses don't provide enough warmth. Either have your allergic friend live elsewhere or give this poor dog to someone who'll treat him as he should be treated. That poor puppy :(

Answer 4

It's not a good idea,because they have such short coats,and you'd be isolating him when he needs socialization the most.But,if you're going to do it,start now,so the dog's coat can grow thicker as the weather turns colder.Start bulking him up a bit,too,so he has fat reserves to help keep him warm.Build him a heavy wooden doghouse,with an offset (to the side) door,big enough for him to stand up,turn around and stretch out.Make the walls double,with insulation between them,and raise the floor off the ground.Cover the roof with roofing tiles to keep it from leaking.For bedding,the best insulator is a bed of clean,deep straw ( don't use blankets,they will just get wet,and if the dog is chained,the blankets will get tangled in the chain.)Put the house next to a building,on the east or south side if possible,and face the door of the doghouse towards the south.If your dog will not chew or eat cloth,put a heavy piece of burlap over the door to help keep the wind out,and make sure there is an overhang to keep rain and snow out.Make sure the dog always has access to water and feed him enough to keep him a bit on the heavy side for winter.Make sure his vaccinations are up to date,and take him on a daily walk.Oh,and give him plenty of heavy duty chew toys and bones to keep him busy.Good luck.

Answer 5

I would say if you cannot keep him inside, I would find him a new home with someone that can keep him inside in the winter. They do have medication for people that are allergic to dogs. My brother in law is allergic to dogs, but he takes medicine to help him avoid the allergies. Most dogs that are not arctic breeds would not do well with the cold air up there in the winter.

Answer 6

Can you bring him in at night? Surely, you will have a bedroom to yourself. Personally, I tell my sister (who is allergic to cats) to make sure she brings some prescription allergy meds when she visits because the cats are inside cats.
It is not fair to make a dog go from an inside dog to an outside dog overnight. If it is freezing outside, he could freeze to death,

Answer 7

No it is not. He's already use to the inside so he could get sick easier not being use to the cold. Also their are people who poison, and steal dogs! Other animals could get to him and want to fight.
If it were me sis would have to make compromises (they do make allergy pills )
If he's part of your family don't put him outside, he will not understand!

Answer 8

As long as you don't live in Antarctica and you provide the dog with plenty of fresh food and water, and a comfortable, warm, wind resistant shelter he should be fine.

Answer 9

Depends on where you live and how the weather is in the winter. Be more specific if you want a reasonable answer

Answer 10

get him a comfortable dog house with blankets in the house.
make sure its wind-proof and water-proof. you might need to test it out yourself first. (you should be able to at least sit in the house comfortably for your large breed dog )
and make sure that your dog is comfortable being outside. it can be quite a shock for dogs that are kicked outside all the sudden. don't keep him outside the entire time, he can get bored and start up some mischief.( like digging, barking a lot, whining, etc). make sure he still gets his food/water and attention and his walks.