# "Outdoor" dogs



## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

This article just grabbed me this morning. 
I walk down our suburban streets almost every day with my two. I hear the same poor "outdoor" dogs barking every time. Every once in a while a new one will add it's sad tune.
Dozens and dozens of them. I do not believe there is a Vizsla in the group (that I know of). 

By Gina Spadfori with vetstreet.com

_"What compels people get a dog only to keep it isolated outside, away from the family? I have often wondered this as I walk my dogs down streets lined with fences behind which lonely outdoor dogs bark as we go by. 

I don't know what they look like and can only guess their size by the deepness of their voices. But I know what the lives of these dogs are too often like. They are animals born to be part of a social structure, a pack or a family, yet this is denied them. They spend their lives on the outside, looking in. 

The experts say many of these dogs will never really bond with owners who interact with them so little.When the puppy is no longer cute and the children grow tired of the care they promised to provide, when the destructiveness escalates or the neighbors complain about the noise, it's often just easier to dump the dog than solve the problem. 

I have always had difficulty understanding why people want to keep dogs outside. If keeping a beautiful house and yard are of the utmost importance to you, then don't get a dog. If you know someone in your family can't abide a dog in the house, for whatever reason, then don't get a dog. If you can't let a dog be part of your family, then don't get a dog. 

You don't get the benefits of companionship from a dog you see so little. You don't even get much in the way of protection from the pet who has no access to the house. And don't count on outdoor dogs as an early warning system. These animals often become such indiscriminate barkers that you couldn't tell from their sound whether the dogs are barking at a prowler or at a toddler riding a tricycle down the street. Besides, people who keep outdoor dogs seem to become quite good at ignoring the noise they make, as any angry neighbor can vouch. 

Outdoor dogs often become a problem to their owners. Bored and lonely, these animals develop any number of bad habits. They dig craters in the yard. They bark endlessly day and night. They become chewers of outdoor furniture, sprinkler heads and siding. And sometimes, without the socialization all dogs need, they become aggressive, ready to bite anyone who comes into their territory. 

If you're considering getting a puppy or dog with the intent of keeping him exclusively outside, please reconsider -- for the animal's sake as well as your own and your neighbors'. For those who love pets, a pristine home is nothing compared to the pleasures of living with an animal who's really bonded to you. 

If you have a dog who has been banished because of behavior problems, find someone to help you turn the situation around. Ask your veterinarian for a referral to a behaviorist or trainer who can show you how to overcome the things that are driving you crazy, whether it's house-soiling, uncontrolled chewing or just the ill-mannered exuberance of a dog who doesn't know any better. 

Allergies are a tad trickier, but an allergist may be able to help, along with attention to keeping the house and pets cleaner, using air cleaners and turning bedrooms into no-pet zones for allergy-free sleep. 

It's worth the effort. Once you have a dog you can welcome into your home and your heart, you'll start to reap the benefits of a relationship that's finally being realized to its fullest potential. And that's good news for you both.' _ 

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/07/notice-to-people-who-visit-my-home.html

May your Vizslas warm your home all their days. Happy trails. RBD


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

I think it's so sad when people get a dog and then just leave them outside all the time. Years ago I had a friend who had a dog and they left that poor dog outside all the time, it never got to come inside and would spend all of its time isolated in the backyard, the only time it had any interaction with people was when it was being fed. My friend would come to my house and my dogs were in the house, following us around and interacting with us. My friend commented that my dogs had such personalities and were fun to be around. She then said that her dog was boring and antisocial and just acted like a dog, and she wanted to know where I had gotten such good dogs. I tried explaining to her that ever dog has a personality and they all want to be part of the family and if she would just bring her dog in and spend some time with it, then she would see its personality too and have a fun, social dog. Sadly, that didn't work with her lifestyle and her poor dog spent its entire life in the backyard. People need to realize that it's not just the luck of the draw that gives some people good dogs and some people sad backyard dogs - it's the time you put into the dog that really matters.


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## GarysApollo (Nov 27, 2012)

I see this more than most as I work for the local electric company and have worked near almost every home with power lines near them. There are a lotmore people that do this than you would think. 

My dogs never have to worry about being locked outside away from their people, I would be the one locked in the back yard before they would be!


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

I live in a rural area where a lot of people (that hunt) have 2,3,4 + dogs and they keep them kennelled outside with what appears to be no ill effects. I'd never keep a lone dog outside myself, but multiple dogs, maybe.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

harrigab said:


> I live in a rural area where a lot of people (that hunt) have 2,3,4 + dogs and they keep them kennelled outside with what appears to be no ill effects. I'd never keep a lone dog outside myself, but multiple dogs, maybe.


I do know hunters that kennel their dogs.
I think there is a difference in them, and the dogs that spend their whole life in the backyard.
Most of these dogs are taken out and ran, or trained daily.
The owners do spend time with them, and take them out hunting.


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

I have a good friend in Gilroy... He trains and field tests dogs, and this is his hobby and his passion. Most of the field tests are on horse back. I have never experienced any of his work other than a few dogs he kept kenneled in the back yard and pasture area of his home. The one I remember most is Rocket a GSP about 2 yrs old. Lived day and night in a kennel in the back yard, while some of the other dogs, kids, adults etc. sat around on warm afternoons playing, chatting, eating etc. Rocket only came out to train or work... when he did... it was all business!! He would stop and give a stranger a subtle acknowledgement and then ... get DOWN on those birds. He lived to come out of his kennel and WORK. That is what my friend had tried to tell me when I wanted him to introduce my late V to the art of " Bird Hunting" it isn't just a fling... it is a way of life. 
The Vizsla is TOTALY different!!! Those of us with Reddog babies have a hard time relating to other outside dogs lifestyle, because our pets are an extention of our Family... they are one of our kids... a canine kid, and they adore us, and being in our laps! GRANTED there are a LOT of dogs doomed to an outdoor existence because the owner just can't be bothered with the "Doggieness" of a dog. To be an acceptable dogie companion the owner must desire that companionship and nurture "a relationship". 
My heart aches for any animal that is alone, uncomfortable, hungry, thirsty, trying to communicate to deaf,dumb, humans, and getting no reward. There are too many in this world, and way to many deaf, dumb humans. 
But on the bright side, I will go and fondle my Bloodhounds beautiful soft weighty ears and snuggle my smooth soft toothy V pup and thank the Universe for sending them here to love ME!!!


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## 00tjwrangler (Aug 6, 2010)

I have a reddog and we rescued a weimer at the age of nine months. she wasn't an outdoor dog but instead a indoor kennel dog and I don't agree with either one of them. I do believe in crate training and when they don't chew anymore let them out. The weimer is not 3 and I have seen a major turn around with this dog. It has been hard and very long but I have a true bond with her. I wouldn't want to see someone try to step in between me or my wife with either dog. Plus they both hunt and I believe when you work with them everyday you get even bigger bond than just a house dog.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

I have a hard one with this -- my in laws have a five year old lab who loves in an outside kennel and he is a happy dog. He goes pheasant shooting about 4-5 times a year, gardens with my mother in law in the summer... But for the most part he is a kenn dog. He doesn't even like being in the house. He gets uncomfortable and gets hot and wants out. He's happy. A vizsla wouldn't be happy living the same life, but he's okay. I guess I can say he doesn't know better and this is certainly not his true potential -- he shod be trained and be a full member of the family... But as it is, he's a happy well loved dog.


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## GarysApollo (Nov 27, 2012)

90% of what I see on a day to day basis is low income households most of the time without a fenced yard, no kennel with the dogs on a line wrapped around a tree.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

Garysapollo - Leo the lab had an outside kennel with a heated pad on the inside (yes, it is a two room kennel).


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