Piper sleeps outside in his kennel and spends his time out there, the garden or the conservatory, he just is not comfy in the house.

Brice, Chase and Mugi all sleep indoors but Fred will often be found asleep in the garden in all weathers including snow. I figure that if they are settled to sleep they have to feel safe, confident and snug. Piper takes himself to sleep at about 7pm and I don't see or hear of him again till whatever time he feels he needs his brekkie, currently about 7.30am - he has a plastic dog bed filled with lightweight fleece blankets in a wooden kennel which has a heater option.

thanks Pol I hope so...although we still have the pup arriving in 3 weeks to keep us occupied for time being....but will keep an eye around the resuce centres for that special companion for little Finn....

Freddy.....you have much the same views as me....my wife always said..."how comfortable would you be sleeping in the house with a fur coat on.."

Paul

Paul, remember the discussion over two ?

Just wait til you get this Springer pupter, Finn will knock you for six


Me, J n T and the Bam will watch from the settee.

Trust me

I don’t agree with a carte blanche rehoming policy on indoor/outdoor living.

But I can see why a rescue would turn down a potential adopter for this reason.

These dogs are on their second chance, sometimes third, fourth etc etc. Trust is a two way thing, as is bonding, as is companionship. They need interaction. Personally, I wouldn’t have dogs if I didn’t want to interact with them. Steve-O made a good point about pets and true workers.

I was advised by 2 gundog trainers (not Steve Kimberly if anyone is cross reading) to put one of my dogs in a kennel and only lead walk him 20 mins a day for at least 6 weeks. I “two fingered” that idea – I’m getting there slowly without “breaking the dog”.

Given the choice, most dogs I know want to sleep in the room with the owner. I don’t allow my two in the bedrooms. They don’t have free access to the lounge unless I’m in there – it’s a “clean room”. So there are rules/boundaries.

Have you thought about getting a cat instead?

Although I can understand in some instances outside sleeping arrangements (I believe that is what we are talking about here) might not be suitable for some rescues it does seem harsh to blanket that policy.

Our two used to be total house dogs, in fact Deefa used to sleep on the bed. However, we made the decision earlier this year, that we would move them outside. They are in their run during the day while we are at work and sleep in their kennel at night. That's not to say that they don't come in the house because they do.

Sage, in particular, gets very hot in the house now. Two nights ago they were both in the lounge. Sage was panting and asked to go outside. We thought it was a call of nature. She went straight to their run and got into their sleeping quarters. She was too hot in the house. We didn't even have the heating on.

It is down to individuals to decide how they want to deal with sleeping arrangements etc, but as long as the dog is warm, fed and happy why should any of us disagree with someone else's decisions.

Gosh Spaceman, that was a bit harsh... Paul is only suggesting his dogs sleep outside in a purpose built Kennel - you yourself have just stated that yours don't sleep in a room with you, and aren't allowed free run of the house -

- dogs aren't afraid of the dark (though i suppose some might develop a fear through mistreatment), and they are better insulated than we are - at night i close the kitchen door on mine and don't return to them until the morning - I'm sure that being 20feet further south wouldn't really be an issue for them once they had settled to the routine.

mmmm definately below the belt John, joking or not.

There are plenty of people on here who kennel their dogs, and you know full well that that doesnt mean they dont interact with their dogs. Are you suggesting that all these people are in the wrong then?

On the flip side of the coin just because a dog lives indoors it wont stop an owner from ignoring it,will it? How many dogs come into rescue because the owner 'doesnt have time for it?'

I agree with Tracey on this

I have mine indoors with me but I do admire you Paul for the way you have obviously sat down and thought it through. The only thing I would say is be kind to yourself and little Finn, dont bring in another dog, especially a rescue with possible unknown problems and issues, give yourself some time with him, get his training underway and yours and his confidence up. That way if you do bring in another dog at some stage it will be more likely that they will learn from Finn rather than Finn possibly picking up less desirable habits from them

Yup – it was a bit!

I did wake up this morning and considered editing it – but, as a few had already read it, I thought it better to leave it and wait for a knuckle wrap!

I can understand why Paul is shocked and upset by being turned down by the rescue. I’ll admit I was apprehensive when homechecked. The rescue people aren’t saying no out of malice. They’ll have their reasons for setting this policy – for the majority of domestic dogs looking for a new home, I tend to agree with it. I’m just a bit miffed that this thread is having a pop at a “good intentioned” rescue.

Some dogs are undoubtedly better suited than others to outdoor living – and there are a few mentioned on here that are happy to take themselves off to bed outside. Then you get dogs like my Ollie. His previous owners would put him out to discipline him – if I leave them outside now, Ollie will just sit by the door and look miserable.

When I go away and have to leave the dogs, I feel more comfortable with a “home from home” type boarding set-up than traditional kennels, better still, they go to family.

Yes, I have rules and boundaries indoors. Banning them from the bedroom (other than when they’re sick/injured and need keeping an eye on or extra tlc) is related to Ben’s itchy skin issues. I’m a believer in the “it’s their home too” motto. My personal view, not substantiated by any hard facts, is that the majority of pet dogs deserve a bed indoors, and I feel stronger about it with the rescue/rehome dogs.

I used to homecheck for the RSPCA for years n years. One that stands out- the guy didn't have a fully fenced garden. The dog in question was a springer funnily enough, that had been tethered in a yard previously. When I talked to the guy about the fencing he said he was going to get it done but in the meantime he would tether the dog. I said no way Jose which went down very badly. He couldn't understand that when a dog has not had much of a life, the rescue really wants it to have the best, and the best for that dog was not going to be tethered.

So I think there is no "she's already in kennels so what will it matter if she sleeps in a kennel only at nighttime" justification. Just because something is already like that doesn't mean it's right for that particular dog to carry on living that way.

I still wanna bet Paul's puppy Finn ends up spending most of his life indoors

like the others have said Paul, get Finn sorted, a year or so down the line think about another one.

edited to add, it's never a personal thing Paul, it's purely and totally the rescue wanting the best home possible for that dog. I know it's hard not to take it personally but I can promise you it's never meant that way.

Penel...thanks for your comments .....it is interesting to read all the different opinions on this.......I would still say that any dog we have in our family isnt purely and inside or outside dog....
its not that straight forward.......they will sleep outside and thats it....
every other waking minute of the day they will be free to roam the house, kitchen, utility room, large garden and into their run if thats what they want....they will also have the legs walked of them at the back fields.....

as for Spacemans comments....enough said....

I gave this a bit of thought whist mooching about in the woods this afternoon. And yes, both me and the dogs got muddy and soaked – and they are shut in the kitchen, in their beds, snoozing and having time out, until dry enough to brush the mud out!

Interestingly, “time out” hasn’t been mentioned on this thread. Someone mentioned it to me on a training day when we were discussing why I couldn’t get weight on Ollie. They reckoned him being with me at work, in the house etc wasn’t giving him enough “chill time”.

I’m sure others would say I do more “wrong” than “right” things with my dogs. An obedience trainer will say one thing, a gundog trainer something different, and on here you’ll get a bit of both, though the majority are probably pet springer owners.

Whether I agree with you or not doesn’t matter. If anyone’s “humphing” because of how I express my view, well, take it with a pinch of salt and sleep easy!

The crux of this thread is the “policy” of this Rescue and the reason they turned down a potential adopter/home. I did a quick Google – the first two links are to American sites, the third is to a Dogpages thread and has arguments for both sides.

Linky1

Linky2

Linky3

I don't think I would ever get approved for a rescue dog. I work full time, and I expect my dog to sleep outside (except when very poorly).

Vinnie is in when I'm in, out when I'm out. During the day he is with my parents, but again he will be put in his run when they are out. That way, he can go to the loo when he wants. He seems very happy with the arrangement.

I think the main thing is to remember that what works for one person/dog combo won't work for another.

I can see why you would be angry by the rescues overall policy, but perhaps you need to look to a breed specific rescue going forward. Personally, I would like to move in to your kennel with Vinnie but the sounds of the set up!

Jeeeez trust the americans to go over the top.......
inhumane blah blah blah........I am not going to chain him up...leave him out 24/7, neglect him, not interact with him, force him to stay outside even when I'm in.....in my very first post on this thread I said it was purely for night time and thats all it will be....on another note we visited Finn today with his siblings...in his OUTSIDE run and kennel/garden where they have all been since being born, as well as the parents who are all outside......and he is fighting fit...if fact he seems more than......so this is my last comment on this not going to drag it out any longer..will let you know how my little Finn gets on over the next few weeks....
Paul

Good luck Paul, don't forget the photos

If you can be bothered there's a thread I started on here ages ago about dogs needing their own space and time- in particular - working breeds like springers and collies. I think some of these types of breeds are over stimulated living inside, and find normal family life very stressful - too much to protect or guard or even tv and noise is too much for them
So you wont find me saying it's wrong for dogs to be in kennels, for some of the time - but, it always always depends on the dog - and in the case Paul has cited I guess the rescue did not think it was right - and ultimately they have the last say.