Even when the dog of your dreams is a large dog, don’t believe it is happy living outside. Dogs of all sizes are happiest, healthiest and safest when they truly are part of the family, allowed to live and interact inside the home. Finding a balance of inside and outside time is important for the health of a dog and family. Dogs require proper outdoor exercise, however to minimize problems, a majority of their day should be spent inside.
More children than ever before spend their free time in front of computers, watching television or playing video games. It’s rare to see neighborhoods filled with children riding bikes or playing games in the backyard or in the street. Because of numerous after school activities and two-income families, the dog is often alone. A dog needs the safety and security provided by being inside the home; it's best if there's access to the yard, and most importantly to feel it is a welcome member of the family. It is unhealthy and abusive to have a dog’s home be solitary confinement in a yard day and night, never allowed to come inside.
Behavior
It’s a misconception belileving that a dog left outside all day allows for a day filled with frolic and exercise. Dogs relieve themselves, and then find a warm, sunny spot to sleep the time away until their family returns. After a while, the dog becomes lonely and bored. Excessive barking or digging in the yard are means to try and alleviate their frustration with boredom. The worst case scenario may be that the dog escapes from the yard
Loyalty
When a dog’s primary home is the yard, particularly a yard fenced with materials allowing people walking by to talk, provide attention and possibly pet or play with the dog, the dog’s sense of loyalty can become confused. By nature, a dog’s greatest attribute is its loyalty to their human family, those who feed, play and interact with it. Strangers may become known as family if the dog receives interaction with other people regularly walking past the yard, confusing the dog’s loyalty and desire to protect the family. A more troubling problem is exposing a dog to potentially being poisoned by a stranger or neighbor frustrated by constant barking.
Or an opposite extreme may occur. A dog may claim strong territorial ownership over the yard, leading the dog to become aggressive, even against family and friends. A lack of companionship with the owner creates confusion for the dog in identifying family from friends or strangers.
Obedience and training
The only way a dog learns to behave properly is through training. It’s more fiction than fact; old dogs can learn new tricks. Training is central to developing a healthy relationship between owner and a puppy or older dog. If a dog’s days are spent outside alone, it stands no chance of developing proper behavior. It’s essential a dog spends time with their owner. Not only is training necessary for creating expected and acceptable behaviors, it provides much needed time for dog and owner to socialize. The time need not be spent under the guise of a military boot camp, but rather as time to play, teach rules and clear expectations.
Even if training is provided in a professional setting, owner and dog must work together to reinforce the lessons learned. The dog can’t be expected to spend one or two hours a week with a trainer only to return to a lone backyard, void of time to develop skills and build a relationship.
If your current schedule requires being away from the home for an extended period of time daily, this may not be the right time to consider getting a puppy. Puppies have no control over bathroom needs and placing a puppy outside for long stretches of time is not healthy. It’s essential to bond, train and socialize with a puppy. Long periods alone may make the dog aggressive or skittish and fearful. They need to learn to trust humans, feel safe and associate their loyalty to their owner. Furthermore, due to the fragility of a puppy's growing body, if weather is extreme, the dog may not be strong enough to survive the conditions. At best, a puppy may be left alone for no longer than five hours; ideally, the opportunity to relieve themselves and socialize with their human should be available every two to three hours.
Alternatives
A garage may appear to be an option in lieu of leaving a dog in the backyard, but the benefits of this choice don’t provide the right environment to foster a healthy dog. Although it won't be subjected to direct weather exposure, uncontrollable garage temperatures can lead to the death of a dog. Typically, in summer a garage becomes excessively hot, and in the winter becomes too cold for protection and comfort. Looking at four walls all day contributes to a dog feeling isolated. Similar negative behaviors often develop in dogs left in garages as those left all day in a yard. Curiosity may lead the dog to begin to explore and discover tools that could hurt them or ingest chemicals or other materials harmful to their health. An obvious problem is the potential for the dog to bolt into the street when the garage door is opened by an automatic remote.
Plan on welcoming a dog into the home by making it a member of the your family. There is definitely the need for a dog to enjoy time outside, but through training, socializing and bonding with the dog, rules can be established, providing the dog the comfort of being home alone, feeling secure, respecting the home and anxiously awaiting the family's return.
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