# Get my dog to use the outside dog house



## houston924 (Jan 30, 2008)

My dog is outside most of the day in a nice size backyard. If it is too hot, cold or rainy we usually bring him inside. Bear in mind that we live in Houston, so it is never too cold. I have purchased a dog house so that he can take cover if for one reason or another we cannot bring him in. However, he does not use it and prefers to lay by the back door as he did before. 

I have started feeding him in the dog house and throw treats there for him to go in. He goes in without a problem but would not stay in. 

Do you have any suggestion? How long does it take for them to figure out that it is a good thing.

Thanks.


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## rainydaygoods (Oct 13, 2008)

It might be really hard for your dog to figure out that an outside dog house is a good thing if he's outside "most of the day." German shepherds are very, very people oriented and he's going to want to be with your family, in the house. Being right by the back door sounds like he's trying to be as close as he possibly can to you guys.

Would you be able to bring him in the house? When the family is there, you can watch him, and when they aren't, if you don't trust your dog to be out, you can crate-train him.


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## Daisy1986 (Jul 9, 2008)

Are you messing with me?









Maybe if you put AC in it. 

No, really, sorry, I got nothing.









Is the dog supervised?


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: Daisy1986No, really, sorry, I got nothing.










I'm punchy tonight too. Seriously though, there were 4 GSDs in the house I grew up in. For 30 years, was a pretty nice big dog house in the back yard, right next to the swingset, the sandpile and the pool. Never saw any of the dogs go in it. We used to say the only time you see a german shepherd in a dog house is on Hogan's Heros.


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## dearraine (Apr 6, 2007)

My dog goes to work with my husband everyday and spends part of that time in an outdoor kennel with an attached doghouse. We cut out part of the fence so the doghouse is on the outside. This to prevent her from climbing up on it and maybe get hurt on the fence. She didn't like her doghouse at first but gradually started going in it for which I am glad. If I am at work and DH is out on a delivery- at least I know that Ruby will be under a roof if it starts to drizzle. DH will bring her back to the house if it is raining or snowing. We also have a big sheet of plywood in the kennel so she can get off the dirt if she wants. We had mulch down but haven't replaced it lately. She keeps pretty clean. 

Try putting a old rug in the doghouse- to see if your dog will lie on it because it's soft. My husband used to throw hay in the doghouse for our husky when we had him years ago (same setup- different doghouse). 

Good Luck!


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: SunCzarina
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: Daisy1986No, really, sorry, I got nothing.
> ...


My dad built a big 5x5 (5' tall) dog house for our dog. It even had real shingle roofing on it. The dog loved it but ONLY when my sisters and I went in there and played house in it. Otherwise, nothing. He never used the thing. In San Diego, in the summer, he'd lie under the oleander bushes in trenches in the soil he dug to stay cool, or we'd splash him from the pool. 

In the winter (which normally aren't very cold), he'd lie on his bed on our huge front porch (nice and dry) to greet us as we came home from school (Mom ran the furnace entirely too hot for him to want to be in the house.) Then we'd play in the rain til Mom called us all in.

My parents had numerous GSDs (and an aussie) after that. None of them ever used that dog house. 

Last year, my parents got their first dog after the wildfires burned down their home (and the dog house). I







and asked Dad if he would build the puppy a dog house. 

He told me







.









But their young dog does not have a dog house. She hangs out in the air conditioned (or heated) house with Mom; plays outside with Mom, or hangs outside with Dad when he's doing yardwork, then returns to the house. 

Dog house. Sorry. I'm not seeing it. Can you store yard work equipment in there?


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## trudy (Aug 25, 2008)

We have a law here that there must be protection if a dog is outside so we have 2 doghouses in our yard even though we don't leave the dogs out. So saying, sometimes we do leave them out while we answer the phone, use the washroom or if a particularly nice day we may fall asleep in the hammock. Anyway we do follow the law and in winter I dig out the doors and in over 30 years no Belgian or Shepherd has used one except in chase or keep away game with another. They do go in them if chased.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: 3K9Mom I
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sounds like my dad - who wasted several weekends builting the lovely house for their first GSD Princess.


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## Daisy1986 (Jul 9, 2008)

This is not for your 4 month old puppy is it??

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=670103&page=0&fpart=1


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## houston924 (Jan 30, 2008)

Daisy1986, That is good memory. Except that the dog is 1 year old.

It seems that I should give up on the dog house. I will continue to try and maybe he will figure it out. The area where he normally lays down is covered already. I thought the dog house would be a little bit more den like.

To answer some of the other questions or comments; regardless of whether we are at the house or not, the dog stays by that door so it is not necessarily an issue of trying to be closer at any given moment. The dog is not supervised outside if we are not in the house; however, the yard is fenced and does not border public areas such as streets or roads. He spends a fair amount of time with us when we are in the house, walking or other activities. He also spends the evenings inside.
Unfortunately, we work and kids attend school, so the dog cannot be with us most of the day. Contrary to some of the beliefs in this boards, I do not think it is healthy to leave a dog crated or inside a house while we are away. First, there are more dangers in a house than in the yard; second why confine them when they can be outside running, chasing unreachable squirrels or doing whatever they want.
Thanks for the comments.


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## Maedchen (May 3, 2003)

_First, there are more dangers in a house than in the yard; second why confine them when they can be outside running, chasing unreachable squirrels or doing whatever they want._

I've some neighbors who keep their dogs outside. I don't even believe they do it under the illusion the dog will be happier and run around chasing squirrels all day, like you describe- but bc they're dogs. I've yet to see them doing that. Some annoy the neighbors (like me) by barking out of boredom all day long, others just lay around and sleep while being eaten up by mosquitos and flies. I don't know, what's in your house to make it so dangerous- my house is alot safer then my yard. My dogs are not confined in the house either.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Unsupervised dogs in yards can be stolen, poisoned, or harmed by wildlife (or the diseases they carry); unexpected storms happen, including electrical storms or hurricanes where it's far more dangerous for a dog to be outside or earthquakes (again where it's far more dangerous for a dog to be outside).

That's just off the top of my head. My dogs in my house are safe from all of those things. (Not perfectly safe from earthquakes, but much safer). My dogs are exercised vigorously by my husband or me, so they snooze while we're gone. They play around a little, but mostly, they sleep. Being in the backyard is not a substitute for exercise. 

I don't want my dogs "doing whatever they want." That can include barking, as Maedchen points out, or digging (including digging their way out of the yard), eating plants or other stuff that might be bad for them, or jumping or climbing over the fence. Nope, my dogs don't get to chose their past times. I chose them for them. 

And like Maedchen's house, my home is safe. It's a dog-friendly house. Why would I have anything else?


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

Here is one reason:
Somebody shot my German Shepherds tonight 

And here is another reason:
VA Alex is missing! 

We can leave our dogs out thousands of times and everything will be fine, but it only takes that one time to make you regret and rethink it. Ask the OP of those threads. Neither of them thought that, in a million years, anything bad would have happened on those days. But both of them came home to their worst nightmare. Its really not worth the risk is it?

Thankfully, both the dogs here, Alex and Heidi, ended up being ok in the end...that may not always be the case. If you really are against crating him during the day, then puppy proof your house. Put things away that he can get into, put baby locks on the cabinets, close doors to rooms, get some gates. You can even put up a large indoor kennel if you have the room. Start teaching him how to behave in the house. I have a 10.5 months old that I have been leaving out now 24 hours a day for about 2 weeks and she has done fine...I make sure she is excercised before we leave and make sure she has "safe" toys and she has been good, so a 1 yr old can be taught to behave inside...It is better to spend the time training him how to be indoors alone than to have something tragic happen outside.

If you dont want to do it for him, do it for me!!

__
Image uploading. Refresh page to view








I spend enough time sitting here reading the threads and crying over the bad things that have happened to all these dogs on the board that I dont even know, and I dont want to be reading a thread about something horrible that has happened to your dog in a few weeks.











(thank you to both MTAussie and andy_rachael since I used you both as an example)


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

If you must keep him outside, build a roofed kennel that is sunk in concrete. Leaving him in a fenced yard while no one his home is tempting fate. You couldn't pay me to leave my dog in a fenced yard unsupervised if I am not home. We all think, "It'll never happen to me, my yard and home are safe," then we are proven wrong. To be proved wrong in this case would mean a sick dog, stolen dog, injured dog, or dead dog. Sorry, too risky for me.


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## houston924 (Jan 30, 2008)

Thank you to the four posters that addressed my question. 

I can provide links to counter the other posts such as the dog that chew through the door and went missing, the dog that died in the house fire because it was left by itself and could not get out or the dog shot by the house intruder who came to steal. All those could have been prevented if the dog was outside. My backyard is fence, it does not border any roads or streets. I know the neighbords on all sides. There is plenty of water, shade, cover and now a dog house above ground. He has toys, bones and so far, does not dig. There are not poisonouse plants and his poop gets picked up daily. He gets exercise daily and attention when we are there. However, reality is that we are not there all day long. If the weather turns bad, we have someone closed by that can get him inside. I know that he would prefer to by close to me all day long, and trust me, I would rather be with him than working; however, that is not an option. I still think that he is better off outside during those hours. 
Thanks for all the other posts that even if they did not address the question, I do think that were well intended. 
By the way, my dog is not outside during, before or after hurricanes (and I have some experience with those).


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

I think a lot of posters here can be a little to opinionated at times and forget that their point of view is not fact, but their own personal feelings. I personally agree with most of the others, but don't think leaving a dog outside is as horrible as it is made out to be. In the end they're not humans, their animals and can handle being out doors. 

That said my pup lives in a crate that doubles as my night stand


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Axxel, I am opinionated, especially on this topic. But I've been around a long time and I've met a lot of people who have endured a lot of grief from dogs that weren't well supervised. 

In WA state (which is a very dog friendly state overall), every few years, there is a rash of purebred dogs that gets stolen (including/especially service dogs







, presumably because they are so well trained and easy to resell). And a few years ago, dogs were being taken out of their homes and vandalised until they were killed. Mauled by humans. Imagine that.









I also have a home alarm system. The police and fire departments would be there within a few minutes if an intruder or fire were in my home. A home intruder has to go THROUGH the yard to get into the house. A house on fire often burns the yard as well, including plants, trees, and grasses -- and appurtent structures like dog houses. 

We have opinions and we offer them. If we didn't, there wouldn't be a forum here.


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

I think it can easily be argued it is safer either way, it is a lot harder to control ever electrical wire, and every chemical in the house than the yard...and in the yard there are just as many unknowns as far as fence jumping, digging, theft, etc. 

From what I observed so far is that people could be a bit more open minded and respect other people opinions, instead of forcing their owns on them. I know it's hard...every time I see a person in the check out line infront of me with a big bag of (insert crap name brand food general public thinks is good here) I just want to pull them aside and shove my opinion down their throat. Lol.


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