I get really tired of people telling me there dog is an "outside" dog. Why have a dog if you have it outside all the time? Our lives now rotate around work, computers and television. I can drive through my neighborhood on a beautiful day and see few kids or adults outside. We mow and take care of the yard because we have to, not want to. So the outside dog, yard dog, sees humans at feeding time and then the other 23 1/2 hours it's alone and bored. Bored dogs are destructive, noisy and can become territorial.
The normal excuse is that their parents had an outdoor dog on the farm. I'm 42 years old and I am the first generation of my family to never live on a farm. I highly doubt all these other people are directly off the farm. This is where the myth kicks in. Farmers had dogs that were pets. Yes, they spend most of there time outside, but so did the farmer. My Uncle Roger had a little dog named Spot. Spot was a Jack Russell terrier with scars and chewed up ears from years of living on the farm. Everyday for 10 years my Uncle and Spotty would start the day early and end in the evening. Spot was the constant companion to Roger and at the end of the day Spotty would retire to the hog barn and snuggle down in the hay with the pigs. Then Roger retired from farming and guess what happened? Spotty was allowed inside when he wanted and remained my Uncle's companion until Spotty died.
The myth is, dog belong outside. Dog's were domesticated to be a companion animal, and we have now become primarily an indoor species. I have had up to four dogs and have used a dog door for over 12 years. I can tell you that dogs quickly learn that inside is pretty good and are a lot easier to live with when you make them part of your life. The most common description I here of an outside dog? "He stupid and won't listen". If your only interaction with a dog is feeding, there is no relationship. The biggest problem I see with dog owners is there is absolutely no relationship between them and their dog. It takes more than treats or a hard yank of a leash to create a relationship. Unfortunately, that is whole other blog.
KC Dog Guy
The normal excuse is that their parents had an outdoor dog on the farm. I'm 42 years old and I am the first generation of my family to never live on a farm. I highly doubt all these other people are directly off the farm. This is where the myth kicks in. Farmers had dogs that were pets. Yes, they spend most of there time outside, but so did the farmer. My Uncle Roger had a little dog named Spot. Spot was a Jack Russell terrier with scars and chewed up ears from years of living on the farm. Everyday for 10 years my Uncle and Spotty would start the day early and end in the evening. Spot was the constant companion to Roger and at the end of the day Spotty would retire to the hog barn and snuggle down in the hay with the pigs. Then Roger retired from farming and guess what happened? Spotty was allowed inside when he wanted and remained my Uncle's companion until Spotty died.
The myth is, dog belong outside. Dog's were domesticated to be a companion animal, and we have now become primarily an indoor species. I have had up to four dogs and have used a dog door for over 12 years. I can tell you that dogs quickly learn that inside is pretty good and are a lot easier to live with when you make them part of your life. The most common description I here of an outside dog? "He stupid and won't listen". If your only interaction with a dog is feeding, there is no relationship. The biggest problem I see with dog owners is there is absolutely no relationship between them and their dog. It takes more than treats or a hard yank of a leash to create a relationship. Unfortunately, that is whole other blog.
KC Dog Guy
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