# where do you keep you dog?



## andrew boh (Oct 13, 2008)

hey,

yeaha just a couple of question also btw ive learnt so much just lurking and reading!

where do you keep your dogs?
what are the pros and cons?
do you keep him in the house etc?

this is in regards to a puppy the approx 16 week from when i recieved him his always been crated 

he has had the run on the room when im out at work and on some days the backyard


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## Mike Schoonbrood (Mar 27, 2006)

I keep my dogs in a combination of outside runs, the fenced in yard, indoor runs, crates, and the house.

2 of the dogs are never inside the house, 2 of them are mostly inside the house.


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## Pia Porko (Oct 8, 2008)

My dog has access to every room in the house (except computer room and upstairs to bedroom) when ever we're around. When we're away she is restricted to one room. When she was a tiny pup I had her in a crate since I couldn't take any chances with my older female eating her when we were away. Cons are I have to clean the house more often and pros by keeping her in the house she won't piss off the neighbours.. We have a spitz next door which lives outside and I bet if Sonja spent her days outside those two would just bark continously..


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## Al Curbow (Mar 27, 2006)

In the house


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

Mostly in a a dog run, sometimes the full backyard and I like to let him in the house with me when I am done working until I go to bed.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

From 6 - 16 weeks, I have pup with me constantly, training constantly and teaching the pup everything it needs to know for a lifetime.

At about 16 weeks, I start longer term kenneling during the day - 2 hours at a time or so. Plus in the house, in the yard. I don't know what will happen over the course of the next 10 - 15 years, so I need pup to be prepared for all sorts of living.

Kennel time increases as training sessions increase. (Fewer training sessions that are longer). At 6 mo, training sessions are up to 15 minutes at a time. (To compare, at 18 mo, I frequently train OB for an hour or more, and 3 hour training sessions aren't uncommon for ME and MY dog.)


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## Alyssa Myracle (Aug 4, 2008)

House/crate combo.

Crate when we're gone (although were leaving her out for short periods while we're gone now), or when my four year old son is blitzing up and down the hallway. Feeding is in the crate.

The rest of the time, the dog is free of the crate, unless she goes in and lays down on her own (which she does a lot). She more or less has free reign of the upstairs when we are home, although she hangs out in whichever room I'm in. All the upstairs doors are open, because she shows absolutely no interest in hanging out away from us. She'll occassionally sniff at the doorway to my son's room if he's gone, but she doesn't go in.

As a young dog, she was tethered or crated indoors until she proved reliable with potty training. Once that happened, we let her free in the upstairs, but with all bedroom/bathroom doors closed.
We don't worry about shutting the doors anymore.

She is not allowed to go downstairs unless she's following one of us and we invite her along.

Up until about 6 months old, she slept in her crate at night. After that, we began letting her sleep on the floor in our bedroom. In a few months, I'll start leaving the door open so she has freedom to patrol the house at night. (my only real concern is leaving her water out, and being woken up at 3 am by a dog with a full bladder)


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

All mine rotate in the house. With 7 it is a hair puller to have more than 2 in the house at the same time, but the furniture eating phase is over now  . 
4 of them also rotate time at the office and fire station. 

Ajay, the new addition, gets more time at the office and fire station than most since we are heavy into training before the really cold weather sets in. 

I have indoor/outdoor kennels for all of them and also they spend time in large dog yards.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

My dogs have a combination of house, yard, crate and kennel time. I only have 2 (well one since they dug a hole under the divider LOL) kennels which is more of a large side yard then a kennel. Since it takes up the entire side of the house. When nobody is home we have a mix of dogs in the kennel, loose in the house, or crated. When we are home there are dogs loose in the house or running around playing in the backyard. At night some of them sleep in crates, the rest sleep loose in the bedrooms. If I only had a couple of dogs they would be full time house dogs, with maybe kennel time when I'm at work depending on how reliable they were in the house unsupervised. But since I have more then a couple, they can't all be in the house at once, way to many bodies and my house isn't that big.


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

Our AB's have access to the up stairs when we are home, 1 at a time- my husband takes the trouble maker to work every day untill it starts getting to cold. In the summer Lasher spends his day in one of our kennels or in the house.... I also take him with me alot so we can get some tarcks in during the week. They have their own futton with a crib mattress and never try to jump on the sofas.

The GSD is usually outside either in a kennel or loose in the back yard. He sleeps in the garage in a XL crate. When and if I bring him in he is on leash- down stairs. We have wood floors and leather furniture. It is GSD proofed. He has gotten loose upstairs on occation and immediatley jumps on the beige sofas and starts tearing appart the cushions & pillows. I suppose the cushions look a little bit like sleeves to him. At any rate his hair looks bad upstairs and hubby doesn't like his activity level either (he never sits still).


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

We have "The Changing Of The Dogs", and rotate everyone from outside kennels/runs to crates or loose in the house. Everyone gets some time in all housing conditions. When it is reeeeeally cold for Oklahoma, (below 10) and also wet & windy, we bring everyone in at night.


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## andy norris (Jun 23, 2008)

We let our dogs stay outside during the day. All of our yard is fenced with 6 foot privacy. They have access to the garage for water, food, shade during the day. If the weather is bad they stay inside in their crates. When we are home they are usually inside with us.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

The JRT has the run of the house. My terriers were always house dogs. 
The first 6-8 months for each of my two GSDs was spent in the house to learn manners. They are now together either in the yard or their run. Very rarely they spend a few hours in the house......... when the wife is gone!  :-# 8-[
Did I say that with my outloud voice??  8-[


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## andrew boh (Oct 13, 2008)

so you can keep a working dog inside with out it becomeing a baby?


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

andrew boh said:


> so you can keep a working dog inside with out it becomeing a baby?


Absolutely!
"Becomming a baby" is all about HOW you raise the dog, not WHERE you raise it! 
My GSDs are outside because of their shedding. Not because I'm trying to keep them from getting spoiled.


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

Sounds like you need to grab a "Furminator". Hands down the best GSD accessory evah!


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## Sara Findley (Feb 27, 2008)

All 3 of mine are loose in the house at all times unless my bitch is in heat then someone gets rotated in and out of the crate. They are all adults though, as puppies i crated them until they earned thier trust in the house. Living just me and my daughter it would be hard for them to protect us if they were locked up. Plus they are well behaved. I did come home once to a party in the living room, the rugs were all crazy and pillows were all on the floor, chairs moved. Not sure what was going on but I think they had a good time either way. :lol:


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## Jason Fox (Apr 30, 2007)

I use a combination of outdoor dog run, indoor exercise pen, loose in the house (with supervision), and a crate with my puppy.

Once the pup has earned my trust in the house we will eliminate the exercise pen and the crate will become an optional place to sleep.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Becky Shilling said:


> Sounds like you need to grab a "Furminator". Hands down the best GSD accessory evah!


 
Got one, plus the German rake, steel combs, tons of different brushes, etc, etc!
My older GSD sheds like no dog I've ever owned. I can run my hand across his back anytime of year and get a handful of hair. He should be bald but has a geat coat, especially in the winter.
With my rough coated GSD I use the German rake. His coat is to dense even for the furminator. He sheds way less then my older one.
All my dogs get 3-4 times a week brushing except in the winter. 
I always rolled the coats on my terriers and seldom had a loose hair in the house. That's probably why the GSD hair is such a pia with my wife. 
Can't blaim her. They're my dogs. :grin:


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

Well, naturally "your" dog hair is more problematic than "her" dogs' hair, no matter what the breeds involved!


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## andrew boh (Oct 13, 2008)

so whats the best for the grooming of gsd i heard the coat king was good any ideas?


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## Sara Findley (Feb 27, 2008)

andrew boh said:


> so whats the best for the grooming of gsd i heard the coat king was good any ideas?


 I am a proffessional groomer and I use a furmantator then go back over with a slicker brush on all the GSD's i groom and on my own. During shedding season, when they are blowing coat I will use a rake to get the heavy stuff off then the other two.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Where do you keep your dog???

Out of sight


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