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Does your dog have a dog house?

M

mr.mac

New Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Messages
1,174
Well... my fiance and were delivered a little gift yesterday... unexpectedly. About three weeks ago the couple living across the street had a huge falling out. He clearly had some serious mental health issues as well as a drinking problem. She left him and had the electricity turned off in the house. This guy lasted about a week... burning wood out on the front porch and everything! Long story short, he finally left about a week and a half ago. Well, I always knew that there was a dog out in their back yard... but now that no one was at the house I started to get really concerned for the little guy. I called the local animal control and they visited the house and left a notice that they were there and they were concerned as well. There had been an older gentleman that was stopping buy every couple of days and when he stopped by yesterday he approached me on my porch (as I was enjoying a smoke... ;) ) and asked if we wanted a dog. I knew it was coming! I asked him about the dog and he told me that his son (the one with the problems) and his ex-girlfriend has basically abandoned everything they owned in the house... and the dog. At about this point I felt my heart tuging at me. I just couldn't leave the little guy over there for another day. So this morning I had a couple of guys come over to help me move his dog house over to my backyard. At least this little guy had a nice big dog house... which I later found out was built buy the father. So here is the little guy (His formal CP introduction :p ). His name is Cash.

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So now my question is to CP member who have expereince with outdoor dogs. How cold can it get before I get concerned? Are there any accessories that I can "trick" the dog house out with to make it more comfortable for him? Heater? Any other information a guy like me who has only ever had indoor dogs should be mindful of with an outdoor dog?

Thanks :thumbs:

mac
 
Thats a fine looking dog you have there. I don't know how cold is too cold for a dog that stays outside all of the time. I know there is a trailer park down the road from me that is overrun with stray dogs. It gets pretty darn cold here ( It was 6 degrees last week ) and there never seems to phase those dogs.
 
switters said:
Thats a fine looking dog you have there. I don't know how cold is too cold for a dog that stays outside all of the time. I know there is a trailer park down the road from me that is overrun with stray dogs. It gets pretty darn cold here ( It was 6 degrees last week ) and there never seems to phase those dogs.
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Trailer parks in North Carolina!?! You sh*t me not? AND stray dogs. :laugh: :0 :) Here in Texas we tie our dogs up around the trailer park so when the Po Po shows up he can take the gun away from my wife and find my six kids! :sign:


If anyone is offended, I just couldn't pass this up. Take no offense please. :)

Nice dog Mac!
 
Rebel Herfer said:
Trailer parks in North Carolina!?! You sh*t me not? AND stray dogs. :laugh: :0 :) Here in Texas we tie our dogs up around the trailer park so when the Po Po shows up he can take the gun away from my wife and find my six kids! :sign:


If anyone is offended, I just couldn't pass this up. Take no offense please. :)

Nice dog Mac!
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I take offense to that Jeff...I live in a trailer park here in North Carolina where my 6 dogs run astray.


:laugh: J/K....I have a Rottie that's an outside dog and I lined her house with insulation board and sealed all the seams so air can't get in. She also has a plastic flap that covers the door to her house and lined the bottom with cedar chips for her to lay in.
 
Jonesy said:
She also has a plastic flap that covers the door to her house
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This is definately the first thing I am going to do tomorrow. I need to get a flap on the front to keep the wind out and his heat in. I also like the idea about insulation board. Now I'm looking into doggie house heaters...

mac
 
Thanks for taking the dog. If the dog is used to being out at night and the cold he should be ok down to the 20s. They say the thing about dog houses is they shouldnt be much bigger than the dog. The dogs body heat radiates to the surrounding air, keeping the dog warm. Below 20 and I would let him in.

Thanks again for taking care of Cash, he has an intelligent look about him.
 
moki said:
Do you want to keep him an outdoor dog? Given where you live, I think it's possible extreme heat might be worse of a problem than extreme cold? You need to make sure he has easy access to water in that case.

I think you may find this useful:

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogT...ackyardDogs.php
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Funny... I acutally read this very same article last night. You must use google Moki! Anyway, I realize that having the dog isolated outside probably isn't the best situation for him. In the wild they live within their pack and are almost never alone. I wonder what the little guy feels like when his pack (now me and my fiance) go inside and leave him outside? Ahhhh... ! But this is the situation that we are delt with. I am going to be letting him in the kitchen at night when it starts getting colder outside. The other thing on my mind though is that in the last 48 hours Cash has gotten more attention and affection than he ever has. In the 8 months we have been in this house, I have only one time seen him out from the other back yard. They never walked him and I never saw them back there with him. He is just so HAPPY that someone is willing to play with him now. It is really a sight to behold!

As for the summer... I have no idea what I'm going to do for the guy! I can't leave him out in the Texas sun and I won't. I still have several months to hash out that plan. Thanks for chiming in guys!

mac
 
Houses should be lived in, dogs should be on sofas.

Let him in the house, he'll like you both more than you like each other.

NA
 
Jonesy said:
Rebel Herfer said:
Trailer parks in North Carolina!?! You sh*t me not? AND stray dogs. :laugh: :0 :) Here in Texas we tie our dogs up around the trailer park so when the Po Po shows up he can take the gun away from my wife and find my six kids! :sign:


If anyone is offended, I just couldn't pass this up. Take no offense please. :)

Nice dog Mac!
Click to expand...
I take offense to that Jeff...I live in a trailer park here in North Carolina where my 6 dogs run astray.


:laugh: J/K....I have a Rottie that's an outside dog and I lined her house with insulation board and sealed all the seams so air can't get in. She also has a plastic flap that covers the door to her house and lined the bottom with cedar chips for her to lay in.
Click to expand...

BUT you're still in a trailer park, right?

Somehow I don't think the word "astray" pops up in TP conversation. :whistling: :laugh: :) BTW - How the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks are you brother?
 
Nice dog and doghouse. In addition to the flap for the door, you might want to grab a pack of shingles and cover the roof. Inexpensive, and will increase the life of the house.

If you want to trick it out, why not add some aluminum siding? Heh heh... :laugh:
 
SamClemmons said:
Houses should be lived in, dogs should be on sofas.

Let him in the house, he'll like you both more than you like each other.

NA
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Cssh looks part pit, living in the house on the sofa is probably not a great idea, as it might give his dominant side a chance to come out......I rescued a lab/pit mix almost two years ago and I am still battling that with her. The PO let her sleep in the bed and basically run amok in the house which led her to believe she was the pack leader....not good since she is 95lbs and hates dogs (just ask my bank account which is about 3k shy of cigar funds for vet bills from 2 unfortunate dog fight incidents).....
 
Cash looks like a good dog, and you are a very kind soul to take in what's thrown away by others. I suggest a combination of inside and outside and see how he does. Let him own the yard and be a guest in the house. My dog is an inside dog, but if he's been raised outside he'll be fine. He is a dog afterall. On cold nights let him sleep inside. On very hot days, make sure he has shade. If you have a covered porch, he'll be fine as long as he has lots of water. They make cedar chip poof beds that work wonders for retaining heat that you can put in his house. I agree about shingles, too. You don't have to know how to roof to make that wood roof last longer and not leak. Caulk the inside seams and try a doggy door.

The only problem I see with a doggy door is he may like to keep his head out and watch the world go by, so maybe make it detachable on a piece of plywood that you can bungy to the opening on cold nights.

If you ensure that he respects you and yours as higher ranked in your pack, you'll be fine. Don't make going outside a bad thing, like punishment. If he does something bad in the house, don't yell and throw him out or he'll associate outside with being bad. Punish him inside by putting him in a crate. If he's going to live a majority of outside, you want him to love being outdoors.
 
Seavita said:
SamClemmons said:
Houses should be lived in, dogs should be on sofas.

Let him in the house, he'll like you both more than you like each other.

NA
Click to expand...



Cssh looks part pit, living in the house on the sofa is probably not a great idea, as it might give his dominant side a chance to come out......I rescued a lab/pit mix almost two years ago and I am still battling that with her. The PO let her sleep in the bed and basically run amok in the house which led her to believe she was the pack leader....not good since she is 95lbs and hates dogs (just ask my bank account which is about 3k shy of cigar funds for vet bills from 2 unfortunate dog fight incidents).....
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Hah! I've got an Akita foundling. Hates other dogs. The solution is training and not letting him/her run free. Walk him on a lead EVERY day. One method is as good as another. Never allow him to walk ahead of you, change directions abruptly, frequently. The object is to get him looking at you to anticipate what YOU are doing. Once you get that down buy a long lead 30' or so and stand in the back yard with him tethered. Have a few treats... or whatever motivates him. Make him sit and toss a treat 10' feet or so. When he goes after it bring him up short and sit him next to you again. When he's calm let him get the treat and praise him... rinse and repeat. A can with pennies in it or a 6" piece of chain or even water filled baggies thrown near the dog to break his concentration is effective too. You'll be the pack leader in no time with a dog who looks to you for direction. Put in the time and save your money.

NA
 
SamClemmons said:
Houses should be lived in, dogs should be on sofas.

Let him in the house, he'll like you both more than you like each other.

NA
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I agree......unless you have a couple GDs, then they take over your sofa. We had to just buy them their own sofa.
 
Our neighbor has 2 outside dogs. He's insulated the doghouses and makes sure they have plenty of water (they need this just as much when it's very cold as they do when it's hot). They go in the heated garage if it goes below -10*. The rest of the time they are outside and they use their own houses to stay warm. One is a Gordon Setter and the other is a Boxer.

My point is, I doubt it will get cold enough where you are to be harmful as long as you air seal the doghouse. I'd also put shingles on the roof.

Personally, I would at least try to train the dog to be an indoor dog. There's nothing better than having a well behaved dog in the house.

Good luck!
 
Thought I would give a little update on the little guy. Yesterday I went out looking for a dog door or some kind of doggie flap for the front of his house. Found a couple at Petsmart that were really overpriced, so I went over to Lowes where I found a couple of bathtub floor mats that looked to be just perfect. Brought them home and secured two (overlapping) over his door on the dog house. They work great! He seems to enjoy them also, as he spends his nights nested in his house. Here is my next little project...

Hound Heater II

Its really just a box that holds a 60-100 watt light bulb. Secure it in the house, put in the bulb and help your little doggie stay toasty in the winter. I'm sure it will help on these chilly nights.

Cash seems to be settling in really nicely. I found out that the guy across the street actually adopted him from the shelter. Bastid! Rescue a dog just to imprison him in isolation! :angry: Cash doesn't have to worry about that now. He's getting daily walks and plenty of love... not to mention some new toys to boot!

mac
 
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