When can you put a puppy to an outside kennel?

Now, my puppy is not going to be an outside dog. She will be an inside dog. But our yard has a very nice outside kennel for our dog to go into. I feel guilty leaving it in the crate when we are gone to work (my wife and I come home at noon to take it out, but it is still in there for 4 hours at at a time). The outside kennel will allow it to run around more and there is some grass in it for it to go potty.

 

If your puppy is going to be alone for long stretches of time (4 hours is a long time for a young puppy) then it's much better for her to be outside in a kennel than inside in a crate.

 

This is not so in the U.K. it’s damp, miserable and cold outside for a lot of the year here.

Pups need company, they are social animals like we are - four hours is far too long, imo - indoors or out.

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Oh don't get me wrong, it's a bad vs very bad situation, but I was more thinking that at least in a kennel the puppy would have room to go into a run and wee and poo away from its den, which it can't do inside a crate. The OP is probably in North America judging by their language, and they might be in a very temperate area, not somewhere bleak, cold, and snowy.

 

My pup is only home 2hrs without someone coming to spend a few hours with him so we opted to leave him free in the kitchen (baby gated) rather than crate him. He has a crate but it's an open door policy. I felt better with him able to walk around than in the crate.

However we are also wondering when we can pen off an area in the back yard and build him a house and leave him out in the day for a few hours. In my mind I figure about 6-7 months old but I'm not sure if it's too soon or not?

 

I've never seen a dog running around in an outside kennel. IMO they don't exercise themselves if left alone. I think the main benefit of being outside (assuming weather conditions are ok), is that it can poo/wee.

I thought so to. Americans write as though they are speaking (with lots of superfluous words and using nouns as verbs), whereas Brits seem to write differently (using just enough words to get the message across). No right or wrong way, but I find the difference quite interesting. Finns are still further towards the other end of the scale....

 

She can probably start staying outside for short periods quite early. Weather permitting of course. My girl stays inside when we're out but she did stay outside a bit when she was younger. I found that she was a little less relaxed outside (not nervous as such, I think they're just a little more alert outside than snuggled up in a crate in the house) so we had to build up the time very gradually.

 

I have seen many a dog running around in an outside kennel. Usually it was also barking like mad as I walked by, either with or without my own dog. The dog's neighbours just love this noise every time someone passes. Poison, shooting or simply letting the kennelled or fenced in dog out often takes care of that problem. You cannot leave your dog unattended outside without realizing some people would resort to such actions.

 

I've thought about doing something like this for my girl, only in the summer when it's warm enough and only for short periods when I'm out, as I have my son's old playhouse which I've cleaned out.

However, there is no way I can imagine doing it now (she's 18 months) as she sometimes alert barks at noises or seeing people through the fence and I wouldn't want her to get anxious without me around. She has also jumped on to the back wall and wandered along it, she can't go anywhere else but I wouldn't want her to try.

So I can't see it happening until I was happy she was not doing anything which might harm her, cause her worry or trouble the neighbours. So maybe in a few years, maybe never.

I used to look after a lab who I left to wander in and out of the garden when I was at work, I left the back door open so she could choose to be in or out. She was at least 5 years old and never barked or got into trouble.

 

Each dog and each situation is different. Leaving a dog or pup in an outside pen may well be better than leaving it outside in a cage.

I would see how it goes, get your pup used to the outdoor pen by leaving her there for short periods of time. Slowly build up the time and maybe pop her in the outdoor pen for 15 - 30 minutes over the weekend when you can monitor how she gets on. See if she settles or begins to whine or bark. You could build up a little routine with leaving her outside in the morning and inside during the afternoon or the other way round depending which suits her best. Watch her body language, she'll tell you which she prefers and be ready for her to change her habits as she grows up.

My dog prefers to be inside and He'd drive the neighbours mad barking at the cats that creep past the back fence. He goes to a dog sitter while we are at work as there's no way we would be able to pop back during the day. At his dog sitter he has two long walks and is in her house between walks. But I visited another dog day care centre where the dogs were left all day in a large field with some shady trees around the edge. Their business was doing well and there were many dogs so many owners must think that being outside all day in the English weather was fine for their dog. It just wouldn't be suitable for mine.

 

My post was really meant to say: "Simply leaving a dog on their own to run free in their outside kennel, isn't going to help excercise them". Hopefully that's clearer if I quote more of my original post

 

This is how I use our outside kennel in Minnesota, USA..... The kennel is an 8 by 10 foot kennel with attached dog house. The material is metal fencing 6 feet high. It has a roof. The neighbors fence is 3 foot from the back side. The floor is concrete with rubber matts covering half. We have black rubber tubs filled with blankets for them to curl up in. When warmer we fill one with water for them to play in. And of course fresh water to drink. It's mostly shaded, but the sun hits one corner.

I think of it as an extension of our home. They nap here or have a Kong or femur for an hour or two here and there. They watch the birds and squirrels and the cars go by. Sometimes our Manx cat joins them. (Manx cats act like dogs. This one even goes out with our dogs to pee in the snow.)

Now that they are over a year we have left them for 4 hours or so but not all day. They don't pee or poop here I spose cuz we treat it as a living room. The neighbors know when we are gone and have numbers to call if they are barking (hasnt happened so far) or if there is bad weather or any other concerns.

There is so much to watch out for puppies.... Barking & chewing are just the most obvious. We started with short times and when we were home. It is lovely mopping your kitchen floor and having it stay clean for an hour.

 

We only use the outdoor kennel during nice weather, no winter use cuz they are acclimated to house living.

 

OP here. I do live in The United States. Iowa. I just think I would feel better leaving her outside.

 

What a horrible place to live. I certainly don't live in a town where someone would poison or shoot my dog for barking.

I see few dogs running around barking.

I think people are confusing "leaving my dog outside for two hours where he can move and toilet freely rather than be left in a cage for two hours" with "leaving my dog in the yard for 8 hours and be ignored all day every day."

I see LOTS of dogs outside in my neighbourhood who do not bark and make the neighbourhood miserable.

OP I think you have to do what you feel comfortable with. Try it one day and see how it goes. Just because you do it once doesnt mean you always have to. Most people ate horrified I dont crate my puppy, we lasted a day and hated it because it felt cruel. We leave him in the kitchen with baby gates andche has never once toileted or chewed/destroyed anything

Do what feels best to you. Let us know how it goes!

 

In the uk we have to be very careful about leaving dogs outside on their own whether in the garden or in dog runs as we do have a lot of dog thefts. Gun dogs are taken a lot were I live. I would not put my dogs at risk by leaving them alone outside.

 

I completely understand this.

I suspect the OP is in the situation where this is not a risk (for me this is not a risk either - there is no way into my yard and dog thefts are not a common occurrence).

I think it is more a question of when this is acceptable for the dog itself, rather than what potential risks are in certain areas as those things will vary around the world.

 

I THINK Coco might bark if he was in the garden. I sometimes used to leave the other 2 dogs with access to the garden when it was really nice weather - leaving the back door open & all the doors in the house. Coco, however, is not trusted to be able to access the kitchen so he couldn't get to the back door. He is confined to the hall and the spare bedroom when he's home alone.

 

OP, I understand feeling more comfortable leaving your puppy in an outside kennel. You can puppy proof easier than the house and there is more room for the pup to move than an indoor kennel. We had a dog that was a destructive chewer so be very careful with what you leave in the kennel. Will bedding be a problem? For a while we did put a portable kennel, without the door, in the outside kennel cuz Zeke was used to sleeping in it. And make sure neighbors have your number just in case of barking or whining. I had lovely neighbors that would do a visual check once in a while when we first left them.

Your initial question was how young? I think Zeke was just over six months.

I do think that mine would rather be outside when we are gone. As long as the weather is nice.

 

We have a dog nextdoor outside all the time in a kennel and run right next door to us so I can concur about the noise - this is only because the people seem to think it is a substitute for walking and interacting with the poor thing. We had Nibbler in the kitchen with gate until he was about four months then took the plunge and gave him wider range in house - he mostly just lies on the sofa. I have never complained about the noise but neighbours other side have sold up since they moved in - at least they could never complain if Nibbler makes a noise during the day. I have had many sleepless nights this winter worrying about the poor dog cos it has been so cold. A few times I have been going to phone RSPCA It breaks my heart as a dog lover. They have a new baby and think dog is definitely taking second place at the moment. Anyway if you are leaving your dog I think I would soend time getting it used to being there first - our neighbours just let their dog whine for the first few nights and it was heartbreaking to listen to - after a few nights it did settle down but still barks if anyone goes past or if we go in garden which is annoying.natural for dogs to bark if anyone passing so think about where kennel is. You need really understanding or deaf neighbours.