Keeping Dogs Outside: A Recipe for Behavioral Issues

Many times I am asked the question, “Why should my dog not live out side?” The question should be, “Why is it important for my dog to live inside?” Over time, most dog professionals have evolved the school of thought on this subject. The key is understanding that dogs are social, pack animals. They require adequate social interaction with other pack members, their human partners, to properly function as a cohesive unit with psychological stability.

When dogs don’t live inside, they have a much greater tendency to function as an extended pack member; more often they are their own pack and behave in a manner more like their counter part the wolf. With limited contact with humans, setting expectations of normal social interaction and function becomes unfair. Your dog will develop his own patterns of behavior based on his natural system of communication, that does not align with yours, because he’s never been taught. Then when placed in seemingly normal circumstances of interaction like with kids, friendly strangers, unfamiliar friends, new family members, or other animals, they are so stressed and under skilled that they make mistakes in judgment and bad decisions. At best these mistakes are little accidents or awkward situations, but often they result in injury to people, other animals, or the dog itself. They may bolt; only to be hit and killed by a moving vehicle, or ultimately this behavior will get them discarded, sent to a shelter because they seemingly can no longer be lived with.

Given the fact that they are social animals, they require social interaction and leadership to prevent behavior issues from being learned. When dogs live inside a home with their human partners, they have opportunity for proper rules, structure, and boundaries to become better companions and family members. When dogs don’t live outside, their risk for social alienation that creates unwanted behavior is greatly reduced and then can be effectively taught the needed skills for functioning as the family’s companion. These skills are needed not only for reliable associations but also a good quality of life for your pet.

The list of reasons of why it is important for your dog to live inside could go on and on. The bottom line is, you chose to bring a dog into your life and with that decision you made a commitment to enter into a relationship and fulfill the other party’s needs beyond food, water and shelter. If you love this entity, and if the dog is actually going to have an opportunity for a decent quality of life beyond your back yard, living in the house is a necessity. Otherwise the dog is merely living to exist.

Dean Miller
Professional Obedience Specialist & Behavior Therapist
www.dogscalifornia.com
(281) 380-8175

Free Feeding vs Scheduled Feeding

Feeding schedules for dogs vary from household to household and many owners struggle with making the decision that works for them.  At LSBR, we encourage feeding dogs on a schedule, as free feeding can introduce behavior issues, and will mask potential health issues.

Reasons why free-feeding is not encouraged:

• Dogs that normally get along fine and without issue may fight over food, edible treats, etc.
• Overweight/underweight dogs – difficult to monitor food intake
• You have no idea who ate and what and how much (if a dog is not feeling well, you will know sooner rather than later because he’s off his food)
• Food is fresh
• You won’t encourage pesky insects to come to dinner
• House training is much easier (for those that don’t appreciate unexpected surprises).  Dogs that eat at regular intervals have bowel movements at regular intervals.

How do I change our routine?  What if my dog doesn’t eat his breakfast?

Its’ doubtful your dog will miss more than a couple of meals unless he’s ill.  Your dog will learn to eat when food is provided.  Offer a good-quality dog food (cheap dog foods create more waste and can cause other health issues) at regularly scheduled times.  Give the dog 10 to 20 minutes to eat, and then remove the food.  Offer another meal at the next scheduled time.  Don’t offer in-between snacks/meals.

To teach a dog to eat at meals and not expect free-feeding, you have to take away the free food and feed only at mealtimes. You have to be completely consistent about it, so that the dog doesn’t think it’s “just for today.”

Food is a huge motivator to use in training. Pieces of the dog’s regular food are easiest on the stomach for this purpose.

Remember that food used as treats still counts in the dog’s daily intake, and adjust meals to allow for it. You might even decide to feed some meals as treats. When a dog is in need of physical or mental exercise, hiding the food for the dog to find can be just the ticket.

You can also use a toy such as a Kong or hollow raw bone to make mealtime more fun. Anytime you put your dog into a crate is a good time for a treat, whether it’s just a small piece or a food-stuffed Kong/raw bone.

A good time for a treat reward is when a dog is doing something you like and want to see the dog do more often…..such has going in to his crate.