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Need Dog Buying Tips (1 Viewer)

B-Deep said:
Jayrod said:
boots11234 said:
What was the title of the cat thread that he posted in? I want to read that first so I can properly pile on here.
Another guy's wife wanted to get rid of their cats because they were having a baby and this place wanted to lynch him.

Just like me, the guy was just trying to figure out what to do, but apparently unless you include your pets on your family Christmas cards dressed in sweaters and leave them half your estate in your will, you are Michael Vick.

There is no room for rational discussion with the iPetNuts
so, for the elevntybillionth time

since you are trying to figure out what to do, are you going to call some vets and ask their opinion?

as a follow up, since you re trying to decide what to do, has anything here given you even the slightest bit of pause as to your original plan?
Yes and yes.
i hope you do and i hope you acurately report what the vets say, i'll be shocked if any recommend you having the dogs live outside
I thought this was settled science? Why would they say anything else but dogs must live inside or they are better off dead as you people are trying to tell me?
you sound like you are very open minded

honestly, as i JUST SAID, i would be shocked if they did. But vets are people and maybe you come across one who doesn't give a #### as long as you bring the dogs to them.

far more likely is you just come in and spout some BS about how you called 10 vets and 9 of them said it was no big deal, even though you called none

and still more likely than that you are just fishing. Which is really what we all hope because you seem horribly unprepared to be a dog owner

 
B-Deep said:
Jayrod said:
boots11234 said:
What was the title of the cat thread that he posted in? I want to read that first so I can properly pile on here.
Another guy's wife wanted to get rid of their cats because they were having a baby and this place wanted to lynch him.

Just like me, the guy was just trying to figure out what to do, but apparently unless you include your pets on your family Christmas cards dressed in sweaters and leave them half your estate in your will, you are Michael Vick.

There is no room for rational discussion with the iPetNuts
so, for the elevntybillionth time

since you are trying to figure out what to do, are you going to call some vets and ask their opinion?

as a follow up, since you re trying to decide what to do, has anything here given you even the slightest bit of pause as to your original plan?
Yes and yes.
i hope you do and i hope you acurately report what the vets say, i'll be shocked if any recommend you having the dogs live outside
I thought this was settled science? Why would they say anything else but dogs must live inside or they are better off dead as you people are trying to tell me?
Just call around and find a vet that will agree with you.

 
I hope for the dogs' sake that he is fishing. With the way he's flying off the handle here, I'd hate to see what happens the first time the dogs dig up the flower bed because they got bored with the 0.6 acres.

 
I have a boat in my backyard. It's never been in the water to my knowledge. Sometimes I put on my captain's hat and I sit in the boat and imagine I'm out on the high seas. Sometimes I'm a pirate, sometimes I'm Columbus!

 
jwb said:
Jayrod said:
Our family is buying a new home soon with a large fenced in yard (about .6 acres fenced). We have an 8 yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter and we have decided to get 2 dogs.

My wife is really adamant about not getting mutts from the pound and I'm OK with that because it is really hard to know what you are going to get. My son is pretty set on a Chocolate Lab and my daughter and wife seem to want a Golden Retriever. All research seems to indicate these are both good family dogs. Goal is a male Lab and female GR, spayed and neutered and living exclusively outside. We live in Southwest Missouri and both dogs should be fine with the weather. It can get up to 100 degrees in the Summer and down to zero in the Winter, but only for very brief times. Most of the year it is quite mild. The house does have a mud room we could use in cases of extreme cold and there is a ton of shade trees in the backyard for hot summers.

What I'm looking for is where in the world do you find a good puppy? I've never bought a dog personally and I'm not sure how to even go about it. I did some searches online, but didn't really find an option I was real comfortable with. Also, any tips on how to make a smooth transition for the dogs to their new environment, must have equipment and general advice on raising puppies with young children would be appreciated.

TIA, Will answer yours.
Don't get dogs.
Jackass 1

 
3C said:
jwb said:
Jayrod said:
Our family is buying a new home soon with a large fenced in yard (about .6 acres fenced). We have an 8 yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter and we have decided to get 2 dogs.

My wife is really adamant about not getting mutts from the pound and I'm OK with that because it is really hard to know what you are going to get. My son is pretty set on a Chocolate Lab and my daughter and wife seem to want a Golden Retriever. All research seems to indicate these are both good family dogs. Goal is a male Lab and female GR, spayed and neutered and living exclusively outside. We live in Southwest Missouri and both dogs should be fine with the weather. It can get up to 100 degrees in the Summer and down to zero in the Winter, but only for very brief times. Most of the year it is quite mild. The house does have a mud room we could use in cases of extreme cold and there is a ton of shade trees in the backyard for hot summers.

What I'm looking for is where in the world do you find a good puppy? I've never bought a dog personally and I'm not sure how to even go about it. I did some searches online, but didn't really find an option I was real comfortable with. Also, any tips on how to make a smooth transition for the dogs to their new environment, must have equipment and general advice on raising puppies with young children would be appreciated.

TIA, Will answer yours.
Don't get dogs.
Seconded. And my alternate personality thirds it.
#2 (&3?)

 
John Bender said:
My lord.

You want to BUY 2 dogs from a breeder and have them live exclusively outside?

There's thousands of other labs in pounds or shelters right now that ended up there because they were purchased from a breeder and kept outside exclusively by owners like you.

If having 2 dogs indoors means too much work or trouble for you, just get one - or get a cat, or a turtle. Dogs shouldn't be exclusively outside animals, especially for a large family like yours.

I don't know anything about you personally, but just from your initial post, you are the worst candidate to be a dog owner. Spend some time maybe volunteering at a shelter for a few weeks walking a few of the unwanted lab mixes and maybe you'll start to feel differently? I don't know. I don't mean this as insulting, but for the sake of the dogs that will wind up either outside permanently or in a shelter somewhere, Please don't purchase dogs.
Probably missed some, but here's another

 
jwb said:
Jayrod said:
Our family is buying a new home soon with a large fenced in yard (about .6 acres fenced). We have an 8 yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter and we have decided to get 2 dogs.

My wife is really adamant about not getting mutts from the pound and I'm OK with that because it is really hard to know what you are going to get. My son is pretty set on a Chocolate Lab and my daughter and wife seem to want a Golden Retriever. All research seems to indicate these are both good family dogs. Goal is a male Lab and female GR, spayed and neutered and living exclusively outside. We live in Southwest Missouri and both dogs should be fine with the weather. It can get up to 100 degrees in the Summer and down to zero in the Winter, but only for very brief times. Most of the year it is quite mild. The house does have a mud room we could use in cases of extreme cold and there is a ton of shade trees in the backyard for hot summers.

What I'm looking for is where in the world do you find a good puppy? I've never bought a dog personally and I'm not sure how to even go about it. I did some searches online, but didn't really find an option I was real comfortable with. Also, any tips on how to make a smooth transition for the dogs to their new environment, must have equipment and general advice on raising puppies with young children would be appreciated.

TIA, Will answer yours.
Don't get dogs.
Jackass 1
So you're not really looking for tips, just justification for being a poor dog owner.

 
This explains it I guess

I'm just curious to know how many of you guys advocating divorce over getting rid of the cats are also pro-choice? There are some really effed up priorities in this place. It's a freaking cat!

If a pet of any kind in for any reason is worth the divorce then you should've never been married in the first place. And I weep for the children of any parents got divorced over a freaking pet. That is messed up.
Yeah I wouldn't place a child in adoption to satisfy an irrational woman either. And it is not a cat or dog. It is a member of the family. The cats didn't pick them they picked the cats. There is a responsibility that comes with making that choice.
It is not a member of the family.Our society's obsession with pets is moral relativism at its pinnacle. Freaking disgusting.

Do you people want to know really why you like your pets so much? Because they serve you as master. It's not a real family relationship it is an owner pet relationship. They have no say in anything you do and you love it that way. It is a sick selfish thing that makes people love their pets more than other people.
 
think I understand the "20 year" thing now.

with only a 6000 year old earth, dog evolution just happened in like the last week and a half.

 
This explains it I guess

I'm just curious to know how many of you guys advocating divorce over getting rid of the cats are also pro-choice? There are some really effed up priorities in this place. It's a freaking cat!

If a pet of any kind in for any reason is worth the divorce then you should've never been married in the first place. And I weep for the children of any parents got divorced over a freaking pet. That is messed up.
Yeah I wouldn't place a child in adoption to satisfy an irrational woman either. And it is not a cat or dog. It is a member of the family. The cats didn't pick them they picked the cats. There is a responsibility that comes with making that choice.
It is not a member of the family.Our society's obsession with pets is moral relativism at its pinnacle. Freaking disgusting.

Do you people want to know really why you like your pets so much? Because they serve you as master. It's not a real family relationship it is an owner pet relationship. They have no say in anything you do and you love it that way. It is a sick selfish thing that makes people love their pets more than other people.
So if I don't treat a pet as well as a child, I'm not fit to have a pet?

 
jwb said:
Jayrod said:
Our family is buying a new home soon with a large fenced in yard (about .6 acres fenced). We have an 8 yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter and we have decided to get 2 dogs.

My wife is really adamant about not getting mutts from the pound and I'm OK with that because it is really hard to know what you are going to get. My son is pretty set on a Chocolate Lab and my daughter and wife seem to want a Golden Retriever. All research seems to indicate these are both good family dogs. Goal is a male Lab and female GR, spayed and neutered and living exclusively outside. We live in Southwest Missouri and both dogs should be fine with the weather. It can get up to 100 degrees in the Summer and down to zero in the Winter, but only for very brief times. Most of the year it is quite mild. The house does have a mud room we could use in cases of extreme cold and there is a ton of shade trees in the backyard for hot summers.

What I'm looking for is where in the world do you find a good puppy? I've never bought a dog personally and I'm not sure how to even go about it. I did some searches online, but didn't really find an option I was real comfortable with. Also, any tips on how to make a smooth transition for the dogs to their new environment, must have equipment and general advice on raising puppies with young children would be appreciated.

TIA, Will answer yours.
Don't get dogs.
Jackass 1
So you're not really looking for tips, just justification for being a poor dog owner.
No looking for tips.

"Don't get dogs" isn't a tip, its a jackass comment.

 
Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.

 
Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.
I guess this depends on your definition of abused. For many of us, being forced outside in extreme conditions would be considered abuse. But i guess that does not count.

 
jwb said:
Jayrod said:
Our family is buying a new home soon with a large fenced in yard (about .6 acres fenced). We have an 8 yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter and we have decided to get 2 dogs.

My wife is really adamant about not getting mutts from the pound and I'm OK with that because it is really hard to know what you are going to get. My son is pretty set on a Chocolate Lab and my daughter and wife seem to want a Golden Retriever. All research seems to indicate these are both good family dogs. Goal is a male Lab and female GR, spayed and neutered and living exclusively outside. We live in Southwest Missouri and both dogs should be fine with the weather. It can get up to 100 degrees in the Summer and down to zero in the Winter, but only for very brief times. Most of the year it is quite mild. The house does have a mud room we could use in cases of extreme cold and there is a ton of shade trees in the backyard for hot summers.

What I'm looking for is where in the world do you find a good puppy? I've never bought a dog personally and I'm not sure how to even go about it. I did some searches online, but didn't really find an option I was real comfortable with. Also, any tips on how to make a smooth transition for the dogs to their new environment, must have equipment and general advice on raising puppies with young children would be appreciated.

TIA, Will answer yours.
Don't get dogs.
Jackass 1
So you're not really looking for tips, just justification for being a poor dog owner.
No looking for tips.

"Don't get dogs" isn't a tip, its a jackass comment.
OK, here's a tip; contact a couple reputable vets in your area and ask what breeds you can have strictly as an outside pet. Follow their advice. And research the breeds you're interested in.

If labs aren't on their list of outside dogs, don't call them a "jackass".

 
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This explains it I guess

I'm just curious to know how many of you guys advocating divorce over getting rid of the cats are also pro-choice? There are some really effed up priorities in this place. It's a freaking cat!

If a pet of any kind in for any reason is worth the divorce then you should've never been married in the first place. And I weep for the children of any parents got divorced over a freaking pet. That is messed up.
Yeah I wouldn't place a child in adoption to satisfy an irrational woman either. And it is not a cat or dog. It is a member of the family. The cats didn't pick them they picked the cats. There is a responsibility that comes with making that choice.
It is not a member of the family.Our society's obsession with pets is moral relativism at its pinnacle. Freaking disgusting.

Do you people want to know really why you like your pets so much? Because they serve you as master. It's not a real family relationship it is an owner pet relationship. They have no say in anything you do and you love it that way. It is a sick selfish thing that makes people love their pets more than other people.
So if I don't treat a pet as well as a child, I'm not fit to have a pet?
i think you are missing the point that most of the people here believe that a pet is a part of the family and for that reason, lives in the house. You clearly do not feel the same.
 
Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.
did someone argue that dogs are people?

now if they wanted to argue chimps are people, that i could be down with

 
This explains it I guess

I'm just curious to know how many of you guys advocating divorce over getting rid of the cats are also pro-choice? There are some really effed up priorities in this place. It's a freaking cat!

If a pet of any kind in for any reason is worth the divorce then you should've never been married in the first place. And I weep for the children of any parents got divorced over a freaking pet. That is messed up.
Yeah I wouldn't place a child in adoption to satisfy an irrational woman either. And it is not a cat or dog. It is a member of the family. The cats didn't pick them they picked the cats. There is a responsibility that comes with making that choice.
It is not a member of the family.Our society's obsession with pets is moral relativism at its pinnacle. Freaking disgusting.

Do you people want to know really why you like your pets so much? Because they serve you as master. It's not a real family relationship it is an owner pet relationship. They have no say in anything you do and you love it that way. It is a sick selfish thing that makes people love their pets more than other people.
So if I don't treat a pet as well as a child, I'm not fit to have a pet?
i think you are missing the point that most of the people here believe that a pet is a part of the family and for that reason, lives in the house. You clearly do not feel the same.
He's not missing the point, he just doesn't give a ####. He doesn't want opinions or suggestions, he wants to be coddled and told he's doing a good thing.

 
Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.
If your wife wanted to let the dogs live in the house, would you be opposed?

 
Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.
did someone argue that dogs are people?

now if they wanted to argue chimps are people, that i could be down with
I've been asked about 10 times in this thread if I would put my kids outside of if I'd like it if I lived outside.

Apparently there is some kind of rationale for the pets indoors crowd that uses human comfort as justification for how to treat pets.

 
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Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.
did someone argue that dogs are people?

now if they wanted to argue chimps are people, that i could be down with
I've been asked about 10 times in this thread if I would put my kids outside of if I'd like it if I lived outside.

Apparently there is some kind of rationale for the pets indoors crowd that uses human comfort as justification for how to treat pets.
well that is because dogs see you as part of their family, and if your family shows as much love as you say dogs will be seen as part of your family

but that does not mean dogs are people, i mean there is some genetics involved

more accurately than the dog being a person the dog will see you as dogs, and wonder why some dogs get the privilege of a nice house while they are banished to the cold wet rain of an October evening

 
Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.
did someone argue that dogs are people?

now if they wanted to argue chimps are people, that i could be down with
I've been asked about 10 times in this thread if I would put my kids outside of if I'd like it if I lived outside.

Apparently there is some kind of rationale for the pets indoors crowd that uses human comfort as justification for how to treat pets.
Yes there is a rationale due to you saying the reason you dont want the dogs living in the house is because you and the misses are neat freaks, thus you must force your kids to live outside.

Get it??

 
Before we get into this, no, I don't think dogs are people.

You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are animals. They can be great companions and deserve to be treated well and never abused, but they still aren't people.
If your wife wanted to let the dogs live in the house, would you be opposed?
I don't like the idea.
In all seriousness.

There is a reason any decent breeder will outright refuse to give you a dog if you tell them you are going to let the dog live outside.

While on normal temperature days it is not illegal to keep your dog outside year round, it is just immoral for most people....fine, in the last 20-30 years it has been more immoral.

You may disagree but that is the advice you are being given by many people. You came looking for many pieces of great information that any dog owner should know but yes, the main thing is dogs want to be a part of your family and receive your love...ok...all this in the last 20-30 years.

If all a dog wants to do is love you and serve you and your response is to let them live outside and not be a part of your daily life, people view that as immoral.

It's just that simple.

You may view it as fanatical, crazy or whatever but if you wanted an open minded discussion that is what has been laid at your feet along with my (and others) jackass comments of course.

 
John Bender said:
My lord.

You want to BUY 2 dogs from a breeder and have them live exclusively outside?

There's thousands of other labs in pounds or shelters right now that ended up there because they were purchased from a breeder and kept outside exclusively by owners like you.

If having 2 dogs indoors means too much work or trouble for you, just get one - or get a cat, or a turtle. Dogs shouldn't be exclusively outside animals, especially for a large family like yours.

I don't know anything about you personally, but just from your initial post, you are the worst candidate to be a dog owner. Spend some time maybe volunteering at a shelter for a few weeks walking a few of the unwanted lab mixes and maybe you'll start to feel differently? I don't know. I don't mean this as insulting, but for the sake of the dogs that will wind up either outside permanently or in a shelter somewhere, Please don't purchase dogs.
Probably missed some, but here's another
You asked for advice, and as someone with lots of experience in this arena, my advice was not to get a dog. I meant that sincerely. I don't see where I was a jackass, but thanks.

 
As an owner of two mutts from the pound, everything about your original post makes me shudder.

PLEASE do yourself and any prospective dogs a favor and don't get (especially buy) them.

 
Buddy Ball 2K3 said:
I can picture it now. Its a cold winter night in Jayrodville, the fire place is crackling with a warm glow as the wife and kids frolic in their living room and Jayrod sits in his easy chair puffing away on his pipe over looking the entire scene. Mean while his two pure breeds are sitting outside looking through a frosted window and wishing they could be inside next to the warm,dry fireplace and with the family they devote their lives to.

It warms my heart I tell ya.
You forgot to add: his children have grown tired of the dogs so now the only interaction they get is twice a day when Jayrod throws left overs from the night before out into the lawn.

 
:lmao: at this :potkettle: crap.

The fishing is rich; you're good at it. I'll give you that much. This had been an entertaining thread.

 
This is a pretty good article on the subject http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/can-dogs-live-outside-in-all-seasons.htm I just got a Bloodhound puppy he is 4 months old and already 40 pounds he is going to be a big boy but he is going to be (already is)an inside dog.I live in Florida and the weather is just to extreme to leave a dog outside at all times.
"Any dog will suffer if left outside in extremely low temperatures, but shorthaired breeds like Labrador retrievers, Weimaraners, beagles and greyhounds, as well as young, old or ill dogs are most susceptible to hypothermia, a potentially deadly condition where body temperature falls below normal. "

"Generally speaking, most experts agree that, for many reasons, it's always best to keep your dog indoors -- and it's never best to leave him or her outdoors unattended for extended periods of time. "

But that's ok because Jayrod has a mud room that I'm sure 2 large dogs will do just fine being confined it even though they are used to having over half an acre to run freely.

:lmao: confining not 1 but 2 labs in a mud room for a few days. That'll work for a couple of neat freaks.

 
Wasting keystrokes trying to talk sense into this clown. And don't expect him to man up and admit he was wrong when the dogs dig up the yard, bark constantly, escape the yard, etc.

 
Have you decided where you are going to lock up the dogs when you want to entertain in your backyard?

Muddy, ignored dogs that never get to be around people don't make great cookout guests.

Nevermind, a couple of lonely labs will make sure your back porch and yard aren't something you want show off anyway

 
Growing up, any dogs I had were suburban backyard outside dogs. I take that back, one dog got a week inside (after much pleading from me) and then it destroyed some Christmas ornaments while we were sleeping one night and was banished to the back yard. We'd let them in for particularly bad weather, but in southern California that was really not an issue more than a handful of times. Looking back on my childhood, I don't recall any of my friends having an inside dog. The dogs of my childhood never stuck out to me, they weren't really part of the family even though we all probably would have described them as a family dog.

When I became an adult, I adopted an older Lab/Golden mix from the local SPCA and made it an inside dog. One of the best behaved dogs I've ever had and it was truly part of the family. The relationship with inside dogs are on a whole different level and I wouldn't think of having it any other way since experiencing it first hand. There are some bad parts, like when they shred the trash or whatever, but the right frame of mind isn't to blame the dog it's to understand "I made this scenario possible, I've got to be better about protecting the trash ... especially if there's something smelly in there." Since then, we've had 3 dogs that were all inside dogs. I'm certain that the last 3 dogs would be labeled bad dogs if they were kept outside with the barking, howling, digging and trouble they'd otherwise get into. Inside, the bond is so much stronger and their behavior is so much better. They shed and they sometimes get into trouble inside, you've got to manage both situations (unless you get a breed that doesn't shed). There are also benefits to inside dogs though, one of which is that when we're gone they have the run of the house and I'm confident that their presence in the house helps dissuade anyone who might be interested in breaking in. With small kids, any small crumbs that make it to the floor are instantly cleaned up, which is a perk too.

It sounds like I grew up in a situation similar to you (minus the farm thing), but having experienced both I'd never do anything other than an inside dog again. Right now we have a lab pup that's roughly a year old we got from the local pound about a month ago. She's a really terrific dog (would be eating everything in sight outside, though - rocks, twigs, snails, kids toys, hoses, toads, whatever) but she's got this little nibbling problem, she likes to play by nibbling adults hands. One way we're training her is to make that hurt yelp, tell her no bite and then disengage playing with her when she does it (just a tiny bit of social isolation). When that happens, her world is turned upside down. You can just feel the hurt in that few minutes of pretending like she doesn't exist. I can't imagine what that dog would feel like if it was outside for the hours we're doing things like showering, eating dinner, chores or whatever. Now, she sits by us and feels content during those times we can't devote attention to her. Outside, it'd be that social isolation on a bigger level.

We try to engage our puppy a lot. We take her out to the farmers market, to socialize at dog parks, we play with her outside, go on walks/runs. We're trying really hard with that, because she's kind of new. If I had to guess we might average about 1.5-2 hours a day of that sort of stuff and then maybe another 2 if the weather is good enough and the kids play outside with her. In my best case scenario, we're spending 4 of 24 hours with them. in my childhood, I can remember the dogs still being attached to us, it was like christmas every time we went outside with all the pent up need for attention. We weren't as attached to them, though and often time that pent up need for attention just seemed like them being "bad dogs." Having a dog be an inside dog is just as good for what it does to you (that deep attachment - a true family dog) as it is for them. Just my two cents. I'd recommend giving it a shot at least.

 
Reegus said:
I hope your outside dogs get rabies and ravage your children.
Pretty cool. I can't remember ever using the report function before, but this one and Bucky's following it got reported.

 
Growing up, any dogs I had were suburban backyard outside dogs. I take that back, one dog got a week inside (after much pleading from me) and then it destroyed some Christmas ornaments while we were sleeping one night and was banished to the back yard. We'd let them in for particularly bad weather, but in southern California that was really not an issue more than a handful of times. Looking back on my childhood, I don't recall any of my friends having an inside dog. The dogs of my childhood never stuck out to me, they weren't really part of the family even though we all probably would have described them as a family dog.

When I became an adult, I adopted an older Lab/Golden mix from the local SPCA and made it an inside dog. One of the best behaved dogs I've ever had and it was truly part of the family. The relationship with inside dogs are on a whole different level and I wouldn't think of having it any other way since experiencing it first hand. There are some bad parts, like when they shred the trash or whatever, but the right frame of mind isn't to blame the dog it's to understand "I made this scenario possible, I've got to be better about protecting the trash ... especially if there's something smelly in there." Since then, we've had 3 dogs that were all inside dogs. I'm certain that the last 3 dogs would be labeled bad dogs if they were kept outside with the barking, howling, digging and trouble they'd otherwise get into. Inside, the bond is so much stronger and their behavior is so much better. They shed and they sometimes get into trouble inside, you've got to manage both situations (unless you get a breed that doesn't shed). There are also benefits to inside dogs though, one of which is that when we're gone they have the run of the house and I'm confident that their presence in the house helps dissuade anyone who might be interested in breaking in. With small kids, any small crumbs that make it to the floor are instantly cleaned up, which is a perk too.

It sounds like I grew up in a situation similar to you (minus the farm thing), but having experienced both I'd never do anything other than an inside dog again. Right now we have a lab pup that's roughly a year old we got from the local pound about a month ago. She's a really terrific dog (would be eating everything in sight outside, though - rocks, twigs, snails, kids toys, hoses, toads, whatever) but she's got this little nibbling problem, she likes to play by nibbling adults hands. One way we're training her is to make that hurt yelp, tell her no bite and then disengage playing with her when she does it (just a tiny bit of social isolation). When that happens, her world is turned upside down. You can just feel the hurt in that few minutes of pretending like she doesn't exist. I can't imagine what that dog would feel like if it was outside for the hours we're doing things like showering, eating dinner, chores or whatever. Now, she sits by us and feels content during those times we can't devote attention to her. Outside, it'd be that social isolation on a bigger level.

We try to engage our puppy a lot. We take her out to the farmers market, to socialize at dog parks, we play with her outside, go on walks/runs. We're trying really hard with that, because she's kind of new. If I had to guess we might average about 1.5-2 hours a day of that sort of stuff and then maybe another 2 if the weather is good enough and the kids play outside with her. In my best case scenario, we're spending 4 of 24 hours with them. in my childhood, I can remember the dogs still being attached to us, it was like christmas every time we went outside with all the pent up need for attention. We weren't as attached to them, though and often time that pent up need for attention just seemed like them being "bad dogs." Having a dog be an inside dog is just as good for what it does to you (that deep attachment - a true family dog) as it is for them. Just my two cents. I'd recommend giving it a shot at least.
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