# Outdoor only Dog



## boerboy (Oct 7, 2012)

Is it possible to raise a dog completely outdoor? Never inside home. 5 acres of pasture. With Goats, chicken? And if there is a barn and also a thick wooden dog house close to patio?

We badly want a dog in our farm but with a toddler at home wifey is very concerned about health/hygiene. Dogs and Toddlers - any issues?


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## Farmfresh (Jan 11, 2009)

My best answer is that any animal needs to be watched around a toddler for safety sake. 

Even my most trusted animal might accidentally hurt a child if the child were to fall on them or something. As far as hygiene, if the dog is healthy, regularly de-wormed, bathed and kept flea free they are probably far less dirty and germ laden than a trip to the grocery store. Very few dog diseases can be spread to humans or vice versa. They have done studies that show a dog's mouth harbors far fewer bacteria that a person's mouth does. I still don't kiss them on the mouth (lol), but she should have little to fear from "dog germs". 

If you are picking a dog to be with a child I would choose a female in most cases. They just seem to "get" babies better. I would also get an older dog, at least two years old, especially if you are not familiar with raising dogs. That puppy stage can be rough sometimes. 

A dog CAN be completely outdoors in the situation that you describe, but it would be pretty harsh for any pack animal to be isolated away from the pack. You would be better off and the child would be safer in the long run if the dog was around the family, in the house and made a member of your family "pack".


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

sugumarg said:


> We badly want a dog in our farm but with a toddler at home wifey is very concerned about health/hygiene. Dogs and Toddlers - any issues?


It depends on the breed. I wouldn't raise most toy breeds with a small child because they are nippy. Shih tzus are ok, but most others tend to bite little kids. LGDs are absolutely wonderful with small children. I'd stay away from terriers and especially stay away from herding breeds too. Labs and goldens are good hearted, but can sometime just be too rambunctious and rough and knock kids down. They don't do it in a mean way, but labs especially are kind of hyper.
And, honestly, if your wife is worried about health issues and hygiene, you probably don't want a dog anyway. Some people are just not dog people. You don't want a dog to have to live with constant complaining and dislike.


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## Farmfresh (Jan 11, 2009)

Frankly if it was me I might consider getting the dog and shifting the germaphobe wife. Then again I am a dog person. ound:


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## Hespa (Sep 28, 2011)

We have always kept our dogs outside. We have had Shelties a number of years ago. Now we have a Bernese and next week we are picking up a Tornjak puppy. Our Bernese has been able to go wherever he wants on our property and he sleeps outside the door or if he doesn't like the weather he can go to the barn. They are the nicest dogs but unfortuately don't have an overly long lifespan.


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## Farmfresh (Jan 11, 2009)

Hespa - several dogs all kept outside do fine. No problems. ONE dog kept alone outside ... not so much. They are very social animals, like we people are. 

If his wife is worried about having a single dog around the kid talking her into a couple of dogs sounds impossible.


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## tracerracer (Oct 6, 2012)

I'm at the other 'end of Oregon and in Gaston absolutely you can have an outside only dog...... My DH is a 'dog person' (labs, gun dogs especially) BUT he is also an Asthmatic and allergic to dogs (and cats)......... Needless to say, all of our pets are outside.......... They have insulated doghouses and separate covered areas that have dog 'beds' for them........ We spent quite a bit of time outdoors with our animals and they travel with us too ( in a kennel in the back of the PU........) There are breeds that I love, but will never own, because they have to be out door only...... Our old Lab just passed in September (15, HE had a heated bed for the last few yrs) We now have a 10 yr old Schipperke and our 4 month LDG ( talk about Mutt and Jeff  ) ...............


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

When I was growing up we never had a dog in the house. We always had dogs but they stayed out side. Part of their job was to guard the home and they couldn't do that from inside of the house.


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

Its been [proven that babies raised with a dog in the house have stronger immune systems and are less likely to develop allergies. 



> *Kids With Pets Have Fewer Allergies*
> 
> By John McKenzie
> Aug. 27
> ...


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## boerboy (Oct 7, 2012)

mekasmom said:


> Some people are just not dog people. You don't want a dog to have to live with constant complaining and dislike.


Sorry I must have been clearer. My wife loves dogs. We had raised two puppies before. Both stayed completely outdoor. We adopted both (litter mates) because we both worked at that time. They kept good company. But due to same age and both males there was lot of competition. We had to give them away for adoption when we move out of the country. Now since we are again in our own house that too farm house I am keen in bringing back Dogs in to our life.

The only concern she has is hygene/infections, hair w/baby, etc.

Most of the breeds mentioned in this thread (Shetland, Bernese, Anatolian, Tornjak, Schiperke) and few others that I had looked up recently (Pyrenees, Boerboel) are totally new to me. I had never even seen one in person. Thanks for all your inputs. I am reading each of the breed carefully and also reading the other LGD breed thread


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## Farmfresh (Jan 11, 2009)

Then I suggest a couple of dogs, probably male and female. Maybe you could find a bonded pair that need a new home together. I have a friend that does dog fostering and that kind of thing often comes along. That way they could keep each other company and being outside all of the time would not be a problem.

I know lots of folks have their preferred breeds, but I must praise my favorite here ... the mutt dog. Lots of the best most hard working and useful dogs that I have ever known are just that mutts. Even my personal service dog is a mutt. He is half Husky and half German Shepherd, but he is all heart in my book. He is also very very good with my grandson (9 mos old) who is here almost daily. 

What ever dogs you decide to get just take your time choosing them. You definitely should look for something different when there are to be small children around them. In my opinion germs are just a non issue if the animals are cared for and healthy.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Farmfresh said:


> Hespa - several dogs all kept outside do fine. No problems. ONE dog kept alone outside ... not so much. They are very social animals, like we people are.
> 
> If his wife is worried about having a single dog around the kid talking her into a couple of dogs sounds impossible.


We have one Great Pyrenees left after his brother died and though he comes in for brief visits, he always wants to go back outside. I worry about him being lonely but he has bonded with our lone hen and our horses and they spend a lot of time together.


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## Farmfresh (Jan 11, 2009)

My D1 has a elderly lone pony now that her herd mate of 15 years has died. We bought her a sheep to keep her company and she has very much bonded with him. Sometimes substitutes can be found, but in my opinion social animals *need *their herd or pack. 

Dogs easily accept humans as their pack which is why they have been "Man's Best Friend" for a millennium. They also make dog friends easily most of the time and welcome that companionship as well. I just don't think it is fair or just to put any social animal into the position of living most of it's life alone or needing to scrounge up a replacement friend. 

In the case of your Pyrenees he may have lost his brother, but he did not lose his home or station. He is obviously happy and content with those things and a few animal friends just makes it easier for him. If you were to buy or adopt a single dog and then expect it to remain alone most of its day, I don't think the dog would be happy and would probably not bond to the family in the way we want. Often a lone dog gets bored and starts looking for excitement to fill that void. My aunt's neighbors had a dog in that situation. The family moved to the country and got a Great Dane. He lived alone and outdoors only. It wasn't long before he started traveling to the neighbor farm to "visit" with their farm dogs and eventually they began to pack and brought down a couple of calves. The Dane ended his days with a bullet. Sad I think because all he really wanted originally was some company.


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## loli (Aug 14, 2011)

all our dogs are outside only and they do quite well. We do not let our 2 yr old grandchild alone with them, but I do have one that is a perfect babysitter and loves kids, but I still don't leave them alone.


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## boerboy (Oct 7, 2012)

@Farmfresh point taken
If they are out in farm & barn all time it will be multiples


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## gimpyrancher (Jun 6, 2010)

Just want to add there are breeds your wife might consider being indoors. There are breeds (like the Poodle) that don't shed and are hypoallergenic. Standard Poodles are extremely intelligent and are often chosen for these situations. Consider a disabled person with allergies. They are likely to get a hypoallergenic breed for a Service Dog. Children and families are better with dogs that are family. :kung:


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## CarolT (Mar 12, 2009)

Get a dog and train it to stay away from counters, etc. It sounds like your wife is mainly worried about germs and, like has been said, they really don't pose that much of a hazard  

If they stay outdoors, make sure you keep them on your property. Like the Great Dane, dogs tend to get into more trouble as a pack. Three neighbors lost 4 dogs years back when they packed up and decided chasing humans was a fun game. None would have dared alone, and probably not as 2, but 4 of them got brave... and shot.


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## SAHM (Mar 8, 2005)

dogs and toddlers go together great, it does not really sound like it is a dog issue though . people who like dogs don't see them as germy hairy etc, but I can co-mismerate, my DH is not a dog guy, so when I see a wonderful dog playing with our four kids, he sees hair and dirt flying everywhere. The solution was compromise, he needed to get over some his issues, and two, I needed to work hard in training our dog, and keeping our dog and house clean. I would rather spend the time training a dog so it was a joy to be around, instead of putting it outside where it has a harder time learning manners and is a PITA when it does get to be around people. just wait till your outside dogs are wet and full of mud and want to see you- that is pretty hairy and dirty And to be fair, I think I posted a similar thread like this a few months ago. I wanted another dog, DH kept begging for it to be an outside farm dog. The update is we have three dogs now. Our old dog, 13, she has raised our babies with us- she has been with us as long as we have been a family, she is a blessing to our family and children in every way. She is an indoor dog. Dog number 2 is our farm dog who was to be an outside dog- now indoor dog as well. That plan worked fine in August when we got her, the kids and I were outside from sunup till sundown.. but once the rainy season started and our chores outside slowed down, it did not take long before she became a house dog- who can also be a barn dog on any night. The other thing you need to think about is training them, if you are not outside training them to not eat your chickens, don't assume they won't. Our dog ended up inside more as it was just not working trianing wise to leave her unsupervised outside with the chickens till she was trustworthy(now she is). And we just added a LGD as dog number three, he is an outside dog- but good lord I would NOT suggest a LGD breed to someone who did not like hair and germs and was not sure their dog comfort level anyway- that is my 2 cents since I have been on this fence too- compromise and work hard to help your family enjoy your dog - bring it closer to your wife's comfort level so she can see past the hair and dirt the only other thing I will add is that from years doing animal rescue, I can not tell you the number of times I have heard as folks are filling out their release forms "my so does not like dogs that bark, so we got a basinji, but he makes noise too" or "my so does not like dogs that run, so we got a saint Bernard, but he runs too" or "my so does not like dogs that shed, so we got a Portuguese water dog,but he does shed some" you get the idea, they came back to rescue, because the issue about folks who want to like dogs, or the idea of dogs, but can not get past something inherent about what makes a dog a dog(their smell, their slobber, their voice) - you can try to work around it, but it is one thing to pick a breed that matches your lifestyle, but you can not make a dog not a dog . I dont know of any dog that is not germy hairy messy and choatic at times  Again, said by the lady whose DH swears he likes dogs, but heaven forbid that dog get hair in the house, or make a mess. Because all that little stuff grates on his nerves, when the dog does something - he has no patience left for the dog, he was already slowly getting annoyed everytime it drolled, or every time we swept the floors and saw all the hair good luck


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## notbutanapron (Jun 30, 2011)

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say....first baby?  I can understand her worry but the dog should be fine, even in the house. Supervision and all that OF COURSE, but for health and hygiene it's just the standard.


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## JPiantedosi (Apr 23, 2012)

I have raised probly 50 dogs that never saw the inside of a house, and of them I would say half never had a designated kennel (bird dogs are all kennel bound) I have never had an issue with dogs not staying close. 

As far as the wife and kid go...... spend the next couple of days and watch everything that kid picks up and puts in its mouth or gets its hands on, then tell me if a dog is really that big of a germ issue. My 13mo daughter is into EVERYTHING, the 2 dogs in the house are the least of my worries.

Jim


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## peteyfoozer (Nov 23, 2012)

With toddler, goats and chickens I would say an LGD would be a good choice. It would protect all the above and they thrive outside with their charges. I am in SE Oregon and mine do fine. I got my Maremmas from a guy in Culver. They have been GREAT dogs. I'd be sure you had appropriate fencing first though so the dog doesn't wander or set too large a perimeter. Good luck!

BTW my dogs are never around kids, because there are none on the ranch, but as soon as the grandkids show up, they immediately take charge and watch over them. They are AMAZINGLY gentle with the kids.


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

Give them a little shelter, throw some straw in if it is going to be real cold, make sure they have access to unfrozen water several times a day (I just put 2 quarts at a time in their buckets about 4 times a day.)


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

We have 2 dogs and 2 kids in the house and I feel like the kids are WAAAAAY more germy than any dog could ever be!!! ound:


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## Mattemma (Jan 1, 2013)

I have a min pin inside and a medium and large dog that I moved outside. I think a dog would do fine with a shelter.Being a pack animal it might be a lot happier outside if it had a friend,but I am sure it would be ok on its own.

When I had the dogs inside I restricted them with baby gates.


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