# outdoor barn dog questions



## SAHM (Mar 8, 2005)

Please don't flame me, I am asking honest questions. I did animal rescue for years so it is really going against my nature to have an outdoor dog, but I have questions

so we want to have a pair of farm dogs, general all purpose barn dogs, they will have several jobs around the place and I will be training them, but I want them to sleep out in the barn

during the day they will have the run of the property, and I will train them to stay in the fences and such- but while we are not home, again, they will be in the barnyard

I want them to be confident with the stock, and all my stock is gentle, the barn kittens and the geese are kind of bullies, but my milk goats are gentle as can be, and since we have 13 year old dog( indoor dog) who is great with all the animals, my animals have no negative conotations of dogs 

anyway- please tell me about how you take a puppy and train it to sleep out in the barn

If I had a house puppy I would be using an x pen and a crate in the house
and with our barn kittens I started them out in the x pen and slowly expanded how much roam they had --
kind of similar with barn dogs too? crate and x pen set up down in the barn? 

please do share!


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

they need to have their space in the barn that is theirs. Kennel, stall, feed room. it will have their feed and water. keep them pened in that area when they are small and allow them out under supervision. as they get more dependable let them have more freedom.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

Easy, don't get a puppy.

I've also done lots of animal rescue, and it's kind of against my nature to keep outside dogs as well, so I feel where you're coming from. But two of my adult rescues (both large, male, found-on-the-side-of-the-road dogs) are outside dogs, and perfectly happy. They are both good with all my stock, after MUCH less training then a puppy takes. 

And they're both pretty happy about it. No puppy whining, crying and loneliness. As far as they are concerned, they are used to being outside, it's nice, they can eat anything they find that's edible without being yelled at, pee where they want and no one scolds them to get off of stuff (all disagreements we've had when they visit inside, lol)

And, my rescue-loving heart is pretty content as well. It's not how I would have raised them from puppies, I can't imagine bringing a pup home and putting him in the barn, unless it was an LGD and I was bonding it to the goats (which I'm not inclined to do). But these guys were saved from certain death and for certain get more food, training and attention then they ever had before, or were likely to get otherwise. Huge, boisterous un-nuetered year old mutts and large, 4yo also un-nuetered curs not being highly adoptable beasties.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

Oh, also;
All my male herding type dogs (I don't know about the girls because while I love to work with girl dogs, all my strays and foundlings are ALWAYS boys, anytime I find a girl, she gets adopted straight off) as they reach maturity, they want to be outside.

Not just outside, but outside, in a spot where they can oversee the maximum amount possible. And they patrol. 
It's getting so that anywhere I move, I can look around and think "That spot right _there_. That is where my BCx will park himself."

My current one, Deacon, I raised in the house. He is 2 years old now. Where does he want to sleep? In on the bed? Nope, that's just for the middle of the day when it's hot and nothing is happening anywhere. At night, he wants to sleep outside, in the front yard, under the big pine, where he can see the house, both gates, all the coops, where the goats sleep, and what the neighbors are doing.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Get one at a time. Don't get a puppy younger than twelve weeks old. I think the stall as "my home" is a good idea, as well as choosing park places. Put a harness on the puppy and a short leash so he can accompany you around the place everyday. Tire him out before putting him back in his den. As he gets older, the leash gets longer. This way, you are right there to train him and keep him out of trouble. Better to train what you want, rather than untrain what you don't want.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I would definitely get a puppy not an older dog. You just have to keep in in a "special" dog place in the barn at night from the time you get it. It learns to sleep there because that is where it sleeps from the time you get it when it is little. You should have a "safe" place for it with a kennel, dog house or crate, perhaps bed, food, water, etc. It will cry for a few night, but it will learn that the barn is it's home.
You will also find that most LGD like GP prefer to be outside. The large dogs just like to stay out with the animals in the cooler areas. It's harder for them to learn to be in than it is for them to learn to stay outside.


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## pygmybabies (Apr 24, 2010)

both our pyrs we got when they were 8 weeks old, but we had gotten a one year old female first and she was already used to goats, but not chickens, when we first got her we trained her around the chickens only letting her out where they were when we were with her, she slept with the goats by the first week. about a month or so later we got a puppy and he had his own pen to stay in when we werent out there so he got familiar with the goats and other dog through the fencing, it sure didnt take long and he was out with all the animals as well. our pry female had 9 puppies last year and then we gave her to someone with more property as she liked to roam, even with the electric fence (messed up during a storm) so last year in October we got another puppy pry and did the same thing kept her outside in a seperate pen, and let her out when we were out. They are the best and sweetest dogs ever and the two calves we got last spring are thier buddies they are always out sleeping with them, and they watch all the goats at all time, they dont mess with the chickens ducks geese or pig. However you have to teach them this when they are young because fluttering wings and chicken noised just sound too much like a dog toy. I have seen my chickens sitting on my prys now. My dogs have never been in the house they have always been in the goat pens or out in the pasture.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

SAHM said:


> Please don't flame me, I am asking honest questions. I did animal rescue for years so it is really going against my nature to have an outdoor dog


I hear you on that, I'd always had indoor-outdoor companion dogs that slept in the house with me. Until I got my Akbash dog. Not sure if you're looking at LGD breeds specifically, but you will find that these dogs prefer being outdoors, with as much territory as possible. My Akbash was raised on a goat farm until he was 3 years old--his owner got divorced, had to move off the farm, and tried to make him into a housedog. He was NOT happy being confined to a small duplex with a tiny yard!

So, he stays out with the stock 24/7 at my place. I didn't raise him from a pup, so I'm not experienced with raising a puppy outdoors, but as long as your pup has a barn or a safe sheltered spot, he should do just fine. If I were to raise an LGD/farmdog pup, I'd keep him out with the stock so he bonds with them, but in a secure kennel at first so he doesn't get himself into trouble.


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## kara_leigh (Jul 28, 2010)

If you were closer to me I would offer to give you our 18m old dog. She is a great farm dog, but we are moving out of state and will have to stay in an apartment until our house sells. She is and always be an outside dog, so she will hate it. 

We initially crate trained her inside. When she was about 6 months old or so, we moved her outside and her crate is on our covered front porch. It was a fairly easy transition. I'm not sure about starting a puppy outside, but you have received a lot of great advice already.  Good luck!!


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