What Are the Pros of Having Your Hunting Dog Outside?
When you keep your dogs outside, you do not risk you and your family contracting quixotic diseases such as the Lyme disease, ringworm and roundworms. These diseases are passed to humans by infected saliva, contaminated urine and getting in direct contact with the dog. This can be prevented by ensuring your dog is well vaccinated to ensure you and your family are safe.
Once in a while the dog tends to become aggressive and may cause harm, especially to other dogs. They may bite another dog and transmit diseases or some other type of injury. This will leave with additional medical costs that you had not initially planned for. For this reason, it may be better to keep your dog outside. It all depend on what kind of hunting dogs you have at home, maybe they work fantastic together – others dont.
Most types of dogs are well adapted with warm coats to protect them from cold temperatures. However, this does not mean that they are entirely resistant to the cold. Their feet tend to suffer the most after being exposed to freezing temperatures. It is very important to make sure that you have some sort of shelter with heating for your dog if you are keeping it outside, and that it can get away from the rain and wind.
I found this really nice video on youtube where he builds a nice kennel. It is a very informative video if you are about to build your own dog kennel for keeping your hunting dogs outside.
What Are the Pros of Having a Hunting Dog Inside?
There is a myth that keeping your dog indoors will make it weak, ruin it’s smelling abilities and in the long run unable to hunt. However, a dog will not lose its sense of smell no matter how long it is kept inside.
Keeping your dog inside the home is beneficial for you as the dog is a source of companionship. Dogs can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression . They ease loneliness as one can play with them any time of the day.
Dogs are a source of security, and you will always feel safe with a dog in the house. They have the ability to sense danger from far and alert you to prepare for an attack. They can also be your defense when facing threats.
Dogs are not afraid to protect you and your family. They are also able to discourage people who have bad intentions.
Keeping your dog inside ensures that you develop a strong bond with your dog by getting to spend a lot of time with them. At this time, the dog may learn what makes you happy and what angers you. The bond is established when you play together.
Some games played, such as fetch, are great in ensuring that the dog remembers and betters their hunting skills. You also get a lot of time to train the dog to obey simple commands such as sitting or even barking.
Keeping your dog inside helps protect the dog from adverse weather conditions, such as excess heat or cold, which may be harmful to your dogs health. Constant exposure to adverse weather conditions puts your dog at a very high risk and may cause injury and even death.
In the house, the dog is not likely to get fleas or even ticks, ensuring that it is generally healthy and always in shape for hunting.
Do gun dogs make good pets?
Gundog breeds are often described as the perfect family dog. They love children, cats and will get excited about seeing other dogs too. Originally bred to help their owners hunt game, these days they are a reliable and loving companion that will easily look for trouble if they are bored or lack enough exercise.
Some pet owners believe that outdoor dogs get more exercise, are happier, and are good guard dogs. According to pet health experts, however, these arguments are simply not true. Dogs are social animals that crave attention; they are not happy alone outside.
9 mistakes I have made with my hunting dogs
Hunting with dogs has become such a controversial issue. Some of the controversies center around the game that is being hunted, but much comes from animal rights advocates attempting to put a stop to what they consider inhumane treatment of the hunting dogs. The stereotypical hunter is seen as having no care or compassion when it comes to their dogs. Opponents claim that hunters rarely treat their dogs any better than the animals they take pleasure in killing. And while we may not want to admit it, we too are sometimes guilty of subconsciously presuming neglect, mistreatment, and even cruelty when we hear a dog referred to as a “hunting” dog.
Years ago, it was common for hunting dogs to be kept outside with little human contact. Many hunters believed that treating a hunting dog with comfort and kindness would make the dog physically and mentally weak, as well as diminish his desire to “work” once he got a taste of the easy life. Oftentimes a hunting dog was withheld affection to “toughen him up”. Depriving a dog of food or similar basic necessity after a poor hunt was sometimes used as punishment. Cuts and injuries from a hunt were left untreated. Some hunters felt that in order to make a dog a good hunting dog, tactics must be used to “force” that behavior. Training methods which may have involved inflicting bodily discomfort were used to teach the dog his sport. These things are inconceivable to those of us who have 4-legged family members that we adore.
Just as not everyone is a good owner to a family dog, there are, sadly, hunters who exist that truly are guilty of mistreatment or neglect of their dogs. This is evidenced by the number of hounds let go or left in the woods to fend for themselves after hunting season, often in poor health with signs of malnourishment or disease.