When should a dog stay indoors?
While dogs need and enjoy outdoor play and exercise, there are some circumstances when their outdoor time should be limited, or when they should stay indoors altogether.
“With certain surgeries,” Dr. Sewell said, “dogs should be kept only in a crate. For other surgeries, they should only go out on a leash.” Keeping a dog quiet and calm after surgery helps prevent further injury and allows him to concentrate energy on healing, rather than expending it on outdoor play.
Temperature extremes can also limit time outdoors. When the weather is blazing hot or below freezing, keep your pets play and exercise sessions short but frequent. Dogs with thick coats can overheat in hot summer weather, and those with short coats may have trouble staying warm in cold weather. If youre uncomfortable outside, chances are good that your pup is, too. And just like you, dogs can get sunburned.
There are some environmental dangers that necessitate keeping your dog inside, at least temporarily. These include the presence of:
Heavy traffic around your home is another concern, although this danger is lessened by keeping your dog in a fenced-in area or on a leash. “Dogs in very urban environments or high-rise apartments should only go outside on a leash,” Dr. Sewell said. Small breeds, he also noted, should never be outside alone.
While certain conditions warrant keeping your pet indoors, thats not his natural habitat; dogs benefit physically and mentally from exercising, playing and generally being outdoors. Did You Know?
Pets that are kept indoors all the time get bored and can develop neurotic behaviors. Keep your animals engaged with plenty of social interaction, interesting toys and occasional challenges such as making them hunt a bit for their food.
Originally Published: Sep 1, 2011
The Nature of Dogs
Looking at the history of dogs, in the nature, canines are outdoor animals; however, years of domestication may have changed that. Dogs are also social animals that want to be with and around their owners. In addition, while dogs arent “den animals” by definition, they do have tendencies of den animals, so even when they are outdoors, they still want to “go back home” to a den-like place where the rest of the pack is, i.e. your home.
In practice, things are made even more complicated by the fact that different dog breeds have evolved (and have been selected) for completely different things and lifestyles. Some dogs are almost exclusively indoors dogs, while others can’t stand to not be outdoors for any longer than several hours. Other breeds are somewhere in between and love to spend time indoors with you, but also need many hours of outdoors time.
Ultimately, given the social nature of canines, no dog – no matter the breed – should be an exclusively outdoor or indoor dog. Your pet needs mental stimulation and to be around owners to be a healthy animal. While its okay to let the dog stay longer outside when the temperatures arent too hot or too cold, bringing the dog home to be around people is also a crucial component of proper pet care and being a responsible dog owner.
Should Dogs Be Left Outside During Winter
Deciding if it’s a good idea to leave your dog outside while you are at work will depend on local weather conditions and your dog’s temperament. While Sydney’s Eastern suburbs and the Central Coast tend to have milder weather, temperatures around Western Sydney, Penrith, and the Blue Mountains regularly drop below safe temperatures for dogs to be left outside.
If you live in a cold or windy region, or have an exposed yard, it would be cruel to leave your dog outside when you are not home. But confining a dog inside with no one to play with can lead to boredom, destructive behaviour, and accidents on the carpet. Dog doors give your pet the option to come inside out of the cold, but also go outside when needed.