Advice on moving an older dog indoors

[torinsmom]

Our dog is a mutt, retriever/shephard and maybe chow mix. He's a great dog! He has always been an outside dog during the day and come into our extra bathroom at night. He loves being outside; we have a large yard with a big screened porch he lounges on. He is getting older, though, and now that it is getting cold, I am thinking of having him inside more. We live in NC, so it is rarely below freezing during the day, but it has been the last few days. I don't want to confine him to one room, but he has never been a real inside dog. We also have cats, who tolerate him with the way things are now, but I don't know how they would react to him being all over "their" house. I just need advice on how to do this, or even if I should. The alternative is trying to weatherproof the screen porch somehow, so it will not be as cold for him.

Thanks in advance. I will check back in this evening when I get home.

 

[Swimnoid]

I'm right there with you. We have a chow/australian shepherd mix who has always been outside and loves her little house. I tried getting her inside last night twice and she begged to go back outside after a few minutes. It was down at least to 16 last night. She is fine but she is getting older too and I would think she would welcome some comforts of being indoors.

 

[Northstar]

It might be easier to put a small, cozy doghouse, with plenty of clean bedding, on the porch for him to hang out in if he's feeling chilled.

If you find he's spending a lot of time huddled up his "cave," then you'll know it's time to move him indoors more.

I really don't know what your weather is like, though. Up here in the frozen north, I'd say move him indoors.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Your situation is very similiar to ours even the part about putting him in the extra bathroom.

Our bathroom is fairly big but another thing that we do is confine him just to the kitchen with a baby gate. This way, he's not roaming all over the house but he's not outside freezing either.

For the most part, we have mild winter weather but it's been below freezing these past few nights and not much warmer during the day.

 

[golfgal]

Is there some way you can install a dog door so if he wants to come in he can and then block off the kitchen or whatever room so he has space but not too much? How about a dog door into your garage if that would work? If not, I agree with the dog house solution.

 

[Meriweather]

We went through that with our dog.
He was a big one. Loved being outside, slept inside in the laundry room.
When he got older....we put a blanket in his dog house and also one by the sliding door into the family room. He liked that one better. I think laying by the glass was warmer. We also got him a doggy sweater. He liked it.

 

[sweetpea29488]

What we've done for our furbaby is: He's always had a igloo house with the regular pad but since he's come down with authriditis (sp?) we bought him a heated dog bed. He sleeps on it and it heats his house too. We also put the door on his igloo house. He seems to like it. We put an extra blanket in it too but he keeps pulling that out so I guess the heated bed is enough.

 

[LuLuO]

When I was a kid, my parents put a lightbulb in our dog's big outside doghouse. It kept him very warm. When it got really cold, he stayed in our basement on the couch but he always preferred to be outside.

 

[luvwinnie]

In researching ways to keep the 3 outside cats who adopted us warm, i discovered straw is supposed to be very warm for outdoor animals and won't absorb moisture like blankets do. you might want to try that in a dog house if you go that route.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I have a screen from Lowes that has a doggie door attached and it works really well for us. My dog can come & go as he pleases but when it's nasty out I can limit his exposure by shutting the main door and keeping him inside.

Most animals are very quick to adapt to new arrangements. If the dog is used to coming in at night and is house-trained he should adapt well. I've had cats and dogs my whole life and once they get used to each other they just ignore each other, cats are very good at that. It's only the 'new' period they have to get over but since they are already used to each others scent it probably won't be as traumatic as you expect. I bet the woofy will like being warm once he gets over the newness

 

[torinsmom]

Is there some way you can install a dog door so if he wants to come in he can and then block off the kitchen or whatever room so he has space but not too much? How about a dog door into your garage if that would work? If not, I agree with the dog house solution.

I can't do the doggy door because of the cats. And I don't have a garage, just the screen porch. I tried weather proofing the screen porch last year by stapling heavy duty plastic all over. All it did was make the dog scared of the porch, because it kind of obscured the view. And since the floor is decking, the cold air still came through.

He seemed okay to stay in the bathroom today. I just took him for a long walk and now he is outside(his choice).

I will look into a heated dog bed. He does not like dog houses at all, so I gave his away last year. I hope he will lie on a heated bed. When it rains, I often come home to find him UNDER the screen porch, and soaked to the bone from water rushing under the porch. I don't know WHY he does that!



The only other real option is a doggy door into the shed, but it is stuffed with cr*p, so I don't think it is a very safe option. It would also entail him choosing to go in there.

 

[Hannathy]

could you and now I know it won't be out of a decorating magazine, but put a heated bed up against the wall to the house and a sheet of plywood on the inside of the screen porch to block the wind to that corner. If he is used to the outside then all he really needs is to have the wind blocked because that makes animals cold. it would be like a 2 sided or maybe 3 if you need to put a sheet on the other end of the porch topless dog house! just get him a heated bed and block the wind and he will be ok for the day. with just the sides blocked low it doesn't have to be more than 2 feet high he wont feel his view is to obscured.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I guess I'd give him options and let him choose. Since he'll likely choose outside, I'd find a way to get him set up with something warm and comfy on the screen porch. Older dogs with arthritis do well with orthopedic type beds for their sore bones. You can find them with vinyl type coverings so they don't get and stay wet. His shelter on the screen porch should be fairly small and tight to minimize drafts and ideally a plastic flexible covering for the door (like on meat coolers in supermarkets). I think the Igloo type houses are great for that. Make sure his water supply doesn't freeze and he gets a good quality diet for optimum health and wellness.

ETA I see he doesn't like dog houses. I wonder if he'd like the Igloo, though? If not, then a lean-to type like a pp described might work best. I'd somehow try to insulate the floor underneath if possible.

 

[torinsmom]

I'm thinking I may get some indoor/outdoor carpet to cover the "floor". Hopefully, that will insulate it a little. I will try to create a little enclosure for him and find the heated bed.

I always put hot water in his water bucket on cold mornings. Here in NC it rarely stays below freezing for more than a day or two, but I am careful he has fresh water. He always has dry food and gets canned food in the morning.

I am pleasantly surprised that I did not get flamed for having him outside in the first place. He really is happy out there and sometimes I have to trick him to get him inside, even at night.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't think that most (reasonable) people have an issue with dogs living outside if they're cared about and for. I, personally, think there is no better life for a dog than as a working dog on a farm or something. The thing I think is tragic is those dogs that get put outside and are forgotten. Obviously not the case here.

 

[torinsmom]

No, definitely not. Thunder gets a walk every day when it is not daylight savings time. During daylight savings, he gets one every day I am home before dark. He gets lots of attention and has a nice, big yard to run in. He enjoys laying by the fence we share with the neighbors. They have a border collie mix about the same age and they like to play through the fence. The main reason I got the screen porch added was so he would have somewhere dry to go when it rains. He is a good dog and we try to be good right back.

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