Poll for dog owners!/ Update post #137

[ncmickeyluvr]

I'm going to contradict myself here. I already posted and said that I don't understand why someone would have a dog and strictly keep it out....or something to that affect. Then I remembered my friends recently departed Rottweiler, Zeus. Zeus HATED to be indoors. He was welcome inside but he hated it. He would stay indoors 10 minutes max then sit at the door and pant real hard....looked like he was having a doggie anxiety attack. He was happy as a clam as soon as you let him into the backyard. He loved people....sweetest dog ever...but he wasn't happy inside. His owners would actually have been happier with him in the house and they had other dogs that would stay inside...Zeus was just an outdoor boy. Sadly he passed this summer. He was 12 and had a brain tumor.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Our dog has free run of the house (when he was a puppy he did not). He is not allowed on furniture. Occasionally we lay an old sheet over our bed and he is allowed to get up with our permission. He has his own big bed that he sleeps on at night.

 

[my3sonsagn]

I'm in-between on this one; we think dogs are either indoor-only or outdoor-only. We have an Aussie who was supposed to be an indoor dog, but he very clearly preferred to be outside, so that's where he stays (with our other dog who came to us as an adult and already had a decided preference for outdoor living). They have a nice backyard, a big doghouse (complete with heat lamp for those cooler months lol), and we go out there to play with them frequently. Our two mini-doxies are inside only except for brief walks, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[sunnyday123]

We have an 8 month old Newfoundland puppy. Does she love it outside? Absolutely! But she's an inside dog. She sleeps in the house with us at night ( no crate needed anymore!) on her bed or the tile floor. She isn't allowed on the furniture simply because there would be no room for us. Her hair will get everywhere no matter where we let her go.

Sometimes she gets hot in the house ( even keeping it at 68 degrees ) and wants to go out to cool off. But I wouldn't have a dog if it was primarily an outside dog, unless that's what the dog wanted. You'd just have to work extra hard at socializing him and making him feel like a member of the pack.

 

[Pakey]

My dogs are hairless and can't spend much time outside. Even for walks, we put sunscreen on them. It's too cold on the tile floors for them so they are on the furniture.

We live in the city with a nice sized back yard but I would not have an outside dog. I really hate listening to neighbor dogs bark constantly.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Our dogs have always been indoor dogs. This is the first small dog I've had (Miniature Pinscher) but the other dogs (yellow lab and cocker spaniel) were not allowed upstairs or on furniture. This one is allowed everywhere (she sleeps in bed with me at night, although she's so small and goes all the way under the covers to the very end of the bed so a lot of times I don't even know she's there). She's not crated during the day (we do have a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs though mainly because if there was a fire or something in the house during the day I'd want the firefighters to be able to find her as quickly as possible if they could). Although, in her ruler-of-all little mind I'm sure she thinks she allows us to go everywhere .

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I really hate listening to neighbor dogs bark constantly.

Amen!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

our dog has free run of the house, for the most part. He is not allowed in one bathroom because that is the litter box room. He has to stay out of that room becuse I don't want him helping himself to "dessert".

he isn't allowed on the furniture because he is huge and sheds terribly. I would probably allow a small, lap dog on the furniture.

 

[terri01p]

 

[Gabes_mommy]

My dog has free reign of the downstairs and is allowed on the furniture. She hangs out mostly in her dog bed though.

The main reason she isn't allowed upstairs is because she snores really loud and wakes everyone up. She is a pug.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

My dog spends sometime outside, but only in 1/2 hour or so increments. Inside, he's not allowed on the furniture. I mostly keep him in the room with me or DS, he follows us as we move, and if he chooses the wrong one (e.g. I'm cooking and don't want him underfoot) then the other one just calls him and he hangs out with them.

When we're not here he's confined to DS's bedroom.

 

[ZachnElli]

We have 3 small dogs and they have free reign of the house including furniture. Each dog sleeps with a human at night and my dog, sleeps with DH and I. The other 2 each sleep with a kid. They also don't shed. When we had 2 big dogs that shed, they weren't allowed on furniture and they didn't sleep with us but had free reign of the house otherwise. I didn't want the hair in my bed, plus they were just too big, where would I sleep?! LOL!

 

[Feralpeg]

My dogs have always been mostly indoor dogs with free reign of the house. They are not allowed on the furniture or the beds. This is because we have always had really large dogs.

My two new lab puppies are still learning, so they are not allowed in DD's rooms. She isn't good about keeping things picked up and they are still into chewing. I am still working on keeping them off the sofa. One of them is a climber!

 

[MM27]

My dog has the freedom to go wherever she wants in the house, although she tends to stay on the main floor now because she is 13 years old and doesn't like the stairs. She doesn't go on furniture but she has her own beds placed strategically through the house so she always has somewhere to go where she can be really comfortable.

I don't believe dogs should be left outside all the time.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Call me weak, but our dog is allowed where ever she pleases, and sleeps by my feet at night. I respect ALL dog owners, but our dog is so much a member of our family and a trusted friend, and as such, she gets free reign.

My toddler was* a member of the family, but he didn't have "free reign" either, I kept him close to me for pretty much the same reason I keep my dog close, because I knew he was capable of mischief if I turned my head.

*To be clear the past tense here refers to toddler hood not family membership. At 10 he's still a member of the family, but now he is allowed free reign.

 

[MushyMushy]

Yes, I know that. I do have basic understanding of the English language.

Several posters here have said 'free reign on the first floor' or something along those lines. Our situation is no different, I simply chose to word it differently.

I apologize for those of you who can't seem to understand that concept.

Sorry for offending you, I was only teasing.

 

[Tiggernut_jadie]

Our previous dog, Karly, used to sleep on the bottom of our bed until her arthritis got too bad. Her favourite place to sit was next to me on the couch. Our current dog Ruby would love to sleep on the bed but she's just too darn big and heavy (GSX). She has 3 doggy beds to choose from, one in the lounge, one in the family room and one next to our bed. However she would prefer to be on our bed and is on like a shot when the alarm clock goes off in the morning! Downstairs she usually sleeps on her bed but also loves to get on our laps for a 'cuddle'. She seems to think she's a puppy I think!!!

So yeah, she's an indoor dog with pretty much free rein.

 

[pixiewings71]

We have 2 dogs, they are both outside during the day when we are gone but they are able to come and go as they please when we are home. We have a dog door in the back slider and it's accessible to them and the cats. The little dog gets on the furniture all the time, the "big" (he's about 45-50 lbs) dog gets on when we invite him up. The little dog sleeps with DD10, the big dog sleeps on his pillow next to our bed. Dogs are pack animals, we are the pack, they depend on us to keep them grounded so for us they are a part of our family.

 

[karibritt01]

I voted in the house, but only certain rooms and not on the furniture. We actually do allow our dog on the furniture. But I only allow my dog downstairs in the house. I do not like my dog to get on the beds, and refuse to let her sleep with me. We started the downstairs only rule when housebreaking her, and just never changed it.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

I don't understand why have a dog if it is going to be outside all the time.My oldest dog has free reign all over the house. I don't want him on my furniture but he is a brat and will get on it to sleep while we are at work.We just got a puppy and once he is trained the same will apply to him.