Hello, I enquired for an American Bully puppy around a week ago since I've wanted a puppy for around a year now since my other dog passed away. The puppy is around 6 weeks old currently, I would like to keep this dog outside when its old enough since its to young to be living in the weather conditions right now. I've searched on Google and it says around 14-16 weeks of age they can live outside, I would obviously give the dog the necessities to live outside just like my others. The weather where I'm from is around 1-8 degrees Celsius most days. I would purchase a caged kennel for the puppy to stay indoors until its older, thinking about keeping him in my laundry room which is as warm as the rest of the house. I would have the responsibility of taking him out every couple hours to let him wee or poo.
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Want to get a puppy, is it to cold?
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Firstly 6 weeks is much too young for the puppy to be away from its mother, never mind outside. In UK it would be illegal to take a puppy this young- nor will it give it the best chance of a good healthy life. Puppies need warmth, company and security. Would you take a new baby and keep it in a box in the garden? AmBulls have very inadequate coats for living in the temperature you describe. Their not huskies. Secondly why get a dog at all if you intend to keep it in kennels? PLEASE don't do this is all I can say. It sounds heatbreaking. 
K
Kara 1
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Dont do it. If you lived here the dog would be taken away from you by animal protection. Dogs are family not garden furniture.
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Note that the OP said that the puppy was 6 weeks old now, not that it was going to leave its mother any time soon.
The RSPCA have an article on keeping dogs outside: Suggestions when keeping dogs outside | RSPCA Note that they say 'A dog’s physical, social and behavioural needs are very complex and meeting these needs can be very hard, if not impossible, for dogs living outside.' They also say that temperatures should be above 10c.
Dogs are very social animals and, particularly when puppies, need people around them most of the time. I dare say that leaving a dog in an outdoor kennel for a few hours a day, if it's heated, isn't that different to leaving him in a crate when you are out at work, but you are very unlikely to spend enough 'quality time' with him if he lives mainly outside, and you are much less likely to notice when he isn't quite himself, or if he needs attention, or is feeling lonely/stressed.
The RSPCA have an article on keeping dogs outside: Suggestions when keeping dogs outside | RSPCA Note that they say 'A dog’s physical, social and behavioural needs are very complex and meeting these needs can be very hard, if not impossible, for dogs living outside.' They also say that temperatures should be above 10c.
Dogs are very social animals and, particularly when puppies, need people around them most of the time. I dare say that leaving a dog in an outdoor kennel for a few hours a day, if it's heated, isn't that different to leaving him in a crate when you are out at work, but you are very unlikely to spend enough 'quality time' with him if he lives mainly outside, and you are much less likely to notice when he isn't quite himself, or if he needs attention, or is feeling lonely/stressed.
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Don't do it, dog's need social interaction and love. A dog that lives its life out alone in a crate is a very lonely dog, it's heartbreaking for them.
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I would also pay close attention to the source of information found on Google.
Some of it is essentially advertisement, and not always of high ethical standards.
Some of it is essentially advertisement, and not always of high ethical standards.
Thanks for informing that I never said the puppy will be taken from his mother at his current age. Also a crate will be what I would want him to sleep in overnight till I can be sure he will be safe outdoors in a kennel. I have alot of time to spend with the puppy during the day.
A crate will be what I would like him to sleep with overnight until I can be sure he will be safe in a kennel. I have hours to spend with the puppy a day.
Firstly 6 weeks is much too young for the puppy to be away from its mother, never mind outside. In UK it would be illegal to take a puppy this young- nor will it give it the best chance of a good healthy life. Puppies need warmth, company and security. Would you take a new baby and keep it in a box in the garden? AmBulls have very inadequate coats for living in the temperature you describe. Their not huskies. Secondly why get a dog at all if you intend to keep it in kennels? PLEASE don't do this is all I can say. It sounds heatbreaking.
I should have inforned that I will not be getting the puppy till its 8 weeks old. The puppy will be indoors in a crate only overnight during the day he can roam. I will have much time to spend with the pup during the day also. And when i can be sure he will be safe then overnight I will prefer him to be in a kennel to stay warm and to sleep in.
Oh okay thanks for that I'll be more careful where I research.
I know but many people keep their dogs in their garden its a personal choice. I will have hours to spend with him during a day. I would like him to also be a protection dog for my home just like my other dogs.
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If you have other "protection" dogs living outside, why on earth get another!
I do not like cages/crates at all, especially when they are used for convenience, they are just so unfair, this is not a rabbit or a Guinea pig, a puppy is a highly sociable and intelligent pack animal, a dog/puppy should be aloud to interact with their family.
(I am not saying that rabbits or guinea pigs are not sociable either. In a cage by itself these also lead pretty lonely lives!)
I do not like cages/crates at all, especially when they are used for convenience, they are just so unfair, this is not a rabbit or a Guinea pig, a puppy is a highly sociable and intelligent pack animal, a dog/puppy should be aloud to interact with their family.
(I am not saying that rabbits or guinea pigs are not sociable either. In a cage by itself these also lead pretty lonely lives!)
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Do Ur current “watch dogs” not meet Ur expectations?
Do they fail to bark at intruders, alert U to unusual events / behavior, strange sounds, etc?
What’s the point of adding yet-another dog’s voice to the outdoor k9-chorus, if there are already multiple dogs who bark?
I also point out to the folks who want an outdoor dog “for protection” that there typically isn’t much to guard, outside - if the neighbors or passersby make a habit of stealing the garden hose, for pity’s sake, unscrew it, drain & coil it, & put it in a locked shed or the secured garage, rather than leave it out to tempt them. Problem solved!
Other than lawn ornaments, patio furniture, a grill (which really should be padlocked to a stationary object, to deter thieves), & the sod itself, what the heck can a dog protect by living outdoors? — All the truly valuable things, as well as the humans, reside in the house.
The 50-inch hi-def TV, the laptop or desktop, the ring from Grandmother & Granddad’s fine watch, all the heirlooms & trinkets, the tech gadgets... they are in the house. // An outdoor dog is very likely to be poisoned, if they become nuisance barkers, which the vast majority do.
It’s dead-easy to fling some antifreeze soaked kibble over the fence one night, & within 48-hours, all the dogs are dead, if they are not quickly treated; if they are treated in time & survive, the vet bills can be astronomical, & the survivor/s can have lifelong health problems afterward, particularly kidney disease.
Outdoors is either too hot or too cold, plus it’s either sopping wet - or else it’s dessicatingly dry.
Dogs who live outside need NON-spillable water containers, which are secured - such as S/S half buckets which are clipped to the house-wall, or to an eyebolt in a door jamb, well away from the perimeter of the fence (so that no one can “doctor” the water supply with salt, dump an emetic in, etc, or deliberately pour it out, leaving the dogs without water).
Biting & stinging insects, parasites, malicious persons, teasing children, innocent but provoking intruders, environmental hazards of all kinds (slug bait, spilled chemicals such as fertilizer or or pesticides, sharp objects that dogs can be impaled by, STICKS to gnaw which can puncture the dog internally or cause GI blockages, yadda-yadda...), are all OUTDOORS.
Hot spots, flea & worm infestations, dehydration, stings & bites, lick granulomas, heat stress, frostbite - those are all far, far more likely to victimize outdoor-dogs, than they are to affect indoor pets.
Indoor dogs are safe from malicious passersby, they have a setback from noises off which reduces the chance they will nouisance-bark for no valid cause, they won’t freeze in winter or parch in summer, as the indoor climate is controlled, AND... they are right where the valuables are, they are not pointlessly “guarding” a patch of sod, a couple plastic chairs, & a plaster garden gnome.
Bulldogs have no more coat than Chihuahuas do, & have no business living outside in cold weather. Period - IMO & IME, as a trainer for over 40-years, as a vet’s assistant, & as a dog-owner myself.
Heavy-coated dogs may love the cold, & even the snow; my childhood dog - on our family farm - would curl up & sleep buried by the falling snow, BUT he was a Keeshond cross with a thick fleecy undercoat, AND he had his choice of sleeping places - a barn full of warm sheep he could join, coops, a pony’s stall, a hay mow, the porches with rugs to insulate him, or indoors, if he wished.
He had options.
In severe weather, we took his options away- he was *kept* in, & only went out with us, to check the stock, feed them, fetch wood or coal, the post, etc, & come back in.
I would not advise anyone to get a short-coated dog & have them live outdoors - even as adults. // Outdoor dogs of all breeds or mixes develop problem behaviors, & they are all-too-often given up to a shelter, given away to another home, or otherwise “gotten rid of” when they predictably become problem pets.
The exceptions are working livestock guardians, who of course may live with their charges. LGDs have a slew of hardwired behaviors that make them problematic pets, but great guardians. If U get an LGD, be prepared for deep-toned threatening nocturnal barking at noises off, all-night patrols (from window to door to window to bedroom to lounge to kitchen to...), & a stand-off suspicion of visitors.
- terry
.
Do Ur current “watch dogs” not meet Ur expectations?
Do they fail to bark at intruders, alert U to unusual events / behavior, strange sounds, etc?
What’s the point of adding yet-another dog’s voice to the outdoor k9-chorus, if there are already multiple dogs who bark?
I also point out to the folks who want an outdoor dog “for protection” that there typically isn’t much to guard, outside - if the neighbors or passersby make a habit of stealing the garden hose, for pity’s sake, unscrew it, drain & coil it, & put it in a locked shed or the secured garage, rather than leave it out to tempt them.
Problem solved!Other than lawn ornaments, patio furniture, a grill (which really should be padlocked to a stationary object, to deter thieves), & the sod itself, what the heck can a dog protect by living outdoors? — All the truly valuable things, as well as the humans, reside in the house.
The 50-inch hi-def TV, the laptop or desktop, the ring from Grandmother & Granddad’s fine watch, all the heirlooms & trinkets, the tech gadgets... they are in the house. // An outdoor dog is very likely to be poisoned, if they become nuisance barkers, which the vast majority do.
It’s dead-easy to fling some antifreeze soaked kibble over the fence one night, & within 48-hours, all the dogs are dead, if they are not quickly treated; if they are treated in time & survive, the vet bills can be astronomical, & the survivor/s can have lifelong health problems afterward, particularly kidney disease.
Outdoors is either too hot or too cold, plus it’s either sopping wet - or else it’s dessicatingly dry.
Dogs who live outside need NON-spillable water containers, which are secured - such as S/S half buckets which are clipped to the house-wall, or to an eyebolt in a door jamb, well away from the perimeter of the fence (so that no one can “doctor” the water supply with salt, dump an emetic in, etc, or deliberately pour it out, leaving the dogs without water).
Biting & stinging insects, parasites, malicious persons, teasing children, innocent but provoking intruders, environmental hazards of all kinds (slug bait, spilled chemicals such as fertilizer or or pesticides, sharp objects that dogs can be impaled by, STICKS to gnaw which can puncture the dog internally or cause GI blockages, yadda-yadda...), are all OUTDOORS.
Hot spots, flea & worm infestations, dehydration, stings & bites, lick granulomas, heat stress, frostbite - those are all far, far more likely to victimize outdoor-dogs, than they are to affect indoor pets.
Indoor dogs are safe from malicious passersby, they have a setback from noises off which reduces the chance they will nouisance-bark for no valid cause, they won’t freeze in winter or parch in summer, as the indoor climate is controlled, AND... they are right where the valuables are, they are not pointlessly “guarding” a patch of sod, a couple plastic chairs, & a plaster garden gnome.
Bulldogs have no more coat than Chihuahuas do, & have no business living outside in cold weather. Period - IMO & IME, as a trainer for over 40-years, as a vet’s assistant, & as a dog-owner myself.
Heavy-coated dogs may love the cold, & even the snow; my childhood dog - on our family farm - would curl up & sleep buried by the falling snow, BUT he was a Keeshond cross with a thick fleecy undercoat, AND he had his choice of sleeping places - a barn full of warm sheep he could join, coops, a pony’s stall, a hay mow, the porches with rugs to insulate him, or indoors, if he wished.
He had options.
In severe weather, we took his options away- he was *kept* in, & only went out with us, to check the stock, feed them, fetch wood or coal, the post, etc, & come back in.
I would not advise anyone to get a short-coated dog & have them live outdoors - even as adults. // Outdoor dogs of all breeds or mixes develop problem behaviors, & they are all-too-often given up to a shelter, given away to another home, or otherwise “gotten rid of” when they predictably become problem pets.
The exceptions are working livestock guardians, who of course may live with their charges. LGDs have a slew of hardwired behaviors that make them problematic pets, but great guardians. If U get an LGD, be prepared for deep-toned threatening nocturnal barking at noises off, all-night patrols (from window to door to window to bedroom to lounge to kitchen to...), & a stand-off suspicion of visitors.
- terry
.
