Question:
should dogs be kept indoors at nite when it gets cold out?
and if so, at what temperature should they be brought
in at??

Answer:
I can only answer your question based on my choice, my dog is inside most of the time anyway, she is family. She stays indoors all winter from late fall thru late spring. In the summer she will sleep in her dog house outside ( in the dog run inside our fenced yard) because she likes to be outside, but even when it is hot outside she is indoors ( to enjoy the a/c like we do)

My thinking is that if you were to be given the choice to sleep outside in the cold or indoors where you are safe and warm............... how cold would it have to be for you to pick sleeping indoors?

Hope this helps

Answer:
Is this the same Rottie puppy you mentioned in other posts? This pup is 5-6 months old no?

Inside good / Outside bad

Duh !

Answer:
This should be common sense though here, often TV news anchors will rotinely remind "pet owners" (I take umrage with the word "owner", given that Yin Yin tends to own me, lol) to make sure their pets are in safely on cold nights.

Yin Yin is an indoor cat (and I hate to cite anectodal evidence since it is not that useful, just interesting) but she yowls big time and it was 12C (55F) when I took her out for five seconds this AM (she happened to be in my arms when I picked up the newspaper).

That said, I would never leave a dog of any age but especially a puppy - at anything under 5C or 40F. Seriously, puppies should never be kept outside at night - or the daytime either for that matter!!! No responsible dog owner would leave their dog out at night - and there is really no such entity as an "outdoor dog". That is just neglect - and that is not an opinion but a fact. Even northern mushers (usually Siberians or Huskies) are kept inside at night. (and those that are not have been cited for neglect).

Answer:
On that note cyberkitten...no unspayed or unneutered cat or dog should be left outdoors alone--male dogs can smell a girl in heat and will jump fences to have her.

Answer:
They should be kept in by all means necessary!! If an "owner" is irresponsible enough to have an uneutered animal, they can put up with the caterwalling. They deseve it!

Answer:
We've had this argument soooo many times...NO dog/cat should be left out in the cold,ever!
I realize "farm dogs/cats"lead different lives from our house-pets,but I am hoping even they have a warm barn to keep out of the cold.
I figure if I am cold outside,my dog/cat is too..
I take my cats out every day,even in winter...looking out the window,they do not know that the white stuff is cold and they quickly want back in when they find out

Answer:
Yes, this is a very old and tiresome arguement.

psl_023, to answer your questions: Yes, dogs (and cats) should be kept indoors when it gets cold out. At what temp? Put a coat on and go outide. If it's too cold for you to sleep out there, then it's too cold for your pets.

Anyone who is thinking of posting that your dog is an outdoor dog and likes it that way, prefers to be outdoors, I will challenge you and say that you are incorrect. Dogs are pack animals by nature. You are this animal's pack. It wants to be with you. Any dog that "prefers" to be outside, alone, is only behaving that way because it was raised that way. I know of dogs that were "outdoor" dogs all their lives, and then brought indoors when rescued. Sure, they whine, pace, complain, scratch at the door for a while. Because they're not "used to" being inside. Given time and training, though, they ALL settle in and learn to love family life indoors. It's what they were built for, after all.

Yes, my parents lived in a rural area in the "old country", had lots of outdoor farm dogs running around, fed them table scraps, etc... They also had to live with war and didn't go to school beyond the 2nd grade. Does that mean it's ok to live that way or that I want to??

Answer:
I grew up on a hobby farm, and a lot of what we thought was okay then seems totally not okay to me now. Some of our pets were supposed to be indoor/outdoor pets, but my allergies forced them outside (my parents' choice, not mine). They did worry about the severe cold of northwestern Ontario, and my dad went to the work of building very well insulated houses and heating them with electricity (lightbulbs). Of course, when the temperature got ridiculously cold, in they came.

I would never own a pet that couldn't be inside with me now, however -- but if I was stuck in that situation I would suggest you at least consider building or buying a heated doghouse -- and I hope your dog doesn't have to be outside alone all the time, because he must be lonely out there!

Answer:
someone mentioned the fact that dogs are pack animals. obviously if there is only one dog he has noone to curl up with to gather extra body heat.
BRING UR PETS INSIDE. i like the idea of "if it's too cold for u to sleep outside, it's too cold for them". hell i'd have trouble handling 70 degree nights. then again, i'm an italian greyhound and a real suck so there it is

Answer:
A Rotti has such short hair, why would you want to subject your poor puppy to the possibility of freezing his ears/feet/tail or possibly getting hypothermia and dying? A Rotti is not a member of the Spitz family and should not be left outside any longer than to play with you, do it's business or go for a walk with you. To leave your dog outside any longer is cruel. If you must leave your dog outside, get it a heated dog house, as was mentioned.

Leave your dog outside, without a properly heated dog house, overnight, and you're into the "cruelty to animals" level of neglect.

Start getting your dog used to staying indoors more and more, like I've done with mine. Eventually he'll know that cold weather means outside, pee/poop, inside, lovins. He'll be happier for it!

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