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Outdoor Dog Run??

2K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  MeadowCat 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone!! So sorry I haven't been on here in so long, so I will update you with Colt's progress quickly first!

He is in his second session of Schutzhund and absolutely LOVES it, we travel far for it but it's worth it! He has great recall and knows all his commands well and is my pride and joy :) But I'm back to work full time now (6days a week 8am-6pm) I go home on my lunch break to let him out and run around of course, but he is crated while I'm gone, it is only my 3rd day back to work and I'm pretty sure I'm having more separation anxiety than Colt is lol! I just feel horribly about having him in his crate for that long. I live in a very rural area, there are no doggy daycares or dog walkers, trust me I have researched every surrounding town!! We have 168 acres of land at our house, and he LOVES playing outside, and although it worries me to have him in a pen outside, but I'm starting to think he'd enjoy that better than being stuck in his crate, I know I would...part of our yard gets shade all day, and we already have a 10x10 roofed pen for my yorkie to use as his bathroom area (due to him being prey for hawks and voltures by us) I don't let the yorkie play outside unless he's in a roofed area...

So, I'm thinking about leaving the roofed 10x10 area but adding a much larger non roofed area for Colt to play in while I'm at work? Maybe just the mornings before I go home for lunch? Because mornings are cooler, there is already fresh water faucet set up for him out there as well. I'm just worried it will make him feel abandoned leaving him outside? I mean when I'm home he runs around our fields like crazy for hours. I guess I'm just feeling guilty going from being with him 24/7 to leaving him for 4hours at a time...

I'm sorry for the long post I'm just looking for opinions, usually I feel horribly when dogs are penned all day, but my husband works out of town 6days a wk, and I work 6days a wk may-labor day. I bring him to work with me on slow/rainy days, but we are a marina and rent boats and although he doesn't roam freely people still get intiminated by him and he won't be able to be down here with me come our busy season. I'm just trying to research options for my baby, any opinions would be great! Thank ya'll!!

Oh, and if ya'll do convince me to fence in a large area, how big would be ideal for him??
 
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#2 ·
While I agree that my dog would much rather be in the fenced in 8000sq/ft back yard, than be inside, with free range of the home...

Unless I could guarantee (which is almost impossible without cementing the ground underneath the fence line.), I'd feel uncomfortable leaving my dog outside all day long with no one home.

With that said, I work from home a few days per month. If it's nice out, the dog is usually outside all day long because she much rather lay on the deck, in the sun, and be able to let out the occasional bark than be cooped up in the house with me.

The bigger the better is all I can say.
 
#3 · (Edited)
How old is Colt, this may make a difference...on future advice ??
You can train ScH all you want (IDGACrap), but a minor thrill is to transition dobe into indoor/basic living 1/4's, during most of your busy working day.
- my pups can stay in an HVAC home (free-reign/unsupervised/on leather couch) @ less than 1/2 year old...without a crate or enlarged fenced yard

......Oh, and if ya'll do convince me to fence in a large area, how big would be ideal for him??
^^^^ not in my life, sorry....a bigger fenced in yard, is your true mindset problem.
START TRAINING THE DOBE, INSIDE THE HOUSE...NOT OUTSIDE, if you can't be there later & commited !!
- problem solved, same method one would use on a child...funny how they also stay inside
 
#4 ·
Do you have a way of connecting a dog run to the house via a dog door and setting up a small room or area of the house as a dog room/area so he can go in and out in case he gets too hot or doesn't want to be outside?




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#5 ·
Here's my issues with leaving a dog in the backyard all day:

1) A Doberman's a beautiful dog. Even in a nice neighborhood, I'd be worried someone would steal him while I was gone.

2) They could get stuck or into something while noone is home to help them.

3) Depending on the fence type, they could jump the fence and get out.

4) All day barking with no supervision. It could form bad habits, and if neighbors are close enough, they could complain.

5) There could be a sudden storm, weather, etc.

6) They could tear up your yard and get destructive.

I would be a nervous worrying reck all day if I left a dobe outside in a fenced in yard all day, but that's just me. I tend to be a worrier anyways. Clearly you love your boy, but properly trained, a lot of dogs love their crates. I think it's a human thing to think they are miserable all day sometimes. Also, it sounds like you make the effort to bring Colt to work when you can. That's my two cents.
 
#6 ·
Thank you everyone for such quick responses!! Much of your concerns are the same I have, I just wanted to basically make sure I'm not over reacting because I tend to do that with my dogs lol.

To address everyones questions/concerns:

Colt is 8months currently, and although I can leave him in our house without him chewing anything or being destructive in that aspect (thankfully he's out of that stage, we did previously go through a few chewed beds!!), but with my little yorkie they like playing and it worries me because Colt doesn't realize his size sometimes, andddd Colt thinks our cats are chew toys lol...but that's a whole other topic!

As for neighbors we don't have any within barking/screaming distance lol...VERY rural area...

A run worries me because we are in the wilderness and dog runs (where they are not fenced just clipped to a rope type thing so they can run around) is a big no no up by us because they have no way to run if an animal should come and start trouble, which is very unlikely this time of year and during the day, but still worries me. Which is why the only way I would allow him outside while I wasn't home would be if he was in a tall fenced secured area.

I don't know, I'm still very uneasy about the idea, I just wanted to see if ya'll would convince me to do it or if my uneasement would remain the same! And so far I'm still uneasy...Lol Between family members he will be let out when I leave at 7:45, then around 10, then at 12, around 3, and when I get home around 6.

Do people that work typically leave their dogs for this long? I just never have so it's difficult for me...

Thank you everyone for your input!! :D
 
#7 ·
Kmbeach you sound exactly like me, my husband is the one who insisted I at least look into it to get others advice on the fenced area, a lot of our friends have 1-2 acre of fenced area of their land just for their dogs to play in while they are out, and he was thinking maybe a set up like that would be good for while I'm working in the summer, (I dont work fall-spring) but I am just so worried about it!! He does love his crate, his crate door is never shut and he prefers his quiet and sleep time to be in their....so you're probably right it probably upsets me more than it does Colt...it's only been 2 days of me being back to work and he doesn't seem upset about the situation but I am! And if he was out in a fenced area I would constantly be worrying about him, I told my husband if we ever did something like that I'd need a "nanny camera" set up on him so I can see him LOL
 
#8 ·
A lot of people have full-time jobs and a dog. As long as he's getting adequate exercise and attention in the morning before you leave, and enough when you get home, I don't see it being a problem. Personally, at that age I'd rather crate my dog for 8 hours (pee breaks are the bonus here!) than allow him unsupervised access.

He'll be fine, really! Before you know it he'll be old enough to get access of the house and do you know what he'll do then? The same thing he'd be doing in the crate. SLEEPING!
 
#9 ·
I work full time too, so I make sure Bella goes out right before I leave for work, and I have a dog walker that comes in the early afternoon. She brings friends for them to play with, and they have a chance to play, stretch their legs and run a little, as well as do their potty. I know you said no dog walkers are available by you, but as long as you're giving your boy a potty break mid-day, I'm sure he'll be fine. When I am home on the weekends, I notice that they spend most of their day sleeping anyway, LOL! Late afternoon, they start to come alive again, and play all night long, LOL!

Oh the guilt we working pet owners have!! I add to that to the guilt of being a working Mom, ha ha, but in the end, the money I make is what keeps everyone fed, vetted and well taken care. It's a function of necessity, and I'm sure your Doberboy is no worse for your working. :)
 
#10 ·
Levi has a fenced run-

We live in a pretty rural area too, but they need to be fenced or they'll get into trouble... So what I did was build a dog house in the back corner of the garage with a dog door out to his run. It's L shaped, probably 40 feet on a side wrapping the back of the garage and breezeway. Concrete in the corner covered in stall mats, and grass in the back. Six foot chain link fence.

He did try to dig under when he was a pup, but I just poured dry concrete mix into the holes.. Smart dog, it didn't take long before he figured out concrete is hard on the paws.

Mostly he sleeps in his coop or out on the black stall mats when it's sunny. But the coop does need heat in our climate, as they are so short haired. Electric baseboards rated for 240V emit 1/4 of their rated heat at 120V so I wired two 500 Watt baseboards and a ceiling heat lamp bulb (in steel conduit to prevent chewing.) Took about that much to keep an insulated 4X4 foot coop warm to 65 degrees in New England weather (really about 400W.)

He prefers to be inside the house unless my better half has the vacuum cleaner running, but we don't worry about him out there. It's also useful for when he gets into the cow sh!t and makes himself sick...
 
#11 ·
Let me say I am sure you dog has a better temperament then mine. Mine would loose her mind if I left her out when I left. She starts to mark all over the house and then has a panic attack. If she is in her crate she is fine. If someone is watching them when I am gone for what ever reason and she starts I tell them just to put her in the crate and she will clam down.

PS It is even worse if she does not see me leave.
 
#12 ·
I also live in a very rural area, and have a dog room that accesses via a dog door a 10X10X6 dog run. My 8 month old is not mature enough IMO to be left there all day unsupervised. I am using it for him on occasion if I am unable to take him to work (working out of my office for the day for example), but either myself or my husband check him over lunch. We also have a bunch of Kong style toys to help keep him entertained/out of trouble.

My run has a buried fence barrier to prevent digging out, and I have a multi-camera security system that monitors the property. I STILL don't feel safe leaving a doberteen alone for that long. We will be adding an additional "kennel cam" this summer, just for added peace of mind. Once he mentally matures I will feel a whole lot better about using the run/room.

When I lived in town and had a Rottie I had no choice but to use a kennel. It was locked, hidden between my house and the apartment I owned behind it, and underneath a deck so was fully roofed. I STILL tried to make it home every 5 hours at the minimum and used frozen stuffed kongs and worried...
 
#13 ·
^agreed. I come home from long days every now and then and I think Hades and Snoop have been sleeping all day. You could even consider blocking off a room or area if you feel bad leaving him in the crate but again he'll just sleep until you get home. :)


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#15 ·
I don't like imposing too much confinement during the day. It's kind of nice to give the dog the choice on whether to sleep or not or how to stretch-out or walk around.

I can't give Kira the run of the house because she destroys stuff just often enough that it's annoying to me and potentially harmful to her. I put her crate, with its door open, in what amounts to a dog-safe sunroom. She can move around and play, look out the window & bark at rabbits or the horses, and still be relatively safe.

I absolutely wouldn't leave her outside unattended. Well, a lot of that is because I live in a rural area in the mountains, and wildlife takes plenty of pets each year in the region. I also just can't see leaving her out largely to the mercy of the elements when most of what she's going to do is nap in a sunbeam anyway. I don't want to worry about her getting bothered by biting flies or other bugs, or the trouble she could probably get herself into. There's also the potential to pick-up diseases from stray dogs, being "freed" by crazy animal-rights hippies (that sort of thing used to be somewhat of a problem), being tormented by pinecone-throwing squirrels, or teased by bored ravens.

While you may not have all of those potential problems, you probably have a couple of them. Even a large, tall, & stable indoor x-pen to partition an area might fit the bill if you don't have a sunroom or other dedicated dog-safe area in the house.
 
#16 ·
I can not thank everyone enough for the quick responses! Love this forum!! Haha!! You guys have made me feel better about him being in his crate while I'm working, I think I'm just going to stick with that because I just worry too much about him being outside, and even though he is well behaved, he is still my dopey dobie boy and who knows what he'd get himself into! ;) He does go for a 2 mile jog with me every morning through the trails at our house, and he gets lots and lots of exercise and play time when we get home as well! And ya'll are right, he does always sleep until late afternoon when he gets his spurt of energy so he probably is sleeping the whole time anyway!!
 
#17 ·
My parents live in a rural area, and they have a dog room with a door that opens onto a large deer fenced area for the dogs, they can choose whether they want to be inside or out when nobody is home. The fenced area is about 90ft x 70ft, so lots of zoomy room :)
 
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#18 ·
You may want to consider an ex pen or possibly a dane sized crate if you don't have one already to confine him inside. I would never leave my dogs outside while no one is home. I sometimes leave them out when I walk 2 houses down to pick up my daughter from daycare and have panic attacks!! Fairly recently someone applied to adopt a dog as their last dog had gotten into some kind of skirmish with a raccoon and became ill and died. We also have a lot of skunks in the area which can carry distemper and rabies and don't always act normally when they are ill.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I needed something along those lines, but for winter, and what I did was convert several lambing pens into an indoor run (inside the barn with open doors though down where the chickens are) and a halogen heater overhead for her. I put down large gravel and covered it with cedar shavings (that you use for horses). I put in a kennel she can go into if she wants - it has a weatherproof set of front flaps to keep out cold. She has a Kuranda bed right under the heat lamp (which has 2 settings and I am only using 1 element right now). She has a rack of elk antlers and a nylabone plus a big jolly ball and water. It is fully fenced on the inside.

Many people convert a room or a garage into a series of runs for their dogs and then add on outside runs fulled enclosed for the dogs to go out and lay in the sun or do their business. I see that as perfectly OK provided they are secure. To get to my arrangement, someone would have to go thru the rest of the pack and a llama who is rather protective, not to mention the 3 rams (intact) who are less than gentle with strangers.

I would not have an outside gate access to the area but make all access thru the inside portion of the run and probably with a dog door in that door so that the inside can stay weather proof. The photos show the heat lamp before I got the halogen lamp (it also hangs and uses a reflector like the heat lamp). I used ex-pen panels to cover the gaps in the boards so little heads and feet couldn't get caught.

She goes in there every day while I am away from home and we do training for a few minutes for treats - down on the bed and then release and I dance around to proof her stays etc.





 
#20 ·
DobeJazz: His crate is a Dane sized crate, and he has lots and lots of toys in there to keep him occupied! And that's an awful story I'm so sorry to hear about that!! :(
Thank you for your opinion! I'm glad I'm not the only worrying dobermom! Lol!

Vivienne: That is an amazing set up!! There is an old horse barn on our property, now you've got me thinking!!! Lol, my husband is going to hate me for finding this forum LOL! Thanks for the pictures! That's an awesome set up!! Luckily I'm home everyday fall-spring, so he's not home alone then, just during the summer...

And on another note, Colt tried to swim in the lake for the first time yesterday afternoon! And OMG what a show that was!! Haha! It's pretty funny when the 4lb yorkie jumps off the dock and starts swimming around and my doberman won't go past elbow depth, hahaha! He thinks the yorkie is his baby and he starts going nuts when he thinks his baby is doing something unsafe! Lol
 
#21 ·
If you can do something like Vivienne, I think that's reasonably safe. For my peace of mind it would have to be fully enclosed (roof, too). I think Adara has a dog run set-up that is fully enclosed and allows some of her dogs outdoor access during the day that still keeps them safe. Maybe she'll pop in.

I wouldn't give a dog full access to a big outdoor fenced area...that would make me too nervous, personally.
 
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