If you want to get him to live outside, I would recommend that you leave it until summer now and then feed him in his new place and gradually leave him outside longer and longer. The warmer summer nights are a better time to introduce a dog to outside living if it is used to being inside with central heating as they sometimes don't have a thick enough undercoat for outside at the beginning. As it gets cooler in the autumn he will naturally grow a thicker coat. My 2 are quite happy lying outside even on the coldest days, I have even found them lying outside in the snow before now. They have insulated kennels with deep shavings, but prefer to lie outside on the stone flags, there are plastic dog beds outside for them as well, but they ignore them!!! I think if they were miserable outside it would surely make itself known by the fact that they stayed in their kennels, but it has to be raining before they go in sometimes!!

I don't want him to live outside, I just want to be able to leave him outside while I'm at work......I just thought he might prefer to be outside whilst I'm out so that he's not stuck inside...I'm not sure mind, he's a bit of a wimp when it comes to walking in the cold and rain.....

I would leave until we get some warmer weather first. You could try getting a kennel, (I use the log cabin style ones)
fill the sleeping compartment full of shavings, put a nice bone in for him and give him his breakfast in it. Do this at the weekends, then he can come in when he wants to, and see if he settles outside in it. But personally I would leave it now till it is warmer as he is still only a baby and it is a big temperature change for him to go from a centrally heated house to an outside kennel.

Ok cool thanks TW, I will do that when the cold winter is over....it really is far too cold! Lol!

xxxx

Mine live indoors and my OH's live outside in kennels. It works for us.

Lorna we have had to do this with ours recently and tbh its been a good thing because you never can tell when you may need a dog used to being on its own, at least outside they have toilet access..

I started to work full time before i did we used to just leave the oldest with the youngest while i nipped to the local shop then we stretched it every other day to a little longer..
Our run is actually a converted wendy house lol my husband made for our daughter he just built a covered run onto it and paved area its ideal.. Especially now our girl came into season hes quite happy enough in there for a few hours during the day if my husband cant be here to supervise.. Hes got tons of toys, bones etc plus the old sad sack of a great dane dolly to keep him company!! she would stay outside in winter the old bag just to nosey on the neighbours..

Indoors, Max in his own big bed in the utility room (thats his place and his retreat) Carrie never liked the utility room and although we did try her in with us, she kept us up all night, she now sleeps on her own couch in my eldest daughters room where she seemed to choose herself so we leave her to it, pop her in last thing before we go to bed.

Thats cool SarahJ, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has done/is thinking about doing this! I would rather him have access to go to the toilet while I'm at work, so it least he will be able to go whenever he wants outside!

Shanik, that is so sweet!

I mis-read that the first time and I thought you said your OH lived in the kennels lol! Sorry! Thanks for inadvertently making me smile!

Agree with the others,, best starting in warmer wether, but as he is not to stay out at night, its not as big a problem, I dont put them outside untill they are around a year old, depending on weather,. I tend to start it when the light nights come in, the weather is a bit better, Kaos went out at about eight months old, {more so as I he is a dec birthday so I thought as the summer had been good,, I would start him in the run for short spells, that said he had mea next door so he really took to it well, rotts tend to be very lazy at home, so if I had five all indoors,, it would be murder,, they tend to fall asleep in doorways,,,so if your doing stuff around the house, eg, hovering,,, your constantly shifting them, the males get a bit miffed by it and grumpy,,, so they tend to prefer to be out of the way,