To Kennel or Not?

I was wondering what peoples views are on kennelling their dogs.

My personal preference is to have my dogs indoors with me although I don't have a problem with dogs being kept outside so long as their housing and runs are adequate for their breed. Some breeds do need heating, some don't. I also don't have a problem so long as the dogs are receiving mental stimulation and exercise.

Just thought we could have a little chat about it

I keep my girls in doors though i do have a large kennel for them to go in to if they feel like a wee ly down also a large shed which they can roam in and out of if they chose .
Ihave no problem what so ever about dogs being kept out doors as long as theyre well housed ie adequite room to exercise ly down move about ict . the reason i keep my girls (3) indoors is because my oh and me dnt have children as many of you know i wasn blessed and had to have a full abdominal hysterectomy earlier this year , but in saying that my three spend more timew roaming the garden or sunbathing (when not being walked )than they do indoors . thats my views anyway scorpio , and just because someone chooses to house theyre dogs in adequate housing outdoors does not make them a bad person or any less a caring owner in my respect anyway

I personally like my dogs living indoors with me - that is my preference.

However, my boyfriend (and most farmers/shepherds) keep their dogs outside in kennels. I don't have a problem with this. His dogs are exercised/worked every day and go on their kennels at night to sleep. They are all happy, sociable and well loved members of a team.

I think it is fine as long as dogs are well cared for, exercised and valued - whether they live indoors or outdoors.

hi scorpio,my dogs are all kept outside i do occasionally bring one in ,if she is sick,we kept one of our studs in the house but he kept breaking out to be with the kenneld dogs,mine have huge runs and a huge shed,all heated,with heat lamps if the weather gets server,they have under floor heating,(we dont)im with them as often as your with a house dog,there out every day running in 1 acre of garden,there better looked after than me,the pups come up to the house,the kids play with them,if they wasnt to be looked after i wouldnt keep them,i had the dogs longer than my kids and there not enough room in the house to keep12 dogs and there fore id rather they were out,when there out playing they all run in the house have a nosey and back out again,there happy dogs,and i say its what a dog is used to i,would take a house dog and put him outside if he wasnt happy its just not fair,

Yes, I agree with you there DK, I also don't have children but 12 dogs in the house wouldn't be everyones idea of fun so I can fully appreciate that some people do have to kennel their dogs.

thanks scorpio,at least some people dont think any the less of me for keeping them outside,thanks dk

My personal preference is in the house with me. However, I don't have a problem with kennels as long as all the dogs needs are catered for and they get adequate care and attention. Some house dogs get loess care than some kennelled dogs.
However, I do believe that all puppies should be reared in the house.
Becky

My personal opinon is as long as a dog is well looked after fed housed entertained loved and exercised it does not matter to me whether its housed outdoors or in to me its a matter of personal opion or circumstance . jmo

I agree totally, its those that leave them outside in all weathers with no regard to their comfort/well being or stimulation that bug me, I wonder why on earth they have them in the first place.

A friend of mine, who has a heart of gold and would do anything for you, has 9 dogs that live in a converted garage. She works full time (not demeaning her for that, most of us have to work), but she doesn't see them from one day to the next, she just throws kibble at them when she thinks they need it, they all live in separate partitions with a small run, about the size of a small cupboard and there is no heating or any blankets in their beds. So they can't even cuddle up together when it's cold. She tells me mine are pampered and that missing the odd meal never does a dog any harm. Well it would kill mine I'm sure, they wouldn't survive how her dogs do (they are GSD's and Australian Shepherds). Even when she is not at work she isn't with them, she probably spends one evening a week with them to groom them etc., most weekends she is out either watching dog shows or attending seminars. I have told her my thoughts but she just thinks I'm weird in the way I treat mine, she has twice come home to find a dead dog in a run, both of them relatively young, she also came home to find her younf GSD bitch had whelped, of 8 pups only 3 survived because she continued to go off to work and just left the bitch and the pups to fend for themselves, no extra food, heating anything. Its people like that, who call themselves dog lovers that really get my goat.

I think pet puppies should be, but don't think there is a problem with working dogs (I suppose I mean collies really!) being reared in kennels/barn etc.