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Vizsladogs, Ltd.
Outside Dogs
By Dennis Fetko, PhD
Reprinted from August 1995 issue of Whiskers &
Wags, Halifax Humane Society Newsletter
I'm familiar with hundreds of dog breeds, but what's an
outside dog? Unless you're medically intolerant of the dog
(and therefore can't take care of him in a medical emergency,
so you shouldn't have the dog anyway), making a dog stay
outside is a costly waste. If he's for protection, what do
you think I want to steal - your lawn? When you leave, do you
put your valuables and your kids out in your yard? Just what
is the dog protecting out there? Most dogs kept outside cause
far more nuisance complaints from barking and escaping than
any deterrent to intrusion. Such complaints cause teasing,
antagonism, release and poisoning. With your dog a helpless
victim, it's no laughing matter.
If I'm a crook and your dog is out, your fence protects
ME, not your possessions or your dog. If I just open the
gate, 9 out of 10 dogs will run off! I can safely shoot,
stab, spear, poison, snare, strangle them, or dart through
the fence and you just lost your dog AND everything I steal!
If he's tied up and I keep out of reach, he's useless.
He'll bark, but outside dogs bark so much, they're usually
ignored. But let a dog hit the other side of a door or window
I'm breaking into, and I'm GONE! I can't hurt the dog until
he can hurt me, and nothing you own is worth my arm.
Deterrence is effective protection.
Protection and aggression are not the same. Protection is
defensive, reactive, often passive, and threatens or injures
no one. Aggression is active, harmful and offensive,
threatens all and benefits none. Yard dogs often develop far
more aggression than protectivity because everyone who passes
by or enters has already violated the territory that dog has
marked dozens of times a day for years. That's not
protection, it's not desirable and it overlooks two facts of
life today:
First, property owners have implied social contracts with
others in the community. Letter carriers, paper boys,
delivery people, law enforcement, emergency medical
personnel, meter readers and others are allowed near and at
times on your property without your specific permission. And
sure that ten-year-old was not supposed to jump your fence
after his Frisbee; but neither you nor your dog are allowed
to cause him injury if he
does. Imagine this: A neighbor looks into your yard or
window and sees you, your wife or child laying on the floor
in a pool of blood. They call 9-1-1 and your dog prevents
paramedics from assisting! Should they shoot your dog or just
let you die? Great choice.
Second, even if the intruder is a criminal, few places
allow you or your dog to cause physical injury to prevent
property loss. Convicted felons have sued the dog's owner
from jail and won more in the suit than they ever co uld have
stolen! Appalling? True. And don't be foolish enough to
believe your homeowner's insurance will cover the loss. Now
you see why many feel that an outside dog is a no-brainer.
The more a dog is outdoors, the less behavioral control
you have. It's easier to solve four or five indoor problems
than one outdoor problem. The reason is valid and simple: The
more you control the stimuli that reaches your dog, the more
you control the responses. You've got a lot more control over
your living room than you do over your entire county! When
your dog is bored, but teased by every dog, cat, bird,
squirrel, motorcycle, paperboy,airplane, firecracker and
backfiring truck in the county, OF COURSE he'll dig, chew,
and bark. Would you sit still all day everyday? Do you want
unnecessary medical and parasite fees, especially as the dog
ages?
When a dog is alone indoors, you are still 30% there
because your scent and things he associates with you,
constantly remind the dog of you and your training. When he's
out, your dog is alone whether you're home or not. Do you
really expect him to keep YOU in mind while the entire world
teases, distracts and stimulates him?
The media is full of stories about the family dog saving
everyone's life during a fire. How many people, including
children, would be dead today if those dogs were kept
outside? SURE - you ALWAYS get up to investigate every time
your yard dog barks. And I've got this bridge.
An outdoor dog has an address, not a home. Dogs offer real
value as companion animals. Stop behavior problems and start
enjoying real protection and companionship. Bring your dogs
inside.
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