House pet or Outside kennel?

I

iowarider

New member
My son is purchasing a well started/trained English Pointer. His dilemma is he lives in town. I have a fairly large outside kennel, 15 X 30 and live about 30 miles from him. The question, the pup will be around 6 months old when he picks it up. If he keeps it in the house with him, crated when at work, will he still turn out to be a good hunter. I know and he will need worked with no matter if he is kenneled outside or inside. We are both just a little concerned about turning a potential hunting companion into a lap dog. My thought is if he continues to work him, being indoors will only strengthen the bond and he will work better.

What do you think?
 
iowarider... IMHO, if your son gets the dog some field time and allows him to develop his hunting instincts, he won't turn him into a lap dog by keeping him indoors. I don't like the crating of dogs for long periods of time beyond the puppy stage but I realize some people have no other choice. Personally, I think the bond you establish with your dog in your home pays dividends in the field.

I'm no expert but that's my humble opinion, for what it's worth. Good luck and happy hunting to you and your son!
 
Thanks for the reply, thats pretty much what I thought. I think he would rather make a run outside for him when he is gone as well. Just not sure if he can where he lives.
 
Bond with your dog

I went through the same thing 5 yrs ago. KEEP THEM INSIDE WITH YOU! I kept my dog inside with us from the start. They get used to you and the bond/trust is much stronger vs being outside. I kept het in a crate inside until about 9 months to 1 yr while I was at work. Once you feel they are house trained they can be left out of the crate during the day. I am pretty passionate about this issue. I have hunted with guys who have no control over their dogs, ask them the question "how much time do you spend with them?" A lot of owners/hunters can't figure out hwy hwen they let the dog out at night it goes crazy. Imagine being locked up in the kennel all day, I'd go crazy to. Time spent inside with the dog leads to better control in the field. As long as you excerise and work with them they will not be lazy, they will want to please you.
 
I Couldn't agree more MN-JRK. Although I gave my Vizsla run of the house a little bit earlier than you with your dog, I agree that the bonding and time spent with a dog is paramount when it comes to your dog gaining respect for you, and understanding what you expect out of them. I had Springers before my Vizsla and they were all house dogs as well, and all good hunting dogs and great companions. All of my dogs will be house dogs.

Paul
 
I can tell you now. My son purchased an 8 year old well trained German Short hair. The fella that owned him worked him on guided hunts. He was a family pet as well. The story though is the first night was a bit rough. My son works during the day, picked the dog up in the evening, then went to work the next morning. He left the dog loose. Poor dog tried to go home. Ever see the movie Turner and Hooch? I get this call, "dad, he ate my house"!! Seems his back door knob now has teeth marks in it, The wall beside it is missing drywall three ft. up and four ft. wide, the insulation is gone ant the studs are chewed pretty heavy. Since it wasn't my house I thought it was funny. Told him poor guy just missed his family and he needed to spend time with him.

There are three days of trying to use a crate, dog got out each time. I kept telling him, take him with you as much as possible. Play with him. Finally he gave up, I called "well how did round four go"? Oh, I gave up and left him out, came home and he was asleep in my bed.

Sometimes, its the son and not the dog that needs the training. LOL
 
My two cents

I have a wirehair pointer and new to being a hunting dog owner myself. So I am still trying to figure it all out myself.
My experience is this and take it for what it is. I keep my dog both in and out. During the day the dog is kept in a 10'x10' kennel. Once I come home from work I bring him in the house where he sleeps until I leave for work the next day.
I am married and my wife has her hands busy with the kids and does not need another curious nose around. This arrangement has not hurt or delayed him in any way that I can see, and kept my marriage. He gets exercise/ran before and/or after work and we go out about 2 days a week to the field. I hope this helps.
 
I have two big Black Labs, good hunters! From day 1 they have been house dogs. My Wife has a bed made up for them in our bedroom. They go almost everywhere with me in the cab of the pickup. Yeah I think their happy dogs.:) :)
 
vdduplander said:
I have a wirehair pointer and new to being a hunting dog owner myself. So I am still trying to figure it all out myself.
My experience is this and take it for what it is. I keep my dog both in and out. During the day the dog is kept in a 10'x10' kennel. Once I come home from work I bring him in the house where he sleeps until I leave for work the next day.
I am married and my wife has her hands busy with the kids and does not need another curious nose around. This arrangement has not hurt or delayed him in any way that I can see, and kept my marriage. He gets exercise/ran before and/or after work and we go out about 2 days a week to the field. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I think you have a pretty logical compromise for both your wife and dog. I know that extra nose thing. I have a yearling German Shorthair, I can't honestly remember the last time he was more than 3 ft. from me. He loves to sneak up and poke a very cold wet nose on me in the morning. Not my favorite way to wake up.
 
new pup

I can hardly bellive it, my son, after getting his house eaten by his German Short hair, he went ahead and bought the English Pointer pup he had arranged to purchase. I went with him to pick it up. It had been in an outdoor run from birth through training until we picked it up. He was determined to keep it that way. Until he got caught by the cute puppy eye thing. The plan was to leave it at my place, I have a 15 by 30 ft chain link kennel complete with insulated dog house. It was in the teens, my lady friend kept calling on the way home to tell him, she wasn't going to let that puppy stay outside in the cold. By the time we got to my place, he had decided, I guess I might as well keep him and let him get attached to me.

three weeks later, he has an 8 year old well trained German Short hair and a 6 month old English pointer, that are both house dogs, and best friends. He takes them with him as often as he can. Yep those pups are hard to resist.:thumbsup:
 
For all you inside dog owners. How do your dogs fair in the cold weather after being conditioned at 70 dig. Not running in the field, but rather waiting in the dog box before and after the hunt ??
 
No problem :thumbsup: My Vizsla's always ready to go. As long as he is moving he has no problems. It's only when he is not moving around i.e. taking a break, and it is cold out that he thinks the cab of the truck is the place to be. Being a single coated dog, the Vizsla in general is more susceptible to the cold. It may be out of guilt, or just saying thanks for doing a great job out there, but when the day is over, and I see him shaking, from the cold, I always find him a nice warm spot to recuperate. I try not to have it be on my lap if I can help it! Honestly though, most times it is. :eek:

Paul
 
My dog does great in the dog box. We went out two days this weekend with lows in the single digits. He wasn't shivering at all. I just make sure he has plenty of fresh hay and that there isn't any water in the older hay. My dog is a GWP and can withstand colder temps.
 
During the day I keep my 6yr old in a 10 X 6 chain link run in the garage where he is safe from the elements and any dangerous stuff that he may be tempted to get in to.(there is not much as I keep all motor oil, fertilizer etc up off the ground. My new pup stays in a 4 X 3 cage in the basement during the day until he is old enough to stay in the garage.

Once I get home from work and they are excercised they are in the house until the next morning. I believe, as does Richard Wolters that the dog should be part of the family. The dogs are not only tools for hunting they are my best buddies. Take it from me it does not alter their hunting performance one bit.
 
I just got a 6 mo. old brittany pup and seeing as it is still cold here i have been keeping him inside determend to make him a outside dog. After reading this i have decided to split it up from 6:00 am to 3:30am outside the rest of the time ill keep him inside. He never leaves my side and i guess ever since i have been a little kid i have always wanted a loyal dog just like that so why ruin it now. Even though this is not my post thanks for al the help
 
Fasenbuster said:
For all you inside dog owners. How do your dogs fair in the cold weather after being conditioned at 70 dig. Not running in the field, but rather waiting in the dog box before and after the hunt ??
Click to expand...

I drive an SUV with a custom dog box that I built for the cargo area. If it's warm, my dog has AC, if it's cold, she has heat. Makes no difference. She's ready to hunt anytime, anywhere with no regards for weather conditions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top