Gun Dog Forum

Just a quick note to know some of your experiences. Do you build a better bond with your dog if he or she live inside with the family or outside in a kennel ????????????????

You always have a better bond with a dog and if you vigilant, you have a better trained dog when they live inside. When the dog is inside you're paying it continual attention and in the course of a day there will be countless opportunities to reinforce simple obedience commands.

In the retriever world, I'm not sure there's ever been a field champion that wasn't a house dog. Pointing dogs are known as hyper dogs and many people don't like keeping them in the house. That's rot. If you socialize a dog and train the dog, a pointing dog makes as good a house dog as any other breed.

with Britt's it's been my experience that a combination of both is best

fratelle wrote:Just a quick note to know some of your experiences. Do you build a better bond with your dog if he or she live inside with the family or outside in a kennel ????????????????

I'm not certain that question is quite as simple as it sounds. The best bond probably comes from lots of contact with a happy, well exercised dog that knows you are the pack leader & understands the behaviors you expect. Working dogs need lots of exercise. If the dog lives inside and is crated up most of the day because people are at work & school and the dog only gets taken for walks on a leash that's not the best situation. With puppies sometimes both you & the pup need a mental health break. If a pup is living inside all of the time patience is difficult to hang on to. People who raise & train dogs for a living probably spend more time & higher quality time with their outdoor dogs than many of us working stiffs do with our indoor dogs.

So common sense says it depends more upon the individual circumstances than just whether the dog is inside or outside.

<< The best bond probably comes from lots of contact with a happy, well exercised dog that knows you are the pack leader & understands the behaviors you expect. >>

I think Big Shooter nailed it.

You have more opportunities to comunicate with your dog when he's inside with you. Although sometimes its a bit difficult convincing him who the pack leader is when he's sitting in mom's lap.

It is about time. The more time you spend with your dog the better. I dont know how you can spend the same amount of time with a dog that stays in the kennel as one that lives with you. I have done both and this difference is night and day. Not only is the interection important but also time spent together where there is nothing going on. Just in the same house relaxing. Lots of time together where you are ignoring the dog is just as important as training time. From my experience the dog is less concerned about distractions and is more in tune with not only your commands but your body language. I can usually spot that bond when watching field trials. It really is a thing of beauty. If you go to the amature nationals you can see what I mean.

Combination of in and out. I think they shouldn't be spoiled to being inside but almost like a reward. My pup sleeps inside in a kennel, goes out at 8am and comes in at 9pm to a dog bed and bone. My pup is only 11 months and when she is asleep on her bed my almost 3 y/o niece can hug, kiss and lay on her and she doesn't give a care in the world.

You mean to tell me that bird dogs can sleep outside.......Can you quote a few studies that support that claim....

It wouldn't matter to me if the dog would "do better outside". Mine stay inside because I derive more constant value from their close presence than I would if I otherwise just used them as a tool to be stored when not in use.

You will enjoy him much more and he will give you memories you will cherish forever, as for hunting it probably makes no difference.

Brittguy wrote: he will give you memories you will cherish forever

I have indoor puppy memories that will last forever, not all of them are cherished.

Inside or out side ok well if you want a pet keep him inside and walk him on a lease if you want a hunting dog leave him in a kennel but if you want both do both i keep mine in a kennel most of the time but when the wife is gone he come in and plays with the kids i know i am not a pro by no means but i do love my pointer and there is no doubt he thinks i am just the best thing sence sliced bread

My brit sleeps on a really nice queen size bed. And we are lucky she allows us to sleep on the bed as well. Im a firm believer that dogs need to be well socialized and part of the family. I think that dogs hunt better for someone that they have a really good bond with. I have absolutely no proof of that, but in my mind it works. Im also a firm believer in spoiling a hunting dog. My pup gets her Greenies twice a day, she gets peted and rubbed for at least 1 hour a day, and I play with her in the back yard as much as possible. I expect her to be well behaved, and when she is, she gets rewarded for it. When she isn't well behaved, she doesn't get rewarded. Trust me, she knows the difference..