Quote:
Originally Posted by MyPemCharlie
I'm always on the fence with where to leave Charlie when I leave the house...inside in his crate, or outside in the big backyard.
I home office, so I'm only out of the house a few hours per week to run errands and I go out to "socialize myself" with real humans one evening a week. Charlie and I spend probably 23 hours/day average together.
Everytime I leave the house I'm unsure whether it's better to put Charlie inside or put him in the yard. (The yard is completely privacy fenced.) I expect that he's probably happier/comfortable in the yard and would get less bored, but I have read that some trainers advocate quite a bit of isolation crate time so that the owner/dog bond (dependency on the owner as Alpha) is strengthened. My take on that opinion is that leaving him in the yard alone might make him too independent and harder to train. I'm not sure.
Anyway, I'm about to run errands for about an hour, and I'm leaving him in the yard. It's a beautiful, sunny and nice cool Fall day here!
Any thoughts either way?
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IMO, it's not a training issue. I can't see why a dog would be more indpendent or harder to train if left in the yard as opposed to the house. Just doesn't make any sense to me.
I also don't buy the "isolation" time in a crate makes them easier to train. Again doesn't make sense to me.
Ok, as for leaving dog outside while you're not home. IMO, I think it comes down to what's safer for the dog. In most neighborhoods in the US the houses are quite close together and neighbor kids could possibly bother the dog, making it bark and be a nusiencse to the neighbors. Also someone might toss something in the yard. (Yes, I've heard and seen both things happen.)
IMO, just for the safety of the dog I think it's better to leave them inside when you're gone.
Just my opinion.
Peggy