New Dog

[lahoagie]

Getting a new dog tomorrow. I am so nervous. He is a siberian husky and I am just worried about that breeds tendency to escape. We have a large run for him (40 feet by 10 feet) with a 6 + foot fence and concrete (so he can't dig). But I am still so worried about him. He gets along with my current dog and I am sure everything will be fine. He will get a nice 45 minute to one hour walk every night. I think I am just worried about change. Wish me luck!

[phunluvin82]

Good luck...sounds like you are well equipped to handle him, I'm sure it will be fine!

[mrsjrd23]

are you planning to keep him outside?

[lahoagie]

Nov 5, 2012 22:51:17 GMT -5 mrsjrd23 said:

are you planning to keep him outside?

Outside when we are not here. Inside when we are.

[redheadbaker]

Nov 6, 2012 9:43:33 GMT -5 lahoagie said:

Nov 5, 2012 22:51:17 GMT -5 mrsjrd23 said:

are you planning to keep him outside?

Outside when we are not here. Inside when we are.

Any chance you'll reconsider? It's really not safe. If you're worried about the dog being destructive, crate-training is the best option.

[Deleted]

Good luck! I would second keeping him indoors.

[lahoagie]

We keep our other dog outside and inside and have no problems. I guess that makes me an awful pet parent but our current dog is super happy, healthy, and well behaved. We will determine what to do with this dog based on his reactions but our plan is to leave him in our dog run outside when we are not home.

[redheadbaker]

Nov 6, 2012 10:12:08 GMT -5 lahoagie said:

We will determine what to do with this dog based on his reactions but our plan is to leave him in our dog run outside when we are not home.

I'm sorry to hear that.

[lahoagie]

Nov 6, 2012 10:17:19 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Nov 6, 2012 10:12:08 GMT -5 lahoagie said:

We will determine what to do with this dog based on his reactions but our plan is to leave him in our dog run outside when we are not home.

I'm sorry to hear that.

My poor dog. They should just take him away from me I am such an awful owner.

[redheadbaker]

Nov 6, 2012 10:41:43 GMT -5 lahoagie said:

Nov 6, 2012 10:17:19 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

I'm sorry to hear that.

My poor dog. They should just take him away from me I am such an awful owner.

Sorry for being concerned for your dogs' safety. One member of the Nest Pets board's dog was killed when it escaped from her yard while he was unattended.

[sebd12]

My dogs run free all day and are super happy, well exercised, and incredibly behaved. They get compliments on their obedience wherever we take them. They are very much a part of the family and hang out in the kitchen with me sometimes.
They are very protective of me and our house and I don't really see how anything in that article applies to every backyard dog.
I think every pet owner should do what's best in their particular situation. A short life outside is better than a 1 week life in a 4x8' shelter cell anyway.
I can't keep animals inside full time due to allergies. But I assure you my dogs have an excellent home.
There are also many dangers for a strictly-inside animal as well (cleaning chemicals, access to children's toys that aren't dog safe, risk of electrical shock, likely to die if the house catches fire, and more likely to be overweight and have all those accompanying health problems.

OP's set up sounds very secure and I"m sure the dogs will be well loved and safe.
Pet parenting is not a competition, and I'd like to see someone bubble-wrap a husky!

ETA: Pets can escape from a house too.

[sebd12]

I will say that crate training is always a good idea though. We can take our dogs anywhere that we can take a pop-up wire crate and they have a place to sleep! It's fun because they can go with us camping or to friends/family's houses and we don't have to board them or leave home alone for 3+ days.

[lahoagie]

Nov 7, 2012 13:24:22 GMT -5 sebd12 said:

I will say that crate training is always a good idea though. We can take our dogs anywhere that we can take a pop-up wire crate and they have a place to sleep! It's fun because they can go with us camping or to friends/family's houses and we don't have to board them or leave home alone for 3+ days.

Thanks for the input! We have a crate and will give it a try but we need somewhere to put him during the day where he can't hurt himself and I am not going to force him into a crate until he is comfortable with entering it on his own. Which he isn't yet but we are trying to make it a happy place for him. Thanks for the support!

[mrsjrd23]

Oh I miss the old pets board...

[kellbell191]

Look, allowing your dogs outside unattended is more dangerous than keeping them inside in a safe space. That's just the way it is; research and common sense support this. It doesn't make anyone a horrible pet parent, it just makes it a less ideal choice. I do not crate train, my dogs have some separation anxiety and it doesn't work for us. We do confine them with babygates and that's worked fine. OP that's directed more at the people commenting than you. If you can find an indoors alternative for them I think that would be a good decision.

We do own an escape artist. We do positive reinforcement training, keep her on leash when we're outside with a harness, and practice recall with lots of yummy treats. She can get out if my yard in thirty seconds with me standing there: outside alone who knows what she would do