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OUTSIDE
DOGS
By Dennis Fetko, PhD
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 could 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 in Brooklyn to sell you....
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.
Dennis
Fetko, PhD.
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