There is tons of opinions on the subject of whether or not to keep you gun dog in the hose or outside. To me its a matter of personal preference. Homer is my pet, he lives in my house, always has and always will. Many old timers will swear up and down keeping a retriever indoors will “ruin it”. This is total BS!!! Making your hunting dog a pet and keeping him indoors will in no way ,shape or form “RUIN” him. Building desire through proper training will develop your dogs skills, not keeping him outdoors 24/7.
Homer is living proof of that, he is a MONSTER in the field and a baby at home. Homer is fully capable of running the Super Retriever Series (I had a Master Trainer ask if I wanted to try the SRS circuit, he thought Homer would do very well) and has never spent a single night outdoors. I’ve seen plenty of stick chasers that could not make a 10 yard blind retrieve that never set foot inside a house.
If you have a real nice carpet and don’t want dog hair on it by all means keep him outdoors. But don’t choose to keep him outside because your afraid of “ruining” him.
Joe Dynarski
henry67 Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 3:04 pmVisit henry67
Dogs and most pets for that matter are far more willing to try to do as we ask when they are secure and confident. A confident dog isn’t an accident. Making them a part of your family, including being indoors, helps to socialize, and gives them a sense of “pack”. In return, a confident dog is probably the best friend anyone can have, and will work their heart out just to please you. And if you have a really nice carpet and don’t want pet hair on it, train your dog not to step on it, not as hard as it sounds! Repetition and praise and soon you’ll have a dog that skirts the edges of the carpet or won’t cross the threshold into the room. This is also great to keep dogs out of a nursery.
henry67 Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 3:04 pmVisit henry67
Dogs and most pets for that matter are far more willing to try to do as we ask when they are secure and confident. A confident dog isn’t an accident. Making them a part of your family, including being indoors, helps to socialize, and gives them a sense of “pack”. In return, a confident dog is probably the best friend anyone can have, and will work their heart out just to please you. And if you have a really nice carpet and don’t want pet hair on it, train your dog not to step on it, not as hard as it sounds! Repetition and praise and soon you’ll have a dog that skirts the edges of the carpet or won’t cross the threshold into the room. This is also great to keep dogs out of a nursery.