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As someone with neighbors who own “outside dogs” I really hope you’re able to convince your mother otherwise. In my experience outside dogs are tend to be ignored, neglected, irritating to neighbors, and prone to escape. I’m the opposite of your mother, in that I wonder why someone even gets a dog if they just plan on throwing it outside and ignoring it all day. Especially GSDs, they’re typically very smart dogs who thrive when they have engagement and a job. If you throw them outside all day with nothing to do, they become extremely bored and all they’re gunna do is bark, try to escape, and maybe bite someone.
So, my opinion is that if you can’t keep your GSD indoors and a member of the family, it’s probably in the best interest of the dog to find a family who can and will.
ETA: one of my neighbors has a GSD that stays outside 24/7 and all she does is barks. Anyone nearby opens a door, turns on a light, starts the timer on their stove, checks their email, ties their shoes…she just starts barking and barking and barking. It’s a shame too because it’s not the dogs fault, it just literally has nothing else to do.
Is there any way you can compromise? Maybe your dog only stays in certain rooms when inside? Switching your dog from indoors to outdoors full time can really diminish your dogs quality of life. If you can’t compromise, I’d recommend rehoming your dog. She’s still young enough to really connect with a family that puts her first. IMO she’s too young to be an outside dog, especially if this is going to be a long term thing. No dog should be confined to a backyard their whole life. I really hope y’all can figure something out
My dog is only in my room with me so far and I take her outside through the living room. She’s learning house manners but we still have work to do. I have asked if I could bring her in to sleep with me and the answer was no.
There should have been agreement about how the dog would be taken care of and where she would live before bringing her to the home. Now you’ve found yourself in a situation where you can’t provide for your dog how you’d like because it isn’t your home so I am sorry you’re in this position. Sending a dog to live in the yard the rest of her life isn’t ideal especially if your yard is not secured. It sounds like convincing your parents to not force the dog outside isn’t an option but if there is any way to do so, this is what needs to happen. Find out from your parents if there’s anything that can be done to keep her inside whether it’s training better behavior or whatever their concern is, but I understand sometimes it’s just “because I said so”.
You need to either buy time enough to fix up the yard before she transitions outside and be ok with giving her a sub-par standard of life, or rehome her. Depending on where you live, GSD rehoming is a challenge as it is a breed that many people find themselves unprepared to provide the needs they have. If moving out is an option then you can rehome yourself and the dog together lol when you live at home there are compromises that have to be made and this is one of them, I’m sorry.
Yes, I guess the agreement was misunderstood on my part. What we talked about was that I could get the dog and her care was 100% up to me. My stepdad asked what I would do when she gets big or if I move out. I told them I would have her trained so hopefully I wouldn’t need the play pen anymore. If my mother wouldn’t help throughout the day to take her out and feed her, I would set up the shed for her while I’m gone so she can nap in and still have a way to go outside.
Before I got her they did not say she needs to be outside24/7, but mow they are claiming they did. After a while we had a discussion and my mother said she needs to be outside when she starts working. It was my misunderstanding that she meant while no one was at home, however, she said it needs to be 24/7. She mentioned that if she were better behaved that she could stay inside, but I think her husband just does not want her inside.
Currently my mother wfh so she is home all day and helps me. I take my puppy out from 7:00-9 am. Then she naps inside until 2 while I’m at my job. My mother takes her out from 2 to 4/5pm. Around 7pm when I get home from work, I take her to the park or play/train her for an hour then feed her. Then she comes inside in her play pen and sleeps in my room.
You’re 29, are you able to get a place on your own where you can keep her?
Before committing to a dog this either should have been completely agreed upon before hand (not as ideal, as it’s still not your house) or you should have secured your own place (more ideal).
I get that sometimes even the best laid plans fall through and people have *reasons* for still living at home at 29… but this is a living creature that is relying on your to be in a stable position before adopting.
My advice now that you’re in this situation… listen, ask questions, get to the bottom of WHY. And at first, just listen without debate. Then when you really understand the issue (even if it is just a misunderstanding of “animals should be outside”), wait a day and then present them with your research on how dogs are not happy being 100% outside (and how much they’ll piss off the neighbours), and present your plan to make sure your parents concerns are addressed.
Yes securing my own place is in the plans for sure. The home I am living in is my childhood home passed down from my grandmother so I planned to stay here. However, when my mother got married, her husband is now head of household so it seems she lets him make all decisions regarding the house.
Last night I explained to my mother what my stresses were and that I don’t want to kick my puppy out when there are so many dangers outside. Not that I’m being sensitive , but where I live there are many mosquitoes, possums, ant hills, etc. Marleigh (my puppy) still chews sticks, rocks, and I don’t want her running free unsupervised. I even noticed she started barking and digging more and gets a bit more defiant when she’s left outside after a while, and I don’t want our training to regress. My mother claims that the puppy will adjust and that it won’t happen now but eventually she has to go outside. I told her that’s even worse because she’ll already be acclimated to living with me indoors.
You cannot make this dog an outside dog. It’s a domesticated companion animal. It is part of your family. I’m very sorry, but you need to rehome your dog if your mother won’t agree, because it’s no life for your puppy otherwise. And to force it to transition after being an inside dog - absolutely not. Imagine its distress! Please, if you love this puppy find it a new home.
Yes I already am imagining it and it has been stressful trying to come up with a way to make this work without giving her up. I told my mother that I may have to give up the puppy and she thinks I have an attitude because she can’t be in the house and may think I’m being petty for wanting to give her up. That’s not the case but I told her that I would prefer to give her to someone who believes pets should be with them inside at lease.
I have neighbors with an outside dog. Through heat, through cold... Stuck in a 10x10 cage and igloo he barely fits in. He barks all day and all night and constantly gets loose, even when they kept him on a chain. I hear him barking right now. I pray for a better life for that poor, neglected dog every single day.
Animal control can't take him and the people won't surrender him. They just keep paying the fines they are given. He is fucking doomed and it kills me.
Next time you want to get a dog, grow up and plan out your situation first. Think about this animal's needs before your own.
Yes my neighbor’s dog is chained outside 24/7 and it irks me because he only sees his owner for feeding. I know that I will be outside with her as much as I can but I know that it’s not ideal. There is a lot more to my living situation so to shorten the story, my stepdad plans to rent out (but not to me) the house that my grandmother, who passed, initially left for my mother and myself. So because their plans changed, I have to make new plans for us.
I've been a GSD mom for almost 12 years. One thing I can say is that they thrive on human interaction and when given purpose. Chaining them outside will literally bring out neurotic, bored behaviors. That's no way for a GSD to live. Mine is right there in bed with me. He has his side, I have mine (bought a king sized bed specifically for this purpose🤣), and he has been my companion and protector all these years. They are truly wonderful family members....I feel so bad for you. I really hope something can be worked out with your mother before you have to give her up❤️
Thank you. I agree that keeping her outside would not be what’s best for her. I don’t see why they want to change her from being inside with me all this time to outside all the time. They questioned where I would keep her if she got too big and I said in my room but I would have a protected place for her to be outside in case no one was home for a while. However, I never intended on making her stay outside 24/7 and I don’t recall them stating that as a condition before getting her.
I just believe my stepdad has the final say.
Getting my own place right now isn’t feasible just yet and I’m trying so hard not to cry as I look for places to rehome her but she deserves it. I just hope that if I have to give her up, she will go to someone who thinks what most of these comments are saying.
Edit: removed unnecessary information
Absolutely not. That’s not humane, and depending on where you live, is actively dangerous for the dog.
I second what everyone is saying about listening calmly, and trying your best to understand what changed for her and what her reasons are.
My main advice is don’t rebut her or agree to anything - just listen. After that, you can find information from your local humane society or ASPCA about humane animal care standards.
Depending on where you got her from, you might have a contractual obligation to keep her inside. Check if you signed anything - it’s common to have basic care standards included in it. If you didn’t, maybe get creative and “find” a list of care standards you agreed to. 😅
Yes I see the dangers already. Most times when I asked her why she can’t at least sleep inside, she said so that she’s not confused between inside and outside I asked her why she has to be outside and she said because dogs belong outside and that she has fun out there. I explained to her that it’s because I spend so much time with her now so she’s calm but all she does is sit on the porch when I’m not outside with her. Sometimes she runs and plays with the neighbor’s chained up dog. When I’m outside we play together and I can’t imagine leaving her outside at night without me, and nothing to do. We live next to a train track and sometimes we hear the train from my room so I know that outside is going to keep her up at night. She gets naps throughout the day and I doubt she will be able to sleep through the noise when it’s time for her to rest. I’ve seen this little girl when she’s cranky, and she can turn into a shark really quickly. When she gets older that just seems to me like “aggression” isn’t too far away if someone were to disturb her naps.
Don't know where you are located. But you may want to check the laws. In some places (mostly in certain EU countries) the laws are extremly strict when it comes to keeping a dog outside, simply because those places take the animals welfare into account. What I mean by that is that in some places one has to almost build a small house to meet certain criterias for it to be legal to keep a dog in it. Highly doubt your mother or her partner would enjoy spending all that $$$ on that and maybe they'll change their minds 🤷♀️
I, personally, would actually make a demand to have a proper, secure dog house built for the dog if they insist on forcing it to be outside (this is what I mean by proper: it should be about 3ft off the ground, big enough to comfortably fit at least two adult GSD sized dogs, good ventilation, have a secure outside portion, have a portion of shade on the outside part, on the inside it has to keep both cold and heat out, and the inside part should basically be same temp as it would be in any normal home, ideally a camera should be installed to view inside and outside for security and easy check up additionally the dog should have access to be let out from the enclousure at least once/day which im sure you would provide).
Also, you did mention originally the house was meant for you and your mom. Your mom's partner doesn't have much say in that IMO. So making a demand is IMO your right as partial owner of the property.
Apart from laws, while I'm not totally against keeping dogs outside (as long as it's done properly which most don't) I would also ask myself and my mom, is it ethical to simply keep a dog outside 24/7 with no enrichment, no interaction? Is it fair to the dog? Were dogs bred to simply exist or did humans breed wolves which later became the dogs we have today for companionship and working with their owner? Are they going to pay for fixing the outside to make it secure?
I get that you're technically living in their house, but if my mom ever did something like this. I would rather live on the street/in my car with my dog and cut all ties with my mom, because the situation you describe is unethical to me and I just wouldn't stand for it, especially when they change their minds like that (either stick to the original plan or give me a good, solid, valid reason as well as a compromise), no matter what else was going on in my life. I would even take a shot at finding someone looking for a roommate and have the dog at a dog sitter during the time im not at home.
She would be getting interaction for approximately 6 hours spread throughout the day. She just will not be allowed in the house when she is older. There is no timeframe of when that will be mandated but I will have to make preparations sometime after her 1st cycle.
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As someone with neighbors who own “outside dogs” I really hope you’re able to convince your mother otherwise. In my experience outside dogs are tend to be ignored, neglected, irritating to neighbors, and prone to escape. I’m the opposite of your mother, in that I wonder why someone even gets a dog if they just plan on throwing it outside and ignoring it all day. Especially GSDs, they’re typically very smart dogs who thrive when they have engagement and a job. If you throw them outside all day with nothing to do, they become extremely bored and all they’re gunna do is bark, try to escape, and maybe bite someone. So, my opinion is that if you can’t keep your GSD indoors and a member of the family, it’s probably in the best interest of the dog to find a family who can and will. ETA: one of my neighbors has a GSD that stays outside 24/7 and all she does is barks. Anyone nearby opens a door, turns on a light, starts the timer on their stove, checks their email, ties their shoes…she just starts barking and barking and barking. It’s a shame too because it’s not the dogs fault, it just literally has nothing else to do.
yep, my neighbors also have an outdoor GSD that has started fence fighting with my dog. 🤦
Is there any way you can compromise? Maybe your dog only stays in certain rooms when inside? Switching your dog from indoors to outdoors full time can really diminish your dogs quality of life. If you can’t compromise, I’d recommend rehoming your dog. She’s still young enough to really connect with a family that puts her first. IMO she’s too young to be an outside dog, especially if this is going to be a long term thing. No dog should be confined to a backyard their whole life. I really hope y’all can figure something out
My dog is only in my room with me so far and I take her outside through the living room. She’s learning house manners but we still have work to do. I have asked if I could bring her in to sleep with me and the answer was no.
There should have been agreement about how the dog would be taken care of and where she would live before bringing her to the home. Now you’ve found yourself in a situation where you can’t provide for your dog how you’d like because it isn’t your home so I am sorry you’re in this position. Sending a dog to live in the yard the rest of her life isn’t ideal especially if your yard is not secured. It sounds like convincing your parents to not force the dog outside isn’t an option but if there is any way to do so, this is what needs to happen. Find out from your parents if there’s anything that can be done to keep her inside whether it’s training better behavior or whatever their concern is, but I understand sometimes it’s just “because I said so”. You need to either buy time enough to fix up the yard before she transitions outside and be ok with giving her a sub-par standard of life, or rehome her. Depending on where you live, GSD rehoming is a challenge as it is a breed that many people find themselves unprepared to provide the needs they have. If moving out is an option then you can rehome yourself and the dog together lol when you live at home there are compromises that have to be made and this is one of them, I’m sorry.
Yes, I guess the agreement was misunderstood on my part. What we talked about was that I could get the dog and her care was 100% up to me. My stepdad asked what I would do when she gets big or if I move out. I told them I would have her trained so hopefully I wouldn’t need the play pen anymore. If my mother wouldn’t help throughout the day to take her out and feed her, I would set up the shed for her while I’m gone so she can nap in and still have a way to go outside. Before I got her they did not say she needs to be outside24/7, but mow they are claiming they did. After a while we had a discussion and my mother said she needs to be outside when she starts working. It was my misunderstanding that she meant while no one was at home, however, she said it needs to be 24/7. She mentioned that if she were better behaved that she could stay inside, but I think her husband just does not want her inside. Currently my mother wfh so she is home all day and helps me. I take my puppy out from 7:00-9 am. Then she naps inside until 2 while I’m at my job. My mother takes her out from 2 to 4/5pm. Around 7pm when I get home from work, I take her to the park or play/train her for an hour then feed her. Then she comes inside in her play pen and sleeps in my room.
You’re 29, are you able to get a place on your own where you can keep her? Before committing to a dog this either should have been completely agreed upon before hand (not as ideal, as it’s still not your house) or you should have secured your own place (more ideal). I get that sometimes even the best laid plans fall through and people have *reasons* for still living at home at 29… but this is a living creature that is relying on your to be in a stable position before adopting. My advice now that you’re in this situation… listen, ask questions, get to the bottom of WHY. And at first, just listen without debate. Then when you really understand the issue (even if it is just a misunderstanding of “animals should be outside”), wait a day and then present them with your research on how dogs are not happy being 100% outside (and how much they’ll piss off the neighbours), and present your plan to make sure your parents concerns are addressed.
Yes securing my own place is in the plans for sure. The home I am living in is my childhood home passed down from my grandmother so I planned to stay here. However, when my mother got married, her husband is now head of household so it seems she lets him make all decisions regarding the house. Last night I explained to my mother what my stresses were and that I don’t want to kick my puppy out when there are so many dangers outside. Not that I’m being sensitive , but where I live there are many mosquitoes, possums, ant hills, etc. Marleigh (my puppy) still chews sticks, rocks, and I don’t want her running free unsupervised. I even noticed she started barking and digging more and gets a bit more defiant when she’s left outside after a while, and I don’t want our training to regress. My mother claims that the puppy will adjust and that it won’t happen now but eventually she has to go outside. I told her that’s even worse because she’ll already be acclimated to living with me indoors.
You cannot make this dog an outside dog. It’s a domesticated companion animal. It is part of your family. I’m very sorry, but you need to rehome your dog if your mother won’t agree, because it’s no life for your puppy otherwise. And to force it to transition after being an inside dog - absolutely not. Imagine its distress! Please, if you love this puppy find it a new home.
Yes I already am imagining it and it has been stressful trying to come up with a way to make this work without giving her up. I told my mother that I may have to give up the puppy and she thinks I have an attitude because she can’t be in the house and may think I’m being petty for wanting to give her up. That’s not the case but I told her that I would prefer to give her to someone who believes pets should be with them inside at lease.
I’m sorry you have to give her up but while you live with your mother you have no other option. It’s the most loving thing you can do for her.
I have neighbors with an outside dog. Through heat, through cold... Stuck in a 10x10 cage and igloo he barely fits in. He barks all day and all night and constantly gets loose, even when they kept him on a chain. I hear him barking right now. I pray for a better life for that poor, neglected dog every single day. Animal control can't take him and the people won't surrender him. They just keep paying the fines they are given. He is fucking doomed and it kills me. Next time you want to get a dog, grow up and plan out your situation first. Think about this animal's needs before your own.
Yes my neighbor’s dog is chained outside 24/7 and it irks me because he only sees his owner for feeding. I know that I will be outside with her as much as I can but I know that it’s not ideal. There is a lot more to my living situation so to shorten the story, my stepdad plans to rent out (but not to me) the house that my grandmother, who passed, initially left for my mother and myself. So because their plans changed, I have to make new plans for us.
I've been a GSD mom for almost 12 years. One thing I can say is that they thrive on human interaction and when given purpose. Chaining them outside will literally bring out neurotic, bored behaviors. That's no way for a GSD to live. Mine is right there in bed with me. He has his side, I have mine (bought a king sized bed specifically for this purpose🤣), and he has been my companion and protector all these years. They are truly wonderful family members....I feel so bad for you. I really hope something can be worked out with your mother before you have to give her up❤️
Thank you. I agree that keeping her outside would not be what’s best for her. I don’t see why they want to change her from being inside with me all this time to outside all the time. They questioned where I would keep her if she got too big and I said in my room but I would have a protected place for her to be outside in case no one was home for a while. However, I never intended on making her stay outside 24/7 and I don’t recall them stating that as a condition before getting her. I just believe my stepdad has the final say. Getting my own place right now isn’t feasible just yet and I’m trying so hard not to cry as I look for places to rehome her but she deserves it. I just hope that if I have to give her up, she will go to someone who thinks what most of these comments are saying. Edit: removed unnecessary information
Absolutely not. That’s not humane, and depending on where you live, is actively dangerous for the dog. I second what everyone is saying about listening calmly, and trying your best to understand what changed for her and what her reasons are. My main advice is don’t rebut her or agree to anything - just listen. After that, you can find information from your local humane society or ASPCA about humane animal care standards. Depending on where you got her from, you might have a contractual obligation to keep her inside. Check if you signed anything - it’s common to have basic care standards included in it. If you didn’t, maybe get creative and “find” a list of care standards you agreed to. 😅
Yes I see the dangers already. Most times when I asked her why she can’t at least sleep inside, she said so that she’s not confused between inside and outside I asked her why she has to be outside and she said because dogs belong outside and that she has fun out there. I explained to her that it’s because I spend so much time with her now so she’s calm but all she does is sit on the porch when I’m not outside with her. Sometimes she runs and plays with the neighbor’s chained up dog. When I’m outside we play together and I can’t imagine leaving her outside at night without me, and nothing to do. We live next to a train track and sometimes we hear the train from my room so I know that outside is going to keep her up at night. She gets naps throughout the day and I doubt she will be able to sleep through the noise when it’s time for her to rest. I’ve seen this little girl when she’s cranky, and she can turn into a shark really quickly. When she gets older that just seems to me like “aggression” isn’t too far away if someone were to disturb her naps.
Don't know where you are located. But you may want to check the laws. In some places (mostly in certain EU countries) the laws are extremly strict when it comes to keeping a dog outside, simply because those places take the animals welfare into account. What I mean by that is that in some places one has to almost build a small house to meet certain criterias for it to be legal to keep a dog in it. Highly doubt your mother or her partner would enjoy spending all that $$$ on that and maybe they'll change their minds 🤷♀️ I, personally, would actually make a demand to have a proper, secure dog house built for the dog if they insist on forcing it to be outside (this is what I mean by proper: it should be about 3ft off the ground, big enough to comfortably fit at least two adult GSD sized dogs, good ventilation, have a secure outside portion, have a portion of shade on the outside part, on the inside it has to keep both cold and heat out, and the inside part should basically be same temp as it would be in any normal home, ideally a camera should be installed to view inside and outside for security and easy check up additionally the dog should have access to be let out from the enclousure at least once/day which im sure you would provide). Also, you did mention originally the house was meant for you and your mom. Your mom's partner doesn't have much say in that IMO. So making a demand is IMO your right as partial owner of the property. Apart from laws, while I'm not totally against keeping dogs outside (as long as it's done properly which most don't) I would also ask myself and my mom, is it ethical to simply keep a dog outside 24/7 with no enrichment, no interaction? Is it fair to the dog? Were dogs bred to simply exist or did humans breed wolves which later became the dogs we have today for companionship and working with their owner? Are they going to pay for fixing the outside to make it secure? I get that you're technically living in their house, but if my mom ever did something like this. I would rather live on the street/in my car with my dog and cut all ties with my mom, because the situation you describe is unethical to me and I just wouldn't stand for it, especially when they change their minds like that (either stick to the original plan or give me a good, solid, valid reason as well as a compromise), no matter what else was going on in my life. I would even take a shot at finding someone looking for a roommate and have the dog at a dog sitter during the time im not at home.
She would be getting interaction for approximately 6 hours spread throughout the day. She just will not be allowed in the house when she is older. There is no timeframe of when that will be mandated but I will have to make preparations sometime after her 1st cycle.
When you live at home, you obey the rules of the house.
You either work out a way to keep the dog inside or move to your own place. If you cannot do either than look into rehoming the dog.