New puppy, keeping him warm

If I knew I could start so many fights on the internet I would of avoided elementary school. SO I SAY NOW >>>IT WAS ALL A JOKE. I LOVE YOUR PARTICULAR STATE OR REGION AND THE SCHOOL YOU SUPPORT. I ADMIRE YOUR LOVE OR LACK THEIR OF, BOVINE ANIMALS, AND I HOPE YOUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS LIVE LONG AND HEALTHY LIVES, EITHER IN YOUR BED OR IN THE BED OF YOUR MOTHERS

 

The little guy will be fine, I'm not sure where your simple question went all crazy. Do you happen to have a drop light and extention cord, or an old heating pad, if so hook the little guy up. Also a radio playing low will comfort him. Throw a shirt or towel (with your scent or the breeders scent) in there as well. That will help him feel at home, at his new home.

 

let him lay with you inside, thatll make him feel right at home lol

 

Justin it seems that you really want the best for your puppy and that is why you came here asking. You say you've always had dogs and it seems like he has a pretty good set up so far. Not too many people will go to the extent that you do to care for him. And I thank you for that.

You say you can't let him in because of the allergies. I have really bad allergies to both cats and dogs. I do have three of each. The cats are indoor cats, the dogs are outside during the day (unless it rains) but they are inside the HOUSE during the evening. The dogs sleep where they want.

So how do I do it?

Well, first of all, the dogs were crate trained. I put a plastic dog crate in the kitchen and put them in there to sleep when they were puppies. Dogs will not go to the bathroom where they sleep so they will hold it. Just make sure you let him out to go potty real late before you go to bed and as soon as you wake up.

As for the allergies, I get shots every month.

Good luck.

 

my dog sleeps under the covers with me. i dont know how she breaths under there but she likes it. even if i dont let her get under while im awake she somehow gets under once im asleep.

 

Op, there are heaters for critters houses that work well if you do end up keeping your dog outdoors. Heater or not your dog will need to come in if temp drops alot. Look here -> http://futurepet.com/cgi-bin/search.exe?CTLFIND=100.441

 

Do not want to do a heating pad due to him chewing so much still. We have thought about the lamp but we wonder if he will hate the constant light on him

 

god this has to be one of the most uneducated responses in this entire thread (and that's saying a lot considering all the idiots it seems to come out of the wood work for this one.)

first of all let me preface this by letting you all know that I am a humane law enforcement officer in D.C. i deal with dumb-asses all day every day that get dogs for every reason other than reasons you should be getting a dog. most of them have no idea how to care for a dog yet think that just because they have owned 20, 30, 40...etc. dogs over their short life time that automatically means they know what the hell they are talking about. dogs are a dime a dozen in D.C. i could get you a puppy pretty much any day of the week for $10 from some asshat that thought they were going to get rich off of breeding mutts that they also got from an asshat in the same situation and now find themselves with 13 dogs they can't care for vs. the two adults they previously couldn't care for.

a lot of these people also have no idea how to care for these dogs that they acquired on a whim. so as i do every day, let me clear up some misconceptions that still are regurgitated as fact on a daily basis...

#1. dogs as we know them today are not natural (from nature) animals. they have been selectively bred over 1000's of years to get the domesticated pet that we know today. so therefore, comparing the tolerances, diets, behaviors...etc. of their ancestors (wolves) to fluffy today is completely ignorant.

#2. dogs are tough, to a degree. some dogs are tougher than others. some have more of a tolerance for certain things. for example, a husky, malamute, akita...etc. commomly used for sledding in extreme temperatures are acclimated to that temperature and also have the coats for that temperature. they have 2 layers in their coat that help keep them warm in those extreme temperatures. so because a husky can be used for sledding in AK does that mean you can leave a 7 month old beagle outside 24/7 in the winter without proper shelter? NO. apples and oranges. i have dealt with a pit with a shattered femur because it was hit by a car. its thigh was the size of a pumpkin, yet it still moved around the yard (somewhat slower), ate and played a little with the family. most pits have a very high tolerance for pain. does that mean they should not get vet care immediately for an injury just because they can handle the pain better? NO. just because a dog is physically able to withstand what we force it to go through doesn't mean it's the right/humane thing to do.

#3. Dogs are domesticated animals. They do dumb stuff sometimes. Just because a dog does something doesn't mean it is acting in its own best interest. For example... swiming in a lake in 20 deg weather. I'm sure the dog thought it was a great idea... but it could die doing that. My old bosses dog would do anything to fetch a stick. It would also swim for hours. She had a big lake on her property with an old dead tree sticking out of the middle of it (almost completely submerged). If she didn't keep the dog on a leash near the lake the dog would swim out to the middle of the lake and try to drag the stick back to shore, not knowing it was connected to a tree beneath the water. it would try until it exhausted itself and drown. you must treat a dog like a very smart, strong, fast child. yes they are capable of learning and doing extraordinary things but they are living in a human world and no longer have the instincts of their ancestors, it is up to you to provide whats best and keep them out of harms way.

so in the end, no, its not illegal to leave your dog outside, there are a lot of people in DC that do it too. do i agree? NO. but if the proper shelter is proved there is nothing that says you can't do it.

so i guess i should provide some helpful info in addition to my rant...

#1. a dog house should be size appropriate for the dog that will be staying in it. they stay warm by heating the inside of it with their body heat so a big fancy dog house for a little dog will do nothing for it. it should be able to go in, stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably... thats about it.

#2. if you elevate it off the ground a few inches that will help it retain the heat inside.

#3. a very thick layer of wood shavings or straw is much better bedding than blankets. wet blankets will freeze solid, shavings and straw will not.

#4. a flap over the entrance to the dog house will also keep the dogs body heat in and cold air/drafts out. there are also dog houses designed that keep they laying down area in the house separated somewhat from the entrance. like an igloo house with the longer tunnel entrance, or a house that has a half wall inside so the dog has to go in and turn a corner to layy down. flap could be anything such as a piece of heavy plastic, truck mud flap, carpet...etc.


so........ basically a beagle is not that well equipped to be an outside cold temp dog. yes it can handle it but you will need to provide extra if it will be the norm and there will be temps that the dog just should not be outside period though i'm not sure how often that comes about in NC. feel free to ask me any other questions if you have any.



/rant. (sorry i had a particularly long and frustrating on-call shift yesterday and this caught me at the wrong time)


MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!

 

get a heat lamp from a farm supply store. it is just a ceramic mold with a heating element inside. emits heat only, no light.

 

just one person's opinion to add to the rest here, but it seems pretty selfish of Justin to get a dog when he has allergies, and make the dog be inconvenienced by sleeping outside in the winter, just so Justin isn't inconvenienced by having the dog inside.

most dog people i know put their dog's interests ahead of their own. you Justin don't seem to be one of those people. in my book, despite your intentions to provide for your dog in other ways to make up for it, you don't deserve to have a dog.

like another said, why don't you get shots so the dog doesn't "bother" you? or can't YOU be bothered?

as for the guy saying dogs don't "belong" inside - sure, if it's a husky or a malamute. a skinny ass beagle? i can't believe your "ass hat" answer.

 

Both my puggles sleep under the covers with Sara and I. They love it!

 

I'm gonna add my .02. Dogs are pack animals. They need to be a part of your life. Yes, playing with him until he is tired is good, but leaving him out by himself the other 23 hours a day isn't doing him any good. He needs to be socialized, learn proper house manners, spend TIME with you to become a well rounded dog.

If you have allergies, then you should have gotten a dog that doesn't affect them or take shots/pills to control them.

It could be he chews so much because he's BORED!!! He's lonely and needs company. Kennels and kid gates make it easy to house break a dog and then he can be with you.

 

Page 5 and no pictures of the dog? What has the tacoma world come to?

 

agreed^

 

No way Rocket and Maxine stay outside.

 

I have a 3yo black lab, and a 7month old german short hair. They sleep inside at night next to the bed, but during the day they are outside and have about an acre to run free. But sometimes during the day, it doesn't even get above freezing. They have a dog house, but it's not very well built. I also have a bully barn that I cut a hole in the side of, and built a small enclosure inside of, filled it with pine shavings and covered the door with a sheet of neoprene rubber belting, I've stuck my hand in there after the dogs have been in there for a while and it's actually pretty warm. If it's real cold when I get home they are allowed in the mud room of the house where they have a bed. Bottom line, dogs are tougher than a lot of people think, but care should still be taken to keep them comfortable. Like right now it's about 30f outside, but the sun is out, both dogs are sprawled out on the back deck soaking up the sunshine.

 

x2 to all of these.

if you didn't want stuff getting chewed up and the occasional poop/pee or shedding, you should have gotten a cat or something. Unless they are a husky or some other dog built to be out in the cold, the dog deserves to be inside.

 

As long as he has a good coat on him, he is fine outside I would think. I got labs and they actually prefer to be outside even in the snow, they love snow! It gets cold here too, but they normally always come inside at night, if not they got heating pads inside their dog houses and the big dog house actually has insulation and a mudflap off a big rig covering the door. Dad built that custom for the St Bernard I had as a kid!

 

wow there is some strong opinions in this thread. but Op, the only time our dogs have ever been inside was during two hurricanes and a tornado. im not gonna get into the whole - should they are shouldn't they argument but i will say all the dogs we've ever had/have love us to death and have never been treated badly. for my contribution to your question, i lay insulation under their blanket in their house during the winter. that works very well. you can go back to where they lay 2 hrs later and its still warm in the winter.

 

Still no pictures of the beagle?

I had a beagle wander into my garage in a pouring rain last winter. I kept her overnight till we located the owner.

In case anyone is wondering.......she slept on the futon in the living room.