Is it bad to keep a dog indoors?

It is becoming increasingly common for dogs to live indoors: as part of the family. In recent decades, we have changed our habits, our relationship with animals and our coexistence with other domestic species. 

Even so, due to tradition, many people with gardens or outdoor areas have doubts about where it is best to keep the dog, indoors or outdoors. Or, often, they directly assume that the dog's natural place is outside, when the reality is that its natural place is... wherever its pack is (i.e., us).

The question is: are dogs happy outdoors?

And the answer can be short, very short. No, they are not! A dog is unhappy living outdoors for many reasons, but the most important of all is the simplest and the reason why we love dogs: the dog is a social animal that is used to living with the pack. 

A dog kept away from the pack cannot be balanced...

Forcing it to spend a lot of time away from the family (its herd) is condemning it to boredom, loneliness and, in all likelihood, disorders, such as anxiety, separation anxiety, the protection of resources (often in the form of territoriality and, less frequently here, may become jealous of personal space or try to protect objects or food) and even suffer from different kinds of stress stereotypes.

A dog living outdoors loses quality of life

Besides, if our dog lives outdoors, it is more susceptible to suffering from heat and cold, it is more likely to contract parasitic diseases, to more frequent soiling and, most of all, it will be much more difficult for us to check for any changes in their behaviour or for any potential illnesses (lumps, tumours, pain, etc.).

Is the best option to keep the dog always at home?

This is one of those questions that leaves little room for middle ground. As an educator, I (almost) categorically state it. Yes, there are some specific cases that may require adapted spaces for a period of time (fear, aggression towards other animals or people, etc.), but in 99.99% of those cases it will always be better for the dog to live at home with us, because:

• Improve their quality of life, immediately (everything we have mentioned above is blown away in one breath)
• We will accustom and socialise the dog to the context and create a strong long-lasting bond
• If there are behavioural problems, we can deal with them by working with a professional to change the inappropriate behaviours: this way, the animal will be able to live a balanced and happy life
• In any emergency situation or health condition, we can act quickly

Last, if you are concerned about hygiene at home, there are solutions such as "watching the dog's outings", "regular bathing" and even "dog breeds that do not shed fur", making it possible to responsibly adopt greyhounds, schnauzers and many types of terriers.

Keep in mind that dogs living outside were working dogs at a time when animal welfare was more of an... unknown word and that, even today, shepherd or guard dogs are much more susceptible to diseases. On the contrary, those dogs were accompanied and doing "dog things" (herding, guarding, defence) all day long: not tied up and bored in a garden.

Javier Ruiz, educador canino em Dogventura e educador ambiental pela UB. Redator publicitário e autor de: De cómo los animales viven y mueren.