Keeping Your Stafford Outside

Keeping dogs outside

There is no one 'perfect' way to care for all dogs because every dog and every situation is different. However you look after your dog, you have a legal duty to ensure that you meet their welfare needs.

A dog's physical, social and behavioural needs are very complex. For more detailed information on what all dogs need in order to be happy and healthy see our dog care pages.

To meet these needs is hard, if not impossible, when dogs are kept outside. For this reason, we advise against keeping dogs outside because it can be very difficult to meet their needs. Rather than keeping your dog outside, think about asking someone to walk and visit him/her at least once a day.

You may be considering keeping your dog outside due to a behaviour problem which is preventing you keeping them in the house. Your dog may, for example, have a behavioural problem which is causing them to be destructive or you may be having difficulty with toilet training. In such cases, always seek advice, first from your vet to rule out any underlying health reasons for the behaviour. You may then be referred to a behavioural expert for further help.

If you are still considering keeping your dog outside, the particular challenges in meeting dog’s needs are described below.

Providing a suitable place for your dog to live outside

• Ensure your dog has a suitable place to live. For dogs living outside, a suitable environment will also include:
  
  
• Providing an area that must be large enough to allow separate sleeping and activity areas and allows each dog housed to be able to walk, run around and wag his or her tail without touching the sides of the kennel; to play, to stand on his/her hind limbs and to stretch and lie down in a natural position without touching another animal or side of the kennel. Natural daylight should be provided.
  
  
• Providing shelter to protect them from climatic extremes e.g. rain, wind and direct sunlight. Choice is important; your dog should be able to move to where he/she is more comfortable (for example, not too hot or too cold) and out of direct sunlight/into the shade. Dog crates are not a suitable environment for permanent housing.
  
  
• Providing heating and/or automatic cooling/ventilation if necessary so that your dog can experience temperatures above 10°C and below 26°C at all times.
  
  
• Any heating/cooling system used must be safe to use and not pose a risk to the animal, e.g. not have any trailing cables, risk of burning. The need to provide heating will depend on the building’s construction, e.g. how well insulated the building is and what materials it is constructed of. Temperature must be monitored every day to ensure these requirements are being met.This can be very difficult to achieve without the right equipment (for example, thermostatically controlled wall-mounted units or heatlamps).
  
  
• Ensuring that dogs are not tethered or chained, except for very short periods of time, as it can lead to injuries and restricts their ability to behave normally.

Other considerations for dogs living outside

• Provide your dog with constant access to clean drinking water and a well-balanced diet to help him/her stay fit and healthy. Water should be provided in a sturdy bowl and you will have to check regularly that the water has not been knocked over, which you may not be able to do as easily as if your dog was indoors.
  
  
• Make sure your dog is able to behave normally, providing the opportunity for daily exercise and play and interactions with other animals and people as appropriate.
  
  
• Make sure your dog has appropriate company. If your dog is outside, he/she might not have as much choice over the amount of company they want as a dog kept indoors, especially human contact. Don’t let your dog become lonely or bored and make sure he/she is never left alone long enough to become distressed. A distressed dog may vocalise excessively (e.g. barking, howling, whining), pant, hide and/or show aggression.
  
  
• Check your dog every day for signs of injury/illness. Make sure they are protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease. Take sensible precautions to keep your dog safe. Always be alert to risks that may affect your dog.

Make sure fencing is sufficiently high enough to prevent the dog from straying and check for areas that he/she may be trying to dig under if possible??

If a dog's being kept outside it should be in a suitable kennel & run, the fencing shouldn't be a problem.