Kona Refuses Dog House

[backfist]

If we can't convince of the importance of keeping your dog in the house, at least provide the dog a warm place to go. Install a dog house heater in the dog house. Maybe than she will use it. There are lots of websites that offer heaters specifically for dog houses.

http://www.gundogsupply.com/cranddoghohe.html

Thank you for the tip.

 

[courtney323]

OK, no wheat in the top 5 ingredients (which is good), but I would still have the same concerns regarding the Ground Whole Millet, Ground Whole Rice & Rice Bran -- possible allergens as well.

Has she seen a vet at all?

 

[TheDuke]

I would be very concerned about the diarrhea and take her to the vet to get checked out. I couldn't put mine outside except when they are with me...... I don't think its fair for a Boxer to be left outside even here in Phoenix and it doesnt get cooler than 40 degrees at night. Duchess starts to shiver when it gets under 60 degrees......... Dogs need to sleep with their pack. Mine are in the bedroom on their doggie beds and are happy their all night.

 

[daziegirl4]

Backfist - I know some of these posts sound really harsh, but they really truly only mean the best for your Kona. That is what's so great about BW, you will definitely get the answers if you ask the question.

Atleast now you know that boxers should not be left outside in the cold and can correct it by bringing her inside. Imagine if you didn't ask and she came down with something really bad and you lost her to the illness??? That would be awful especially since it is totally preventable. Besides the cold though, boxers LOVE to be with their family...they NEED to be with you. They are probably one of the most family oriented breeds and need to be treated as part of the family. Have you read any boxer books? They have vasts of information regarding the breed and really should have been one of your first steps prior to purchasing a boxer.

I would take all of the advice that's being offered. And take her to see the vet re: the vomiting and diarrhea.....atleast that way you can rule out any type of illness/sickness....Best of luck!

 

[K8IE]

I was wondering if she had been an indoor dog before and you just decided to put her out because you didn't want to have to clean up after her? If you look at it in that way, maybe you can understand why it seems like a bad way to deal with the situation to all of us. Let me ask you this.. Do you have children? When my son is sick with diarrhea or is throwing up, I will not let him out of my sight, so that I can monitor how he is doing and make sure he is not getting dehydrated. I would never dream of banishing him to the yard so he won't make a mess on my floor. Same goes for my boxer Killian, if he is not well I watch him like a hawk, and would NEVER put him outside to avoid cleaning up poop or vomit. Having a dog or a child is a lifetime commitment to their well being, they are virtually helpless and at your mercy as far as their health and care goes. How do you think your dog feels being put outside in the freezing cold to fend for herself, and on top of that, she is sick?! She is probably so stressed out and distraught that she doesn't know what to do. Maybe she thinks that if she goes in the dog house you will forget about her completely. As you can see, we all take our pets very seriously, and we have done the reasearch to understand that this breed simply is NOT an outside pet. I really hope and pray that you will take what we are saying to heart and get your pup to the vet to do some tests, to rule out very serious illness, bring her inside where she belongs and let her know you love her. I know it feels like being scolded with what people are telling you, and it is natural to become defensive when someone tries to correct you, but please take a moment to put yourself in your dog's situation and try to understand we are speaking on her behalf.

 

[lovemygracie]

Sad for Kona

I am so sad picturing Kona curled up, shivering in the corner of a dog run all night.

 

[beausmommy]

Beau's breeder kept her dogs outside, but that doesn't mean Beau would be ok outside. He's ready to come back in after about 10-15 minutes of our mild Tennessee winter. I can't stand it when he shivers, so I wrap him up in a comforter and cuddle with him if he's cold. I can't imagine leaving him outside in the heat or the cold now that I've found BW. When I first got him, he stayed in a kennel with a dog house at my parents' house for 2 weeks. I shudder when I think back on that time. He had to stay outside in November for 2 weeks. He was always going to be an indoor dog, but I'm so sad now that I know about boxers and that he was probably freezing! I say all this so that you know that we all make mistakes. Now is the time to correct that mistake by bringing Kona indoors. Do you have a tiled room where she could stay? If not, a crate would probably be fine. The trays are removable so they could easily be cleaned if she were to have an accident. Though some of these posts may sound harsh, we aren't trying to bash you...we're trying to educate you. MANY people on this site have suffered the wrath of other members here who are just trying to help! I hope you find out what is making Kona sick and I hope that you will bring her in out of the cold. Good luck!

 

[backfist]

While there's probably a little more room on the pile for some to jump on, I've gotten the gist of your opinions. Makes me wonder if, in the past, I'd always been civil and polite to people who owned Akitas; other owners probably received my "advice" with a similar hint of condescension, patronization and/or hostility. After all, I knew all that there was to know about Akitas. And if someone else didn't know what I knew, they were sure to find out the hard way.

That said, I'm not going to argue with the good forum moms about indoor vs. outdoor. Rather, I'll continue to weigh all options that are in our dog's best interest.

Thanks again.

 

[BentlysMom]

We live in TX, and very seldom does it get below the low 40's here, but when it does, eveyone except the chickens come in. That means 4 dogs and 6 companion parrots, who live in an enclosed area the rest of the time. I just need to make sure that everyone is warm. Bently never spends the night out, and like I said before the other boys always have a choice where to sleep in or out. Because there fur and build are so different from a boxer, they usualy want to stay out. Now that said, I truly believe you were given good advice here and from the heart of boxer owners. I don't doubt that you love you baby at all. I can speak for myself that I don't like the idea of any animal out in the cold, guess that's why I push furniture around to make room when everyone comes in and truck outside to turn on the heat lamps for the chickens. Please take what everyone has said into consideration, it's your dog and you utilmatley make the choice, but again know the advice was given with love, if these people didn't love their babies so much no one would have been upset, and that is why I say the advice was given with love.

 

[Hberry23]

While there's probably a little more room on the pile for some to jump on, That said, I'm not going to argue with the good forum moms Thanks again.

There's lots of form daddy's that feel the sameway we're truly not jumping on you just trying to teach you the boxer way