Hi there,

Long post but please read......

We have a 2 year old highly active jack russell, hes really highly strung and very very exitable. When we leave him in the house and come home hes absolutly mental trying to escape throught the door and jumping all over. I work full time and my wife works part time so sometime he can be left for a few hours a day no longer than about 4-5 hours a couple of times a week.

I personally think he is going stir crazy in the house on his own so decided to have a go at letting him stay in the garden. we bought a really nice roomy kennel and filled it with a big pillow and got a few new toys for the garden for him. We tested him out for an hour last week and he seemed ok with being in the garden (when we got home he was fast asleep in the kennel).

today we left him for 3 hours while out for a shopping trip, i've got my next door neighbours checking on him and texting me to give me updates but he diddnt bark or cry, just had a walk arond the garden and went to sleep in his kennel.

Tonight he's in the house as normal,laid next to me on the sofa but seems a little subdued...and im feeling really guilty . i just think in the summer months that he will enjoy it more in the fresh air. BTW he sleeps in the house at night.


sorry for my rambling, any thought anyone?

Thankyou.

Personally he sounds to me like he is much more settled - believe me, if he wasn't happy outside, the neighbours and the neighbours' neighbours would know about it.

It could just be he feels happier and more settled and you are reading it as subdued.

I work from home, and although all my dogs live inside, I quite often put the pup and the boy into the outside kennels with a nice big bone - and the pair of them are quite happy out there (until the other hooligans come along and cause riots.

I think the guilt is you putting human emotions onto a dog, to me it sounds like he is more settled

He sounds very settled.. Seems to me you made the right decision.

I've never been a dog owner so I don't know how you're dog is feeling but you mustn't feel guilty for trying to do the right thing for him.
An old neighbour used to have a dog which wasn't allowed in the house. He used to work nights and the dog used to howl all night long he was so unhappy and alone.
During the day while his owner was asleep I used to try and keep the dog company through the fence and play with him a bit. He was the most beautiful dog and so friendly, he just wanted some company.
Your dog is getting the best of both worlds and is probably over the moon with his new arrangement.

If you really are feeling too guilty about it, have you concidered putting a dog flap on your back door so the dog can go in and out as he pleases? Jack Russels are not huge dogs so it wouldn't be much bigger than a cat flap. Its just a suggestion.

I really wish i could put a dog flap on, but our garden has glass patio doors into the living room, so the cost to do this i imagine would be extremly high. Im going to carry on putting him out, im sure if he really diddnt like it he would let me know.

During the warm days I work from the summerhouse, and our dogs love to sit outside. Even if I'm not around or got my doors closed they have no problems. If the dog is subdued in the evening it just means he's had a busy day chasing cats and birds. Check his teeth for bits

My MIL dog lives in the garden, they have a conservatry which has a dog flap (the door to the house is locked so no worries with burgalers) At night Henry can be heard lapping away at the fountain and he sleeps under the stars out on the patio even though he has his big comfy bed inside.

So I wouldnt worry and he seems much happier, just make sure your garden is secure!

Like others, I also think your dog seems happier having more freedom by being outside where he maybe runs around some of the time and relieves the previous frustration he may have had whilst being shut indoors.

I expect you have already done this, but make sure you leave him a bowl of water when he's outside and some shade for when the weather gets hot (as it's supposed to be doing) or he'll become dehydrated!

Just an update, he LOVES his kennel

He tends to go outside when were in now and lounge in the kennel.

I think hes gong to be in the house for a littl while now as hes being castrated tomorrow.