What do poeple think of puppies being breed in an outdoor shed?

I friend of mine whom when she mentiond this i really went off her.

We were talking about breeding coz next year we will have a litter, and my grandparents will have a litter, well we were talking abouit where we will put them (ours go in the spare bedroom, my grandparents used to have puppies in the spare bedroom but they are thinking of the conservtrie (sp?) because it is down stairs fo easyier access and then our friend said that she could never have puppies in the house and so she will have them and mum in shed!!!! can u belive it!!!!

personally i think it is a disgrase and i wouldnt recormend her pups to anyone! Pups should be in the house for AT LEAST 4 weeks, 6 weeks prefebly.

well i just want to see if anyone would be happy to buy puppies that have been bred in an outdoor shed!? (there is no heating in there by the way)

Ice

Nope!
She wants her dogs taking off her the cruel b****!!!!!
Puppies need warmth and security in the early weeks, especially when the weather is so bad and i cant see it improvng!
Tell her to get them in or you're going to suggest to the local dog warden that he pay a visit to her home. Thats what i'd do.

oh my god, mine are inside under the stairs which is directly behind my sofa.They are nice and cosy with mum in their whelping box with fleecy blankets.There is no way I could keep them outside even if i had a heated kennel, i'm too attached to them.talking about fleecy blankets though, i made a right boo boo by buying the cow print one cos it reminded me of my old springer spaniel, and guess what, the black pups don't show up on it.I also got a dalmatian print one which will be better.dizzy me:)

What! I breed Spaniels and have had two litters this Year, all of my dogs are kept outside in runs/kennels, the first litter came In February and the bitch is such a good mother that I never need a heat lamp/pad unless its very very cold.There is nothing wrong with bitches whelping outside and to say they should be inside is just ridiculous what percentage of dog breeders do you think have puppies inside the house. As long as she uses a heat lamp for the first few days if its cold they will be perfectly fine. If i was the warden you phoned to pay this women a visit I would make sure the shed was clean and dry and she had access to a heat lamp, then I would call you back and give you a ticking off!.Not every dog owner/breeder has their dogs on their beds and sofas or even in the house, i've never heard such hysteria

HELLO!!!!
No heating!!!!! That includes a heat lamp!!!!

Theres sheds and sheds! If it is an old tatty potting shed, used to house the garden tools and insecticides, its a different kettle of fish than one of these new sheds which are practically draught proof and roomy. Which are we talking about? Certainly there should be heating, and certainly there should be plenty of coming and going - also are you saying they will be in there 24/7 as that would mean no socialisation and no getting used to normal "house" noises. What breed? Are they being whelped in the shed?

from the sound of it its oneof the former ones! Its discusting!!!!
In a purpose built whelping shed, with sufficient heating, lighting, bedding and a run for when they are able to walk then yes, they are fine. But a bog standard garden shed???? They would be better off indoors!

Total speculation, You do not Know what this ladies shed is like it could be clean and dry and suitable.By the way my last three litters have had no heat other than that from the bitch.How many litters have you reared?

Oh? and just how else do we educate the Stupid among us???? This person is obviously not willing to listen to reason or her friends trying to help her out. Do you suggest she is left to have her bitch whelp in a garden shed with god knows what lurking in there??? Common sense dictates that she needs educating and an authoritative person may be the only way! she will not listen to anyone else from the sound of it!

If ever I were to breed it would be in the house - if only to keep me from having to sleep in the shed with them ;)

I have a great shed - heated, well lit and insulated (it was a workshop originally) and I will occasionally put in the waifs and strays that people bring me if they cannot be trusted with my dog/kids/furniature etc. BUT they aren't newborn pups and they are only there briefly.

Talk to her - maybe she hasn't realised that it's not a great idea?

<<<Oh? and just how else do we educate the Stupid among us????>>>

Well, not by 'going off on one' and calling people 'stupid' or a 'b!tch', that's for sure! :(

How do 'you' personally know that she is not "willing to listen to reason?"...or "anyone else from the sound of it?"

You catch more bees with.....

All the breeders that I know in my breed whelp their bitches indoors (as much for the humans comfort and convienience as anything), and pups stay there until they need more space than can be provided indoors. That is until at least 4 weeks, and then they are in and out the house throughout the day.

There is no way I could rear a litter entirely indoors of a medium or large breed. It can be done with a small litter of a toy breed though, but fresh air and outdoor excersise are as much needed socialisation as getting used to TV and vaccum indoors.

I would not want to buy a puppy that had been reared entirely outside after the age of 8 weeks, as it would be harder to housetrain and aclimatise to indoors.

Most breeders worth that title ensure pups get as much expereince of indoor and outdoor activities as possible.

puppies need to be socialised at an early age,and as for keeping them in a shed with no heating is bloody disgraceful.a puppy needs to be kept at the right temprature for it to do well,all she is going to end up with is sick pups. i hate people who do not give a shit!! about breeding, she just does not want the hassle of keeping her house clean, if you bring puppies into the world then you must be a 100% commited.and if that means cleaning up all day then you must be prepared to do this.my pups are kept in the sitting room where they can see what is going on and get all the human company they need, i also like to see that they are feeding well and not being pushed out.they are even taken upstairs at night and put in the welping box with mum so i can keep an eye on them.i treat mine just like you would a baby.i might be daft, but these are my babies until they go to new homes, i will do anything to make sure they are well looked after.my vet has even called me an over protective dog owner, but he would rather i was this way, and not to bother at all.i would not buy a puppie from anyone who keeps them in a shed!!!!!

she sounds as if she is just after the money.what type of dogs will she be breeding??

My Cocker Spaniel was born in a large Kennel 'Shed' with a private sectioned off birthing quarter, all heat padded up with an underfloor heating system as well, in fact all of the dogs were kept there, they had theire own field and were occasionally allowed in the house, the puppies o familiarise themselves with the surroundings and smells etc.
When i first went i was a bit dubious and thought it was a bit cruel on the pups, but all of the dogs were happy and very healthy. But my breeder was responsible and had the dogs best interest at heart certainly not what your friend sounds like she has! :(

Sorry i have to agree with Whistle blower on this one. I also have spaniels and 99 percent of the time the dogs live outside, including 2 14 week old pups mainly through choice the door is open but they prefer it outside. My litter were actually born in my outhouse which to be honest is not really any better than a shed, and they were all fit and healthy and came to no harm what so ever..

Brinny

Out of interest when pups are reared in the shed how do they become accustomed to every day household noises etc ??
There is a difference between a kennel run and a shed I admit but Personally I would not buy from a breeder whos pups were in a shed - how do you keep an eye on them and what is wrong with them being reared inside ??
If you dont want all the fuss and the mess why have pups in the first place ??
Lel

There is nothing wrong with rearing inside as there is nothing wrong with rearing outside, even if it is in a shed.None of my puppies come in the house they remain outside and do not have the normal house hold noises, so what! most of my puppies go to working homes but a lot go as family pets, because they were not reared indoors does not make them nervous dogs. As I have said before not everyone buys their dogs coats for Christmas and lets them sleep on their beds!

Hi,

We have a glorified shed for want of a better word attached to my kennels with oak beams
in a wood burner,sink etc specifially to,to trim dogs in and bath them and any pups,my 4 childern will be able to wonder in out so any puppies will be well socialised their is a washing machine in and t.v in it is a big room .This is not attached to my house and when I have a litter I can sleep in the room there is also patio doors another single door plus large window above the sink.
In the cottage I do have a utility room directly off my kitchen not a large area has a safty gate on currently has 2 Goldens in with vetbeds and it stores dog cage,wahing machine and fridge.I prefer a whelpin box in my back place then there not the constant activiy going on all the time ,just as impotant I believe to have very quiet times as well.
No one way is correct.Just long as the bitch and the puppies are in the best possible health
and receive all the love and care they are socilised well it doesn't have to be in a house.
We should keep open minds sheds or mean different things to different people:-)

Briony :-) When my partner loves his shed find him asleep on his workbench :-D

violet anne you are certainly not daft, i do exactly the same, and whistleblower, i was responding to the original post that clearly states there was NO HEATING at all.I took this to mean no heating, not even a heat lamp. This would be a totally barbaric state to keep pups in:(

Well said Whistleblower! There are many dogs who are happy and healthy and live outside. Many pups are born during the spring and summer when the weather is mild and do not need heat lamps. Many of these dogs have good living conditions inside their "shed" that will provide a dry, draught free and cosy environment for a bitch to have her pups. I completely understand that many people have dogs who share their living quarters equally but there are many of us who keep dogs in kennels and still manage to have happy, healthy, well adjusted animals. Just because pups are born in a kennel doesn't mean they won't be socialised well. My dog was born outside but still comes in when we are at home as she did in her home where she was born. Her kennel is her safe haven and her bed, she wouldn't be happy having pups anywhere else. As Whistleblower so rightly said, lets not get hysterical because some dogs live in different conditions to us, after all just think of those poor cows I can see out of my window as I sit here, I may have a log fire but they are standing in a field in the rain!

sitting on the fence here

My pups are inside and i wouldnt consider any other. I did go an see a litter at 4 weeks old of cavs and they were all outside in what appeared to be converted aiverys - there was a heat lamp , and 2 pieces of newspaper on a concrete floor which was wet through... the mum look depressed and the pups poor things were dirty and cold... THIS WAS A PROF breeder - I'd love to name and shame as they do very well in the showing world and export pups all over!!!!!!! Needless to say i didnt buy off this woman!

My friends parents were top weinmeraner showies and they had a garage that was like 5* luxury - fully heated - each pen was the size of a small room and carpeted with all the bells and whistles - it was pure luxury and much cleaner than my house ;-)

So in my opinion it can be done - but not in a shed !!! I did once see some shih tzu pups full of worms and fleas kept outside in a cardboard box - didnt buy one of those either!

I don't think it is the shed that is the real issue here. Many of us have 'sheds' that have 5* luxury. The main issue is the conditions that the pups are kept in. There are many dogs kept outside in good conditions who are happy and healthy but then again I am sure there are many pups kept indoors in very poor conditions. There is no guarantee that dogs kept indoors are necessarily clean, warm, dry and flea free. None of us would ever advocate keeping pups in poor conditions or would suggest that it is acceptable to have pups that are cold, it's simply that there are many pups born 'outside' who are kept in dry clean conditions that are better than some people's houses!

I completely understand that many people chose to let their dogs whelp in an area they feel comfortable in which just happens to be inside, there are also many of us for whom that comfortable place happens to be in another area not in the house, i.e. in a "shed"!

hmmm an animal that gives birth and raises its young outside. Unheard of!!!!! NOT

I have to say if it were me they would be inside but only because I'm one of those who spoils my dog rotten and otherwise would be living in the shed myself!!

BUT.... you cant criticise those who do it outside and its hardly fair to say they do it becasue they dont want to get their house dirty.
I was told that dogs are actually healthier outside as central heating creates an artificially high temperature that isnt good for them.

SAme as human babies, did you know that too high a temperature ina babies room as been noted as a link to cot death!!

I'm not saying in a shed in the middle of winter with no heat is okay, but pups dont HAVE to be inside

Darcy was in a shed when I got her, she had been born inside but moved outside becasue the 13! pups bothered the mum too much. THe woman apologised for the poo all over the place and changed the paper she had put down, by the time I had left, after picking Darcy it looked exactly the same again.

How can she raise puppies in a shed!? Puppies need love, attention, and exposure to sounds they will need to cope with in later life. Not to mention the dam, what must she feel like to be left alone at the time she most needs company. My litter was born, raised, and loved in the kitchen ( Don't worry it wasn't Penny or Lucy. We fostered a pregnant, rescue, mongrel bitch, and we also raised her three puppies till eleven weeks. The shelter wanted to take them back at seven weeks old, but we were adament that the puppies were not to be disturbed untill they went to a new home complete with puppy packs and free advice for the rest of their lives.)

Willis was raised in a stable. He was one of a litter of eleven. I visited him every week. The breeder had them on clean sawdust and they had a proper wooden playhouse in there, full of blankets, with a heat lamp, and they were all fast asleep in their little house, piled on top of each other on one occasion I visited. They had toys hanging from the ceiling and the radio playing. When I finally picked Willis, she brought the three dogs I had narrowed it down to into the kitchen. Despite not being in the kitchen before, he proceeded to pull the washing off the airer and ignore the normal household noises.

Willis (a dane) has never batted an eyelid at household noises, and is not a nervous dog (as those who have seen him will verify). The first few weeks are crucial yes, but not as crucial as how the pups are raised up to when they are a year old. So yes, if they are kept in warm, comfortable surroundings, then I see nothing wrong with raising them outside. If not, then its obviously cruelty. But there are plenty of people cruel to puppies inside the house too. For what its worth, my breeder had her bitches actually deliver the pups in an extension to the kitchen, but they were moved out once they had been supervised feeding and were all strong ( couple of days old) - a good compromise I feel.

Regards the original post - all hearsay and not enough detail to comment on that particular situation :)

Hi i think its a case of without seeing what set up the lady actually has it is hard to comment but no a garden shed is not suitable.
I have a purpose built ,heated outside whelping box which is cctv monitored giving bitches the quite they need to whelp and in the early days ,BUT Once the puppies reach four weeks of age they are bought into the house in pairs or small groups to socialise with the family and to here the essential househould noises, this arrangement works very well for us and we have received plenty of comments on how well adjusted our puppies are, but I admit this may not be everyones idea of perfection but we all do things differently and provided the dogs welfare both physical and mental is not put at risk we shouldnt judge.
I would stress the pint that a unheated shed in the winter will definatley not be suitable.
:)

I really don't think its a big deal if they are raised outside or inside as long as mom and pups are safe, warm, healthy, socialized, you no well cared for. If all is well then thats great. If all isn't well then I would be doing some calling. Look at so many dogs (not puppies) that are housed outside with just a dog house with no heating or insulation at all those are the ones that should be called on. Taz was born and raised outside in a dog house which was big enough for me to crouch in and go into, it had a little hallway that turned off into a room with no draft and it being November was very cold outside but inside the little room was very warm, they had straw or hay in there and all the puppies were very warm. Our other dog we had that that passed away my hubby (didn't no him yet) took her at 4 weeks because she was also born outside in an unheated dog house and she was very cold. He said that she kept coming to the house trying to get in and well the owner didn't want her or the other pups or mom inside and he didn't want her to freeze to death so he took her. Not sure what happened to the rest I met my hubby a year later and Cuervo was just over a year old.

I think that before people get mad and all upset that they should look before passing judgement :)

My Boxer came from a litter that was whelped and raised to the age of six weeks in a dog lot. She seems healthy enough but she did lack human contact which made it hard for her to get along. But the dog houses and bedding inside did provide enough warmth. But when my girl comes in heat she will whelp indoors for the sole purpose of letting the puppies know human contact. Also bear in mind that my pup was born in May.

We actually raise all our litters in a purpose built dog room in our house and one of the reasons is because we like our comfort and would not wish to spend a couple of weeks sleeping outside in a shed, especially in the winter.

HOWEVER, we must not lose sight of the fact that dogs are animals and actually, if they were given a free choice, they would probably choose to whelp their puppies in a dug-out hole in the yard and the bitch and puppies would be perfectly okay.

Because we live in such close proximity with dogs, it is so easy to think of them as hairy people, but they are animals and by instinct are perfectly capable of raising their puppies on their own if the need arises.

There are many different ways that people choose to raise their puppies, and who is to say theirs is the correct way? I personally think that it is important to expose puppies to all sorts of different stimuli from an early age, this is another reason why we keep them indoors.

It does not follow that just because puppies are raised outside the family home that the puppies do not receive the same attention as puppies raised indoors, I am tolerant enough to know that my views are not neccesarily shared by everyone and that does not make them bad dog owners.

Years ago everybody raised puppies in outhouses and you would have been considered very strange to have animals in your house!

snomaes.

I wouldnt of had a problem of her wanting to put puppies in a 5* shed! its the case of its the shed with the freezers and where they keep their beer etc! if it was a prober welping place with heating etc etc then i would hav no problem!

She said that she wouldnt even sleep with the puppies!!!! WHAT!?

anyway it is unlikely that she will do the pups in the shed because my family wont allow it! plus at the end of the day i dont think her hubby will let her! also i'll have harsh words, aswell has many people i know! this is also her first litter shes planning on!

Well i best not interfere to much, i'll stop going on and on here, i think that once shes seen two litters i will be involved in next year she'll smell it and change her mind, shes that type of women!

Thanks for eveyones point of view, its made me realise that im not on my own in the way i think.

Ice

I am open minded on this we have had a litter outside, but that was in a mobile home with gas fire and water etc, but megan was not a carefulll mam and I am afraid that she laid on her pup's and as there was no one there at the time ,we lost a beautifull healthy puppy,I could not get it out of my mind that if we had, her in the house this would not have happened. Now my pup's are born in my bedroom and stay there untill they are around 3-4 weeks old, then they move to the kitchen, if it is good weather they then got out dueing the day in a kennel with covered run with frequent time with the door left open so that they can explore the garden but they are back in the house on a night, but if it was summer with good weather and they were settled in the kennel then I would leave them out on a night. I think loosing one puppy is one to many, and could not live with the thought that I had deprived a pup of a life again

Not making comment one way or the other but what are the reasons for keeping dogs outside anyway?

Fresh air
Freedom
Health
Exercise
Convenience (for dog & owner)
Companionship (other dogs/animals)

I could give you just as many for keeping a dog indoors but you didn't ask that.

Dogs love to be outdoors and they also love to be indoors. I like my dogs outside day time and bed time either in the heated shead or in the kitchen. When i move the dogs will always be in the house on a night that way i know i am safe and nobody would dare get in. But to keep dogs in the house all the time, sorry but mine would hate being coped up.

Hi,

7 years ago I bred my Sibe bitch, she whelped in the house under the stairs, the pups were healthy and happy for the first 4 wks. Then they started to whimper constantly and I became worried that I was doing something wrong.

I had bred a small breed years before but never a bitch as big as a Sibe. I had spent 2 years looking into the breed requirements.

My bitch was from good lines and I was breeding her for her breeder.

Anyway on speaking to another breeder, not the one I bought my bitch from, I was advised that sibe pups prefer to be outside from about 4-5wks. I put them out in a draught proof kennel & run and they thrived stopped whimpering and became the happiest pups you could imagine.

To cut a long story short her next litter, and last, was whelped in the kennel, her choice not mine, and with ready access to the house at 4wks when they could toddle were a lot happier than the first.

They were still socialized well and went to really good homes.

Some breeds, infact some bitches, prefer to whelp and live outside with their pups. They may like the privacy this gives them!!

As long as it is a sensible shed and the bitch and pups are happy there should not be a problem.

I have tried both inside and out with both small & larger bitches personally I think the bitch should have the final say as to where she will whelp and bring up her family.

D4wn

<<< I think the bitch should have the final say as to where she will whelp and bring up her family.>>>
Dawn thats a very valid point - obviously if the bitch is used to living inside it would be strange to make her whelp outside and vice versa .
Lel

tess is having her pups inside (if she decides its good enough for her) than i am moving her and the pups outside into a draught free kennel and run, mainly because as the pups start to move around it will be difficult getting the kids to leave them alone, my youngest sister (shes 5 and my mum has just adopted her and her sister 9) is being very defiant at the mo pulling the dogs around when she has been told to leave them alone by us and them and her latest one is to purposly pull their ears and tread on them, but she is teating the boundries and seeing how far she can push everyone at the mo including the dogs luckily the dogs take quite a bit, any way this is the reason the pups will be outside, but there willbe (havent had it fitted yet) CCTV, heating and baby monitors out there as well as the kennel is 15-20 foot away from the house so well within ear shot

I also agree the bitch should have the final say. My dog will whelp inside because she is an indoor dog....and it's winter here in NJ, so outdoors isn't even an option. We like to think she'll whelp in our bedroom....it's the warmest place in the house and it's where she sleeps. And while I know it is very likely she will indeed whelp there, we know that in the end she will probably decide to do it on our bed instead of her whelping box, or maybe even better (uuuuggg!), on our couch. In our opinion, she will do it where she feels most comfortable, which will probably the most inconvenient and messy for us :)

What if she chooses your shed LOL.

She can't.... it's locked ;)

Besides, if I'm not outside with her, she wants no part of it. She'll mope around the door if I put her out and don't go with her. Gee, ya think she's just a bit "clingy"?? :)

Hi chaps-just wanted to ask a question to all those out there with working gundogs. Both of my labs were born outside, but now live 'in'. My question is this, if you have working dogs that live outside in kennels, would you still bring them in to whelp. The breeder of my last pup (Kester-6 months old now)said that all his bitches preferred to be outside when they whelped, as they never lived inside at any other time. (When I say outside, I mean in a covered run with a kennelbox in it). He had a whelping shed, which could be heated when needed, and he moved mum and litter back to 'her' house when the pups are 7-10 days old.

I think, as mentioned before, it all depends on your definition of 'shed'. My bitch, Isla, whos 5/12years was born in a barn (literally!) in March with absolutely no heating at all. There were 10 in the litter and all were, and still are, incredibly healthy, active and fit. Of the 10, 9 went to working homes, mostly continuing to live outside, and 1 went to a pet home.
I have never had any problems with getting mine used to 'indoor' noises, they both learned about them when I got them.
Cheers
Ali:)

All my dogs apart from our Lurcher pup live outside in kennels/runs and I have on average 2-3 litters a year all of which are reared outside in insulated kennels. I find extra heat via a heatpad/lamp all depends on the bitch and the time of the year.

I won't bring my dog in to whelp as she is happiest outside. She does share the house with us when we are in, but always choses to go back out to her kennel to settle down. Her kennel is HER space and for that reason I believe she will be happiest having her puppies in there. It is quite comfy being dry and draught free. Depending on the time of year as to what extra support she needs in the way of heating. She was born outside in a kennel herself and was quite happy to transfer to a kennel here when we got her. She was very sociable and had no problems with noise, etc (phew, being a gundog!). Just because pups are born outside doesn't mean they don't get exposure to day to day sounds, experiences, etc.

Its not where a litter is reared so much as how they are reared. Obviously human supervision is needed and not too far away. Not all breeds need artificial heat to rear a litter and it is not necessary to be indoors totally as long as that supervision is there. Personally I have bred for many years, when the puppies are starting to run around they are moved into an outbuilding which is converted into a play room. They have lots of toys, a television, clean and warm bedding. plus they are brought into the house one at a time on a daily basis to socialise, thus avoiding 'hiding' behind their litter mates for confidence when seeing something for the first time. And my family.... well we still enjoy a clean house without the lovely 'soup' that awaits indoor reared puppy owners first thing in the morning, you know...lots of poo, wee and spilt water splashed all over your furniture and kitchen work surfaces yuk!!! no thank you.

As for toilet training if puppies are not house reared or go to the new home until they get older, my pups have shredded paper as a bed and even if they go beyond 8 weeks before they leave for their new homes I have always had good feedback from the new owners. The puppies are used to toileting on the paper and do not go on the new owners carpets ...why...because it is alien to them, unlike house reared puppies who think it is normal to do their business on a nice carpet.

Ah Well each to their own opinion, experience and beliefs. The important thing is that the bitch and puppies are looked after properly and are not left to 'get on with it', whether this is in an outbuilding or in the house. Please don't forget that many house reared litters are neglected with the so called breeders hiding behind the fact that THEIR puppies are born and reared in the house. Lets please get everything into perspective and not judge without knowing ALL the facts.