Bring'm in

If you have a dog that lives in your backyard, you too are missing out on so much. Dogs offer us unquestioned companionship with no boundaries. A dog just wants to spend time with their human. If we can offer our time and add quality in ways of fun activities while spending that time together, bonus. First and foremost, our dogs need our companionship and we need theirs. Making the decision to take the first step is all that it takes.

Taking that first step from having an "outside dog" to an "inside dog" and allowing your dog to live as a true pack member is a big one. Making the transition is a lot of work and takes a great deal of patience. You will need to teach your dog the house rules, no eliminating in the house, no jumping on the table or counters, no eating items that do not belong to you.  Starting out with partitioned areas of the house first and allowing more freedom as your dog adjusts to her new living arrangement is a good idea. Your dog’s excitement level may take a while to diminish, until they start to understand that they now live in the house with the rest of the family. This can be a make or break time, commit to your decision to be patient and help your dog with the adjustment.

There are several things to consider when you decide to make the transition from "yard dog" to family member.

-Decide where your dog will eat, sleep and be allowed. If you don’t want your dog on the couch, beds or certain rooms, start right from the beginning.

-Add new toys to your dogs supply, you will want your dog to have toys that will occupy their time while indoors.

-Supervision is a must for housetraining and house rules

-If you have not trained your dog, start today.  If you have done basic training, do a refresher course. Your dog will have a difficult time performing even the basics when excited by being inside of your home, practice, practice and patience

-Involve the whole family in the exercise of training your dog. Make sure that everyone is on the same track.

-You will want to crate train your dog for when you cannot be around.

-Get some baby gates for partitioning off parts of the house while the training is underway.

-Prepare your family of the impending upheaval that will occur in the first while of the transition. Explain that this will be confusing for your dog as well.

-Address any concerns that your family may have about the dog coming to live inside.


No dog should ever live alone, no matter what breed or mix.