Dog bones/ Outside living

I would have introduced it much more gradually - 5 minutes at first, then 10, 20, 30, an hour, etc. Making it a positive experience each time, that lasts as long as the stay (or is cut short by your return). So for a 5 minute stay, give a chew that will last 5 minutes and remove just as he's finished his last mouthful. For 10 minutes, that might mean a stuffed Kong. You might not find chews that last an hour, but at that stage you should have done multiple short stays and only progressed when he was comfortable.

If you do/have to persist with the longer stays then really do try to make them positive and still do some shorter stays outside of your work hours too. E.g. take him for his normal pee breaks into the kennel and really praise him for weeing in there. Give him his dinner out there (again, time it so you remove him just as he's finished), so there's lots of positive associations outside of the leaving him when you're at work.

In terms of giving bones - generally I would recommend supervision with bones, so not really something to leave a dog with unattended. I would stick with stuffed Kongs, fully edible chews like pizzle sticks, cows ears, etc. - the online shop Zooplus is fab for that sort of thing. Do pick size-appropriate chews and if he's likely to swallow things in large chunks, again, avoid unsupervised use.

You could also invest in other food dispensing toys to mix it up - e.g. Buster Cube, pyramid dispensing toys, slow feeder bowls or a Green slow feeder, Tug a Jug and so on. I would fill with his usual breakfast but also some higher value food (e.g. little cubes of cheese, liver treats, cooked chicken, etc.) to make the kennel experience more positive.

What breed of dog? And what is the reason for using an outdoor kennel? With winter approaching I wonder how he might cope.

Agree with above comments regarding introducing it slowly and making it a positive experience. Also, I wouldn't leave a dog unattended with a bone. Always a risk of choking.

I also wouldn't entertain giving any of those roasted ham bones, the filled white bones (usually found in pound shops or Aldi etc) or raw hide chews. They're not particularly good for dogs as they can contain harmful chemicals plus there's also a risk of choking or causing an intestinal blockage. Maybe try hiding a few natural treats around the kennel as dogs love to sniff out things.

My dogs would hate being put outside. They even cry if the back door closes, meaning they can't come straight in.


I used to give my springers raw large knuckle bones from the butchers (in the days when they gave them away), but about 10year ago I gave pet shop bought 'prepared 'bone to the two cavaliers I had then; one broke off his tooth and the other (a very large dog) broke of a sharp triangle which would have choked one of the smaller ones. Since then, no bones.


Until my boys became unable to enjoy them , due to age and loss of teeth, they had regular fish skin treats (knots or cubes) from Fish4Dogs. healthy and not dangerous.

sheramber wrote: »

I get two large knuckle bones free from my butcher every week.

Shops round here started charging over 30 years ago, gradually moving on to selling free or cheap 'dog scraps' as minced beef for humans.

The OP isn't currently working so perhaps no longer any need for an outdoor kennel. Although I appreciate he's currently experiencing personal health problems that may prevent him returning to this thread, therefore I don't think any further comments will be appropriate.