Are dogs happier inside or outside?
Meagan Zboncak
2025-06-26 10:59:44
Count answers: 11
Dogs are very social creatures and they want to be with us. They’re not livestock, they’re not wild animals. They don’t want to be isolated in the backyard. Often people think that if they leave the dog in the yard, they’ll be having a really fun time, they’ll be playing and sniffing and enjoying themselves, and there are some dogs that enjoy it, but for many dogs, if they’re outdoors on their own, they’re going to be a bit bored. You may think the dog is getting exercise in the yard, but if you’re not out there playing with him, probably not. There’s some research on dogs in yards and it showed that they don’t actually do a huge lot. Novelty is very interesting to most dogs, so if he’s been inside for six hours, yeah, going outside is going to be really exciting for five minutes, but then if he’s out there by himself, there’s no enrichment, no social interaction; then we find dogs who enter into boredom barking. Just putting them outside is not enrichment all by itself. Dogs need our companionship.
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