Is it cruel for a dog to live alone outside

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Is it cruel for a dog to live alone outside?

by Scotty Valadao - Canine Behaviourist, founder FOTD

We’ve all experienced it, the continuous barking or howling of dogs left outside alone, especially at night. We may think it is due to a lack of shelter or food, however, what a dog like this normally want is just to be with his family. Dogs form packs naturally, and not just with other dogs, their humans are part of their pack. Some dogs will eventually just give up and lie around - this is called learned helplessness, and the dog has just given up and is very often, using human terminology, depressed - even being with their humans for a short period of time can make an enormous difference. Unfortunately dogs such as this often receive little, or no mental, emotional or physical stimulation. Think about how you would feel being continually alone, especially if you had not mental, social, emotional or physical stimulation - it just does not bear thinking about.

Bringing in another dog can relieve some of the stress, however, the odds are that the owner will end up with 2 dogs exhibiting the same behaviour - the dog's needs are just not being addressed.

What the Animal Protection Act of SA & Humane Society Has to say:-

The Animal Protection Act No. 71 of 1962, under offences in respect of animals, states that any person who confines, chains, tethers or secures any animal unnecessarily or under such conditions or in such a manner or position as to cause that animal unnecessary suffering or in any place which affords inadequate space, ventilation, light protection or shelter from heat, cold or weather is guilty of an offense NSPCA

An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained or intensively confined in any way, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious and often aggressive. It is common for continuously tethered dogs to endure physical ailments as a result of being continuously tethered Humane Society of SA

The common reasons given as to why dogs are left outside alone continually

Shedding
Somebody in family being allergic to dogs
Obnoxious behaviour such as running around the home, knocking things over, jumping up the second they see a human, are just a few of the behaviours that result in excel - ALL these behaviours can easily be changed - the dog has simply not been shown/taught the acceptable behaviour required, and/or its needs for mental and physical stimulation are not being met.
Protection - another aspect that owners do not always realize is that the dog may be protective to its own territory, not necessarily the owners home. I came across a situation many years ago, whereby the dogs showed aggression towards thieves in the yard, and did not bat an eyelash when the thieves safely passed them and entered the home! A dog that is inside the home, barking and growling and acting in an aggressive manner, is a much better determent to a would-be thief and to notify its person of a possible thereat!

Possible Resulting behaviour

Separation Anxiety - when a dog engages in the various behaviours that are associated with Sep Anx, such as digging and being destructive, one needs to understand that the dog is in a negative emotional state, the unacceptable behaviour is not being exhibited to annoy the owner. However, if the behaviour does gain the dog the attention of the owner, it is more likely to be repeated. Attention, whether negative or positive, is attention where a dog is concerned.
Obsessive Behaviour - again the dog is in a negative emotional state, and obsessive behaviour such as running around in circles, running up and downs the same path, in an almost continual state, excessive fence fighting if another dog next door - all of these behaviours indicate extreme distress.
Some dogs will engage in licking the same place in an obsessive manner. Although any dog can engage in this behaviour, the breeds that appear to be more prone to ALS are the Great Dane, Doberman pinscher, Labrador and Golden Retrievers and German shepherd. Interestingly, males tend to engage in this syndrome twice as much as females.

This is known as lick granuloma, or acral lick dermatitis or syndrome. This can occur due to pain in an area, and the most common areas this is seen is on the carpal joint of the front limbs, however, other areas of the body can be licked. The licking can result in a cycle of self- trauma and inflammation and infection can be the end result. It is difficult to think of a dog harming itself in such a manner, however, it is believed that unless an underlying trauma exists, that it occurs due to psychological reasons the licking actually gives the dog something to do, and is also self-calming in nature. If we compare this to extreme stress behaviour in humans, think of a person who may pull out their hair, or cut themselves on purpose.

Both separation anxiety and obsessive behaviour take a lot of time, patience and constant consistency on the owners side to change. Additionally, behaviours such as these tend to occur again when the dog is stressed.

Should anybody attempt to rob the home, the dog can be harmed, especially if it is tethered.
I once came across a situation whereby the dog had been tethered on a covered veranda. The dog did not realize the limitation of the length of rope containing it, and when it attempted to jump off the veranda, it hung itself.
Aggression - it is not unusual for dogs that are left alone to start to exhibit aggression, especially towards strangers. As the behaviour worked in the dog's eyes - the perceived threat moved away - the behaviour tends to be repeated and can quickly escalate.
Where health is concerned, the dog is subjected to the attention of all the insects in the area and bites from same can result in health problems. Another aspect where health is concerned, is that the owner is unlikely to notice any physical problems developing due to the lack of interaction.

In my eyes and in the eyes of many others, having a dog is not only a responsibility that needs to be taken very seriously, it is an absolute privilege. If you do know of anybody that does leave a dog alone all day outside, see if you (very nicely), point out to them the effects this can have on a dog.