is my dog retarded, or just plain nuts?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have a very unique problem with my dog. When I’m not at home, he will not come in the house.

Well, this requires a lot of detail to explain, soooo. I work 2 jobs right now so I go to work at 6:30 in the morning and get home at about 9:30 at night. Some days he has been outside for most of the day when the temperatures have been in the single digits.:eek:

Lately I have just been leaving him in the house when I leave in the morning because I have 4 roommates and someone will put him out later when it warms up a little. All the various roommates work different schedules, so there is almost always someone at home (it is a big house). Blue (my dog) is totally fine with them letting him outside, in fact he literally jumps at the opportunity, but once he is in the backyard nothing can be done to get him back inside. One roomie explained it like this, he can sit there and call, and coax, and beg Blue to come in the door but he will just stand 10 feet away and wag his tail.:confused: He can step 2 feet outside the door and call him, and Blue will come to him and let him pet him. But when he tries to call him inside again he just walks away!?!? They really don’t feel like forcing him in. It is a big backyard and we are in a rural suburban area, so there is plenty to keep him occupied during the day. He has another dog to hang with all day, but he doesn’t follow him inside (the other dog is the exact opposite, if you would let him he would go in and out all day long). When I come home I don’t even call him, he is prancing at the door ecstatic to be let in.

He is a Corgi, so he has a warm double coat. But it’s a small breed, he weighs about 35lbs… In my Corgi book it says, if acclimated, they can withstand –10 degrees. He is very blue-blooded so I sometimes wonder if it’s the inbreeding? He has always spent most of his time outside so he should be acclimated.

It is just so weird because he is generally a super-obedient dog. My roommates know that it has been getting really cold lately and have been trying quite hard to get blue to come inside, all to no avail. One roomie is of the opinion that Blue is retarded (jokingly of course), I think he is insane in the membrane, what do you think is wrong with him?

2

Maybe he’s acclimated to being outside, and gets too hot in the house. Maybe he’s excited to see you when you come home, but not particularly excited about coming in the house.

I remember my dog when I was a kid would spend all day outside, then come in for a couple hours at night, but when it came time for us to go to bed he wanted to go out. He slept outside all the time, and this was in the frozen north.

3

Hey, if Blue’s happy, you’re obviously doing something right.

Just make sure he has a nice house outside if he wants the shelter. Double entry to block the wind, a little carpeting, not too big. And if it gets much below 0, I’d suggest it would be better for your mates to force him in if need be.

Cyndar?

4

Maybe the dog’s fine and you have Stinkfoot?

5

::shrug:: If he doesn’t wanna come inside, he doesn’t wanna come inside. Build him a doghouse out there or something, so he can be protected from the elements. Or do some training with him, or tell your rommates to go outside and force the dog to come in. See what happens after that.

Michi

6

You know, basically everything Dinsdale just said.

7

All this talk about building a doghouse, etc. While I agree that this is a good idea (a dog should always have shelter available), it may not solve the problem of your worrying whether or not he’s ok in the cold. I have a dog who is very reluctant to enter a doghouse. He would rather sleep outside in the snow all day and night. Granted, he is a Rottweiler, and I can see how this might not bother him much, but it still worries me occasionally. I would say build a doghouse (for your own peace of mind, if nothing else), and not to worry so much about it. If the dog seems to not mind, it’s probably not hurting him. Of course, I am not a vet, but that’s my opinion.