We currently have a great dog that we be losing soon to cancer . He uses an underground fence outside and I have a new GSD pup coming home in 6.5 weeks that won't be able to use an underground fence until around 6 months old.

Does anyone use an outdoor kennel run sometimes on an inside dog and if so does is cause any behavior issues?




BTW the pup will be crate trained but there are times I will want it to go outside while it and we get some peace . I'm talking maybe a couple hours a day and fencing my huge yard in isn't something I want to do.

I would not use an unsupervised method of outdoor restraint with a new puppy, i.e. a wire run, stake in the ground, etc. Your puppy will be too vulnerable to predators, e.g. foxes, coyotes, various raptors, free roaming dogs, etc.

An outdoor fenced in run is fine. Something like 6 x 20 ft or more. However until your pup is 12 or 15 pounds it needs some sort of overhead cover for protection from raptors. Since you need to provide shade anyway, some sort of tarp or other covering held on with bungees will work.

That said, an outdoor run will NOT help with housebreaking. That would be the major behavioral issue to consider.

The bottom line is crating and tethering (to you) until housebroken is the way to go. Unsupervised time in a large space (indoor exercise "ex" pen, outdoor run, etc.) will generally make housebreaking much more of a chore.

He will be housebroken at the 8 week pickup per the breeder . For what I'm paying he should be crapping gold .

Yes I'm thinking of a 10x10 kennel with roof a couple hours a day but I will wait until he is 3-4 months old for it. Thanks for the info.

Puppies are rarely completely housebroken at 8 weeks old, and still need regular supervision and potty breaks every couple hours. Plus, a new environment can mean regression in training. There may be a few miracles out there, but they are the exceptions, not the rule.

A fenced in run with a cover should be ok for a while, but I'm not sure I'd trust it completely.