Should dogs be indoor or outdoor pets?

Although dogs are domesticated animals that fact cannot be perceived in literal terms. It can be done yes, a lot of dogs are kept indoors by their owners however that it not healthy for the animal.

Dogs have evolved from the wolf, and as we all know wolves live in packs. There is a certain hierarchy within the pack, ranging from the pack leader or the head hunter, to the most submissive and docile one in the pack. All these wolves have a function in the pack. And that function is predetermined by instinct and by nature.

Dogs are the same. Different breeds of dogs have different functions, or jobs. Labradors are water babies, bred to retrieve game from lakes and rivers. Their primary function is to be strong swimmers. Bloodhounds and other scent hounds are bred to track foxes other hunted animals. Pitt bulls are bred to be fighters, and breeds like the Mastiffs were bred for blood sports like bull-baiting, lion-baiting and bear-baiting.

These dogs have a function, however as pets, they do not always get the chance to tap into their instincts, which is why it is in best interest of the dog that it be an outdoor pet. Dogs were originally wild and were used to living in the wilderness. By keeping a dog copped up in a house, you are stripping that dog away of all its instincts and its very nature of being a dog.
Dogs are active animals; they need to run, to learn new things, to be able to hear new sounds, adapt to their environment, take charge of their territory and to be the protector in a home. A dog that is protected constantly in a house is not going to learn any of these things. The dog will start getting humanized and as it does so, lose its instinct.

When dogs are left outdoors, they keep themselves busy, they run around, play with other dogs in their pack, they stimulate their senses of sight, smell and taste and so are constantly given new challenges by nature. And dogs love challenges.

A dog lover who keeps his or her dog inside the house constantly is doing harm to their dog. The dog has nothing to do but to lie around all day, or follow their owner around the house. There is no stimulation to the sense, except maybe around dinner time or when someone is watching television. But is that really the kind of education we want to give out pets?

People under estimate the importance of stimulating an animals senses. I was watching a Ceasar Milan episode one day where he was trying to instill all the animal and dog qualities back into a sniffer dog which had been traumatized. And one of the ways he did this was by getting the dog to smell a litter of new born puppies. The smell of the placenta was supposed to tap into the dogs memories of when he was just a dog, and not a worker.

Things like that, just show us how important it is, as dog lovers and pet owners, to keep our pets busy, let them run around, chase a raccoon, track a scent or play fight with another dog. All these are ways to keep their inner dog alive, to allow them to harness their abilities as trackers and swimmers. Dog behavior is a fascinating subject. And by keeping a dog outdoors you are not only punishing your dog, but you are also meddling with the psychology of a dog. Let a dog be a dog. And the only place where it can be that way, it outdoors, among nature, its natural habitat.