How should I keep my Boxer puppy safe and warm during the winter in my garage?

Question

I am in the souther half of Illinois, and I have a boxer puppy that is currently about 4 months old. In about 2 or 3 months I am concerned that he will be too cold outside in his pen.

He currently is inside anytime we are home and awake. He gets walks every morning and every night. Additionally, we give him plenty of love when we are home and the best food we can find. My point is we are doing everything we can for him in our situation.

Currently he is in a Large pen when we are at work and at night. He has a house, swimming pool, food, and fresh water every day.

When the temperature gets cooler we plan on moving him into our garage, when we cannot be home or we are asleep. The garage has insulation but is not heated. We have an area that is about 5 feet wide by 13 feet long we are preparing to keep him in to be away from the cars and anything harmful.

Any suggestions about what to construct a pen of or ideas for keeping him in the garage would be helpful?

PLEASE READ: I plan on getting a heater for him at night and cold days. I will keep it in the garage out of his pen. Please note we CAN NOT keep him in the house when we are gone. We are not bad people and anyone who writes about how terrible we are treating our dog will just be deleted.

I am not looking to change my ways, I am just looking for ideas that will help him be comfortable and/or things I have not thought of yet. If you have done anything like this I would love suggestions.

Thank You for your help :)

Answer 1

You say you have a dog house for him?  I have a kennel for my 4 dogs and i live in northern British Columbia Canada....if you can put a heat lamp in his house that works really well i have 2 in mine and they do fine and the temps here get as cold as minus 30 buy the type from a feed store that has the wire sheald over the bulb so he can't touch the bulb because they get very hot...just don't make his house to hot or he won't be able to stay in it when its cold.  And i would never leave my dogs in my home either while i'm gone...i worry about house fires all the time.

Answer 2

Even a heater won't warm up the cold space in a garage. Most garages have concrete floors, and the concrete takes a very VERY long time to heat up, even a heater wouldn't warm it up.

The best thing you can do is to bring him in the house-HEAR ME OUT- and crate him in an industrial strength crate, in a room where he can't do any damage if he jumps around in the crate.

Its very dangerous to leave a dog in a garage, especially unattended. You'd be extremely surprised what lengths dogs will go to to get into something that can kill them. And ESPECIALLY with a heater that could get knocked face down, against a wall, onto a blanket, etc, you risk a fire to your home.

Heating elements are dangerous in any aspect. Dogs chew on chords, they can knock over the lamp/heater/pad/fan/etc and injure themselves, there is such a long list of dangers that is better for him and for you that you bring him inside.

Answer 3

- Make sure you keep the area dry, so if it is really cold, it won't freeze.

- Use lots of blankets or straw so that he isn't directly on the concrete.

- Definitely use a space heater, but make sure you get a nice one and keep it away from anything flammable.

- Keep him in a gated or cages in area, dogs are smart and even if you think harmful things are up high enough, it's possible he could find a way to get at them.

Continue giving him lots of love when you are home!

Answer 4

Delete all you like - I will tell you anyway that dogs are companion animals - they need to be in the house living with you, not outside like livestock.

Why on earth did you get a dog you mean to throw out in the first place?

Give this poor dog to someone who will love him enough not to keep him cold and alone in a garage - that's just plain sick.

Folks, heaters are extreme fire hazards, now the dog is in danger of being cremated on top of frozen.

Getting a crate big enough to hold him when he is in the house is a good idea.

Answer 5

Hang a heat lamp in his kennel, problem solved. Thats what some of my friends did whith their puppies and it worked great. It will keep that area nice and warm so he isnt freezing. Plus you can turn it off if you go somewhere with him.

Answer 6

yes you CAN keep him in the house while you are gone. Its called Crate training.

Answer 7

crate train your dog. he'll be happier and so will you. Oh yeah...he'll be warm in the winter and cool in the summer...

Answer 8

i probably would not put a heater in the garage it can be come a very dangerous situation for the dog what would happen if there was a short in the heater that can be a fire hazard for you and the dog as far as the dog i wouldn't worry about the dog getting cold thats why they have fur see dogs are made to with stand the cold becuase of the fur and of course becuase you have him in a room that is insulated that helps even more i understand your concern about your new dog i was like that too when ever i got a new puppy but you will be surprise on how well dogs can care for them selves and the ability they have to keep warm if any thing buy him a warm bed to put in there or put some blankets in his run and that would be adequit for him  and most of all don't worry puppy will be fine

Answer 9

Please reconsider keeping him in the garage.  If you weren't willing to keep your dog in your house during the winter you really should have thought about what kind of a coat the dog you got has.  Boxers do ok outside in the cold if they are running around and keeping warm that way, but not when they are being kept confined in a pen.  I understand that not all dog owners who keep their dogs isolated outside and not in the house as regular members of the family are horrible inconsiderate people and that they often genuinely love their dog.  But if you're going to keep an "outside" dog then you need to take things like cold winters into consideration when choosing a breed.  Heaters are dangerous if left on when no one is around and are a common cause of fires in the winter, so getting one to keep him warm is a really poor plan because it literally puts his life in danger.

Answer 10

it really would be much cheaper to buy a crate for the house. a good heater will cost you way more. also heaters should not be left unattended b/c of the fire hazards etc. the dog will be fine with some good blankets or even some hay to burrow down in. but i would not get a heater and leave it on when your not home or asleep.

Answer 11

You should try a large doggie bed with plenty of insolation, and while considering putting a heater in the garage make sure you put it somewhere he can't get to it. (So he doesn't chew on the chords or knock it over, that's a serious fire hazard)

Answer 12

Sorry, but WHY get a dog just to keep outside?

BOXERS ARE NOT OUTDOOR DOGS.  They are an extremely social breed and thrive on human companionship.  They WILL become bored and destructive if left alone for long periods -- not to mention depressed.

Plus, they are not suited for cold OR hot weather.  They have very short fur with no undercoat, plus they are a brachycephalic (short-nosed) breed, meaning they cannot efficiently cool themselves despite all the panting in the world.

"Boxers need to be with their family and thrive on human companionship. They do not thrive, and indeed, can develop into 'bad' dogs if they do not spend time with their family. They are definitely not suited to a 'backyard' dog type life."

"Boxers suffer from exposure to extreme temperatures. Their coats are short and offer no protection against the cold, and their short muzzles make them unable to tolerate extreme heat. They are house dogs, even though they need plenty of 'outside time', so if you dislike animals in the house, then the Boxer is not right for you."

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/view_is...

If you CAN NOT keep him inside while you're gone, then you CAN NOT provide this dog with the proper care he needs.  If you can't change his situation please find him a new home.

Answer 13

Well I think I would put an igloo or woof-woof house in that garage area and have lots of blankets or quilts to help keep him warm.  I think there are dog heaters.  I think you are just going to have to monitor the situation and adapt to what is working and not working.