My dog won't use his new house.

[Beerkat]

Anyone had this problem before?

I replaced my dog's old beat up house with an igloo dog house which he refused to use so i built him a new dog house similar to his old house but he won't use it. Now its freezing outside and he prefers to curl up in the grass instead of using the new house.

I've even tried to sweeten the deal by adding a warm blanket in the house but still nothing. I can't stand watching him freeze.

Any suggestions?

[Keithb]

We have the same issues here. We purchased 2 from Tractor Supply 2 years ago, and this past week was the first time our lab has even stepped foot in it. Mostly because our female dog is in heat and another dog showed up.

Maybe move his food or water in there?

[Beerkat]

I figured if it got cold enough he would smarten up and give in but still nothing and the morning temp has been in the thirties and he still won't budge. Luckily he's a good sized German Shepherd.

[Skinny]

Maybe get a female dog and throw her in there

[canny]

Dog in heat lure.

[buckshot179]

i just tossed treats in there all the time then one day looked out and she was in there asleep

[TxAg]

I have an inside dog (short hair), but how cold is too cold?

30's are pretty chilly, but I figure a German Shepherd might still be pretty comfy without the house....maybe it's just not cold enough

[Beerkat]

I'll try the treats tomorrow. Could he get sick if he gets too cold? Or have any kind of other health issues?

[Keith]

If he will lay on the porch, you might try putting a heat lamp out and see if he will sleep there on a dog bed for tonight.

[MountainMan]

I built my lab a monster dog house last year (8'Lx4'Wx3.5'H). I insulated the floors and everything so that he could be outside even in the snow. Turns out he was still too hot due to that short undercoat that alot of big dogs have.

The way I got my lab to use his house, and I know this sounds crazy, but get in there with him. That way he knows that it's ok to go in there and you get some practice for when you get in trouble with the wife.

[Mark44]

if'n he was all that cold he'd go in there...

my dog is exactly the same. would rather sleep under the shed or in a hole he dog then in the nice igloo dog house I provide (with hay!).

[KBroyles]

we recently acquired my dad's lacy to live with us and he HATED the dog house but when the temp dropped he gets in there now. with a german it probably isn't cold enough yet.

[Shane]

You live in Houston. Your dog will be just fine.

I had a pup at this time of year one time. We went to Tulia, near Amarillo, to see my parents for Christmas. I put the dog's crate on the back porch with all kinds of blankets in and on top of it. I put a lightbulb inside in hopes that it would be warm enough for Sam overnight. He was 8 weeks old. It got down to 14 degrees or so that night. I went out to check on him the next morning, and I FREAKED when I looked out the door. There he was laying on the cold concrete patio, stiff as a board........

until I opened the back door. Then he jumped up and wagged his tail and started hopping around to play like he was happy I'd joined him in his paradise. His water bucket was frozen solid, but he was more comfortable laying on the concrete than inside his nice warm crate.

I quite worrying about him after that. Heck, growing up in Tulia with lots of different short-haired bird dogs all my life, we never put anything extra in their house. They all did just fine living every minute of their lives outside.

[Tubby]

Did the "beat up old dog house" have any kind of blanket or piece of carpet inside it? If so, put that inside the new dog house. Most animals are associated with scent rather than a visual for "places of comfort". If there wasn't anything in the old dog house, get one of your old t-shirts (that you won't mind sacrificing) that you've worn for a day and throw it inside the new doghouse. If he still won't go in, get a few flakes of hay from someone and make him a pad on the porch, next to his new doghouse. Have some hay inside the doghouse as well. Make sure that the opening of the doghouse isn't facing the north or you're just spinning your wheels...


If none of the above works, may have to look for Tink's #68 Dog in Heat lure

Remember, HEAT will harm a dog faster than COLD will!

[mooch]

my dog did that for a while with his igloo house too but eventually he started using it. not sure how long it took him but it was a pretty good while. he liked sitting on top of it more than anything