A client and friend of ours sent us this photo of Zoey (the wooly wirehair).
Who says that gun dogs don’t make good house dogs?
Zoey has a great fun-loving personality and is a real addition to the family.
Don’t let anyone kid you; having a dog in the house does not ruin their nose. I believe that it strengthen the companion bond between you and helps you read each other better in the field. In essence, you become a better hunting team.
The only drawback is that they do track in a more dirt and hair. Our answer: vacuum a little more often.
February 16th, 2007
Chris
I was talking to someone the other day and he told me that his dog was an outside dog, because living inside ruins a dog’s nose. I was polite, but I did have to disagree. He was steadfast in his conviction; living inside, around humans and indoor scents ruins a dogs nose. This isn’t the first time I have heard this either. I’m sorry, that’s another one I just don’t buy.
By and large, my dogs are kenneled outside during the day and are inside with me when I am home in the evenings. They sleep all around the bed like any canine pack should. I keep my dogs inside for two reasons. First, I love dogs. That’s why I have them, I like being around them. They are neat animals and great companions. The second reason is that the more time you spend around them, the more you build a relationship, understand each other and work together. This really pays off in the field (see Hunting Team, You and Your Dog). As an aside, pet porter-type kennel boxes are one of the best things to come along. Sometimes you just need to kennel the dogs up for whatever reason and the crate is someplace they like to go.
I will say, that most people that I have heard repeat maxims like the one above, are people who have their dog out back in a kennel with a self feeder and there is about 3″ of dog manure covering the floor (worse smells indoors?), and basically neglect them for 11 months of the year. Why then have a dog? Now, if your wife has a problem with dogs in the house, well, that’s another matter I won’t get into.