Whimpering

Question
QUESTION: My dog, Tucker, is a yellow Labrador Retriever, who is 4 1/2 years old.  He is an outside dog and is confined in a 1/2 acre fenced-in backyard.  He constantly whimpers anytime I come home or leave.  If I am in the front yard for any amount of time, he whimpers.  I've tried bark collars, but the whimpering is low enough not to be picked up.  What can I do to stop this behavior?  I try to let him out when I am outside for long periods of time, but I just want the whimpering to stop.

ANSWER: Your dog is being abused; dogs who are contained outdoors (no matter what the climate) and isolated from humans are suffering hugely.  Using a bark collar to stop this dog from expressing the enormous social isolation he is suffering is inhumane.  Do the dog a huge favor, find him another home.

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QUESTION: So, are you saying there are no such things as outside dogs?  What do you do if your dog becomes too large for the home you are in?  As long as the dog gets human contact and plenty of exercise, what is the harm?  My dog is a happy dog, and I know of plenty of outside dogs that don't whimper.  I do not take kindly to somone who does not know me say I abuse my dog.  You are no expert in my opinion.

Answer
Not only am I an expert, I've earned a living at it for more than 25 years, have had a radio program for five years and have appeared as an expert on national television multiple times.  It is abusive and neglectful to isolate a dog outdoors in solitary confinement.  Your dog is NOT happy or he wouldn't be whimpering; and to attempt to STOP the whimpering (a signal of emotional distress) with a SHOCK COLLAR is barbaric and IMBECILIC.  Do with that information what you will.