Raising beagle puppies outside

Question
My question to you is we are in the process of getting 2 female beagle pups for hunting purposes.  My husband is going to train them to stay outside. Are they too young at twelve weeks to stay outside in a pen in the winter?
Do you let them stay outside in the pen during the day and take them in at night if it gets too cold?  I'd appreciate any information you can give me for raising dogs outside.  Thanks.  

Answer
Hello, Maria, and thanks for asking! Yes, two twelve week old puppies are too young to stay outside. By keeping them outside at this age, you would not only be making them more vulnerable to disease, as their immune systems are not fully mature yet, but you would also be isolating them from their new human pack at the most crucial time for bonding between them and you. At just twelve weeks, they (should have already had their first two sets of puppy shots and) still lack the third set. This means that they are still succeptible to a host of diseases and illnesses. Keeping them outside in the bitter cold stresses their immune system, which isn't fully developed yet, even further. This increases the chance of them getting sick even more.

I would venture to say that it would be okay to leave them outside during the day as long as the temperature is above 40 degrees Farenheit, and they have a well insulated house that they can go in to stay warm. However, at night, and during the day if the temperature is below 40 degrees Farenheit, they should be brought inside. In all honesty, this rule applies to adult dogs as well. They should not be left outside in freezing weather, and especially without a warm, dry place to stay warm. Contact your local shelter, humane society, or vet to see if they can tell you how to build an insulated dog house.

Keep them inside with you as much as you can during the next 5 months at the least. This will help them to bond with you much better. A dog that is bonded to its owners will be much easier to train and actually want to work for and please its owner much more than a dog that is kept isolated from its family all the time and only interacted with for training purposes. Now, I'm not saying that you may never leave them outside in their pen, but the majority of their time should be spent with you, their family pack.

Hunting dogs can also be indoor family pets. I know of quite a few here in my area. Nothing is written that says that a hunting dog must be kept outside in a pen all the time unless it is out hunting. In fact, as I've just mentioned, a hunting dog that is also kept as a family pet is a much better hunting dog than one that is kept penned up all year until hunting season. Those dogs are not working for you - they're working for themselves.

Good luck with your puppies, and let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen