Knowing when to bring a dog inside, as compared to leaving them outside, depends on many things. At the top of the list should be something as simple as common sense, yet statistics show us that the majority of intelligence of the human race is not evolving for the betterment of man nor beast. Not a new thing, depending on common sense for a rational decision, such as bringing the family dog inside the home, has been in a quandary as far back as the late 1600s, signified by Voltaire's statement, "common sense is not so common", a statement which has become an issue to this very day.
It would stand to reason one would bring the family dog inside when the elements of weather would do them harm, especially if it is a small fragile dog, a pet with illness, an elderly dog, or a small puppy. But many dog owners place their dogs continuously outside from the moment it arrives on the property, citing reasons of it being too large to bring inside, too aggressive or destructive to be an inside dog, inability to house-train the dog or puppy, considered an outside breed, or a hunting dog which is considered by the owner better without extra social involvement. The reasons are numerous, and truth be known that when the dog is left outside all night, the problem with keeping it off the bed or fighting for bedcovers during the night never becomes an issue.
Yet there are special times when even the most die-hard owners have to bring their pets inside instead of leaving them with a sentence of solitary confinement for life. It is recognized that all domesticated pets still retain its ancestral lineages, in the fact that all varieties of breeds will naturally seek out a cold place from the heat and a warm place from the cold elements-even without human intervention. If they have the natural instinct to do this, their owners should be more than able to provide the same levels of protection out of love and caring.
LEAVING THE DOG OUTSIDE CAUSES RISK ISSUES
If left outside during the majority of times and left unattended, the outside dog may develop two opposite behaviors. One is they will be overly-friendly to all approaching strangers, desperate for human companionship, as they instinctively need this sort of relationship with humans. Another issue is they may become overly territorial, protecting their surroundings through excess barking, biting, or other aggressive behavior to all who invade their territory.
By bringing the outside dog inside occasionally, they will learn who and what to protect, and who belongs to their "family." Also, dogs who are allowed inside at times will learn the difference between those who visit and the ones who live there. Dogs who are kept outside too long may develop a tendency to develop fearful or "overactive" behavior toward people, strangers and family. Bringing them inside on for social interactive will remove this behavior and makes for a better family pet down the road.
EXERCISE
The typical dog remains outside for exercise, when common sense shows us that the dog prefers to play or exercise with their owner instead of by themselves. If kept outside in a fenced in yard or a large kennel, very little exercise is achieved. Most dogs will lie outside the back door waiting for someone to come play or walk with them. And the amount of exercise and outside exposure depends a lot on the breed and age of the dog in mind.
Turning a dog loose while sipping on a cup of coffee in the kitchen is not the greatest exercise to use. The best exercise is simply going for a walk or jog, for both owner and dog, which is not only beneficial to their physical health and mental health, but also is a top-notch social communication that the dog will highly respond to, whether the dog is an outside or inside one. But the key is for the owner to walk their dog, not allow the dog to walk (or drag!) their owner. Be the first to leave the house or yard, with dog behind on the leash, in order to remain the alpha "boss". It is also advised to use a collar instead of a harness for walking, as the harness controls the strongest part of the dog, which makes walking more difficult in controlling the dog without pulling or putting tension on the leash.
SAFETY
The continuous outside dog has been known to dig enough holes for WWIII, consume dangerous items such as sharp toys, poison, or clothing, making mortal enemies with the neighbors, or escape from the yard out of sheer boredom. The worse scenario that happens to outside dogs with little inside owner intervention is they are stolen by individuals who will sell the animal to research labs or as bait to dog-fighting rings. Simply put, it is hard to monitor an outside dog who has little connection with the owner other than through feeding and watering. The outside dog will always lose.
BAD WEATHER
If you think it is okay to keep a dog outside all all times, especially during severe lightening storms, sub-zero weather during the winter, excessive heat during the summer, then spend the night in the kennel with it. A very large number of owners do not realize their dogs are deathly afraid of lightning and thunder, causing them extreme terror and anxiety issues, which can develop into eventual behaviors. An inadequate shelter with not enough bedding with little human comfort is just above the level of nothing. All dogs should be brought inside during extreme weather or placed inside some form of major shelter (ex: insulated shed or a garage). Otherwise, they face the same issues humans do-frostbite, dehydration, exposure, or freezing to death when its coat becomes wet through rain or sleet. A dog who stands in water or wet ice before the weather drops will lose one or more limbs if not dying, as they will already be cold enough to freeze.
During the winter, statistics show that more dogs die due to the elements than any other time, other than summer, when many die of heat exhaustion and lack of adequate water-all at the hands of their caring owners. A good rule of thumb is if a person cannot stand being outside, probably the family pet cannot either. If you cannot go outside due to the weather, do them a favor and bring them inside. It is a simple thing to do.