Did you read the article or are you just asking b/c it sounds weird? Some people think "crate" when they hear "kennel." They're talking about dogs raised outside or in large runs, where they are self-limiting in their exercise. They play as long as they want, as hard as they want, and when they want to quit, they do. They are not sitting in a crate all day, only to be taken out for a long walk or run once or twice a day, like many pet dogs are.

Excerpt: The kennel dogs, whose exercise opportunities are maximized, with several dogs of a similar age free to run and play all day and night in large paddocks, show us some interesting things.

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 Quote: jenni williams

Did you read the article or are you just asking b/c it sounds weird?

B.

Seen too many dogs in outdoor kennels, as I imagine we all have, with no interaction with humans or dogs or anything else, until their once- or twice-a-week trip to a training field (if they are the lucky ones).

Obviously, this topic is different and I inadvertently hijacked.

Back to "Hip Question" .....

The article describes a kind of doggy-daycare type situation, in which dogs are free to run and play with each other all day long. I suppose it would also encompass working farm dogs (who are usually started on stock as young pups) and other dogs who are active most of the day. It does not seem to be talking about dogs kept in actual kennels, but rather breeders who keep their dogs outside in a paddock type area all together with the freedom to run as they wish, so I don't know why they said "kennels".

I would love to leave my dogs out all day, rather than indoors and crated. Oh how wonderful that would be! Unfortunately, they would fight with each other, escape, eat things, be teased by my neighbors, bark at everyone and everything, and be a nuisance. (The posted article acknowledges that this is the case for most pet homes).

Edit: Jenni, is your yard sectioned into areas so Xander and Qira can play together without interacting with the other dogs?

I would also love to be able to just drop them off at dog daycare, to play to their heart's content, but I wouldn't trust one of those places or the strange dogs.

The article also talks about what to do for growing dogs to try and avoid non-genetic hip problems (moderate exercise and regulated food intake) but would the recommendations be the same for adult dogs who have stopped growing? Anyone have suggestions on exercise for adult dogs for those who work and can't leave the dogs outside all day? Should it be kept at a moderate level?

Doggy Day care would call me in about half an hour to come get them all,LOL! Not to mention the shots they'd need to get in, plus the fights, and the dogs I'd probably have to replace, LOL.

Angela, I can't leave anyone else out but Qira and Xander. Simon and Caleb are both fence jumpers, plus fight-pickers, and neighbor-haters (well, Caleb hates the neighbors and the neighbors hate Simon...go figure). Qira and Xander get along well and don't get into too much trouble during the day. I don't count tearing my bushes out or rearranging my planters. I do have commerical kennels (options plus ultra series...good kennels!) in the backyard, and a 30' run, but honestly, I don't use them much. I do have a 6' privacy fence surrounded by a chain link fence, and my gate has no access from the outside whatsoever. Someone would have to jump the fence and manage to then jump back over and throw the dogs over the fence if they wanted to steal them...but they're not terribly friendly at the fence, so someone would have to come prepared to steal them, and that's pretty far-fetched here in Disneyland, as my friend calls it. I am lucky to have a neighbor who is always home and is an excellent spy and has let me know on occasion when they were up to no good (Qira tore up some fence boards one day), and I just came home. I live pretty close to work, so I can pop in and see what they're up to easily.


I am quite curious to see how their hips are b/c they both have had all the exercise they wanted, but not much forced exercise. It's an experiment I decided to do w/Xander and he's so healthy that I decided to try it w/Qira too. My little hillbilly babies.

I should've PM'd you...we were supposed to be talking about hips. SORRY!

 Quote: Alyssa Myracle

Falcon is over 6 months old. You can get him preliminary x-rayed at any time now.
Start looking for a good vet with OFA experience who DOESN'T sedate the dog for the x-rays . It will probably take a month or two to find one willing, anyway.

Just wondering why? Is it for the reason of sedation or rather the quality of the x-rays going to get OFA'd?

I don't see any reason to knock a dog out for hip x-ray.
Unnecessary risk to the dog, just to make the vet's job easier.