If it were my own back yard I would definitely put up a fence (or probably take the bushes out all together) but my grandma won't go for that. She is very particular and set in her ways at 89 yrs old lol

I wouldn't worry too much. I have rose bushes and a couple of trees with nasty thorns in my back yard, and I'm the only one who has ever been stuck by one lol.

I totally understand what you mean... My mom's bit like that. LOL

How about a removable/portable one? So you can set it up just when you're visiting and then take it down when you're done? I made a fence/gate type for my garage since I didn't want to spend $$$. Bought some vinyl lettuce fencing material, cut them to the height I want and put hinges on the sides so it can fold and stored away easily.

No, you're not a bad mom.
 

We can't let Zeus run loose. For one, we have a leash law in our county, so running out front is out of the question. We live near water and woods, so the backyard is out. Between us and our neighbors, we have killed 9 snakes this summer and seen many more. We personally have an armadillo (that charges at us--they can be mean) that is twice the size of Zeus who has taken up residence in our yard. We have raccoons and opossums much bigger than him, and just for added fun, we have owls big enough to pick him up and carry him off (vets warn people in the county to be aware of owls). We do take him to the park and walk him, but he is always on a harness. At this point, we are terrified he would run off. I believe it is your own personal decision. We, at this point, have no choice, but it is our personal decision. Good luck!

Oh yeah, yorkies 100% must be leashed on walk because they can be so aggressive. Cookie will start acting like she wants to fight German Shepherds when I take her for a walk.

I'm so glad i am not the only one! I am a new mom too, Bambina will turn 4 months on Oct 11 and Im scared to let her out even on my backyard..she's stilling getting shots.....I was thinking about getting her a stroller, Did your puppy adjust well right away? I just ordered my dog purse so I can take her to places....My husband wants me to let her free, but I just have a different mentality about it...I'm just so concerned about her health...all we want is just their well being!

so weird! I had replied to this thread and it never showed up...any ways, I am glad I am not the only one! My Bambina will turn 4 months Oct 11 and she has not been outside...I carry her if I do walk out...just like you I am afraid of fleas and her getting sick....I was wondering...did your puppy adapt quick to the stroller? I just bought her a dog purse where I can place her and take her with me to stores and all...I just haven't receive it yet...all we want is their well being....

I feel the same way, I don't like Zoey walking or running on the grass ! Too many dangers. I occasionally take her for walks, but not often, because I can't stop her from putting everything in her mouth. She is one year old........actually her birthday is today ! I take her to stores where they allow dogs, she loves people so that's her fun thing to do , meet new people. I can't take any chances with her, she only weighs 2-1/2 pounds so it is so easy for a hawk, or whatever, to swoop down and grab her. I might be a bad mom but, I can't get passed the fear of losing her to some terrible freak incident or illness from dangerous things outside !!! PS I'm thinking of getting a pet stroller.

Paws on Floor..... in reply
 

I believe my baby was six months old before I took her outdoors after all her shots and being spayed. She's now 11 months old; luckily I'm in an apartment with a small patio with artificial grass, but I too take her everywhere and walks a few times a week.... she loves being out sniffing and seeing other pets or kids in the area... and she's quite the star on the block with her cute self! I carry sanitizer for people who want to pet her.
I know.. lol

He loves to be in his stroller. I got it on Amazon it was only 50 bucks. And I bought a cute carrier from petco and he likes that too. I wish I could keep him in a protective bubble. Lol
Our babies are so close in age ...Michi just turned 4 months yesterday. How much does bambee weigh?

My apartment has a lil back yard as well but it doesn't have grass it has rocks and there are a lot of spiders back there even tho I keep it very clean. Plus he can get to my neigbors because there is an opening for the gardeners to go thru

I will probably wait till he is about 6 months as well before I do take him on any walls. For now he is good in his stroller.

They are, shes 2.8 but that was 2 weeks ago...im sure shes 3 by now...how about your baby? $50 sounds very good! I'm going to have to look for one...

One other thing
 

Zeus does not like the heat at all, hence it is sad he lives in Mississippi. We did get some snow here last year (very rare to say the least), so we felt more comfortable letting him out in the snow. Everyone in the neighborhood was outside--people and dogs (leash law didn't matter that day; when it snows, everything is closed and people are crazy over it). Well, we like to have not gotten the little turd back inside. He loves the cold and snow. My sister's Morkie was the same way. She couldn't get that poor boy back in the house. Oh well, I have a northern dog in a very southern hot, humid state!

Is Zeus still a puppy? He might grow to like the Mississippi heat. My breeder I got Cookie from was in northern Missouri, so Cook was a cold weather girl when I got her. She almost never wanted to spend much time outside when our summer temps got to 100 or more those first few months. But the last two summers she loved the heat, she always tries to drag me out in the 102 degree weather so she can run around and chase lizards. She still loves the cold too. Basically she just wants to be outside no matter the weather, unless there is really heavy rain.

Well, as a proud, bragging Mama, his birthday is next Saturday. He will be one year old. I hope you're right, because we're not leaving anytime soon.:(

Because of the problems we had with Bella at first, she did not get to go outside much. Now that we have the health issues in a better place, she gets to go outside on the leash for walks. She seems to really love it, but I would love to have a fenced in area for her to be able to run full tilt.

I don't think you're a bad mom; just protective. I have let my Bailey, who is 3yo, off leash, but only under controlled circumstances. Never in a dog park! Then I found out about one of his knees not being right and I don't let him off leash at all. When I walk him, I'm constantly looking ahead to make sure that he won't pick something up. If I see that all is well ahead, I've trained him to 'jog'; which means he can use the length of the leash to jaunt in front of me. It has worked well. Having said that, we do play ball; kicking it down our hallway in our home. He loves it! Fortunately, we do have a small backyard, where he does his 'business', so he gets fresh air that way. I think in time you will relax your thoughts, but will be vigilantly watching a few steps ahead of your pup. All the best!

This is so mind boggling to me lol. I can't imagine not even taking a dog outside, even on a leash, ever. Like not even a 4ft leash where they are 2 inches away from you?

I get being protective. I really really do. And honestly I don't even have an issue with those who choose to use pee pads and keep them inside 80% of the time, that's the benefit of little dogs, but like... NEVER touching the outside ground or getting to enjoy the great outdoors and all the smells it has to offer a canine, no matter how big or small a dog is? I mean, to me, just to say "what they don't know, they don't miss" isn't really fair. You could keep a young child indoors all of their life and "they wouldn't miss the outside world if they never knew what it was" but.... isn't that kind of cruel? In fact, check out the "Wolfpack Brothers" to find out about children who were raised that way. I mean yes you're obviously a kind caring person who loves your dog and I'd rather have an owner like you than one who chains their dog up outside in harsh weather and hardly feeds them.

I don't know, I guess I just don't get it. By the time Jackson was 5 months old, he had experienced grass, snow, mud, dirt, outside smells, etc. And he's lived an amazing life getting to experience things with me, family trips, vacations, parks, walks, hikes, etc. He would have missed out on so much if I just decided the outside world was too dangerous. I mean jeez you can lock a dog inside all of their life and they can still die by chewing an electrical cord, running into a wall at full speed and breaking their neck, falling off a bed or couch they can break a leg, the list goes on and on. There's going to be risks in *everything* you do. You can be smart about it and take them to areas where there aren't many dogs (I totally get those who opt not to use dog parks, etc) and bring proper precautions with you on walks in case of emergencies, but I really think it's important that a dog get to be outside *sometimes* whether it's by the safety of your leash or a fence.

Just look at how much life Jackson has gotten to live. And no not every dog is going just LOVE snow or water etc, every dog is different, but at least give them a chance to experience it and see for themselves! I always encouraged him to explore from a young age and I think that shaped him into the dog he is today. Sure I could've cooped him up and he would've come to just enjoy himself indoors, but why do that if you don't have to?

And by the way, there's many different options for outdoor fun. Long lines range from 8ft-over 50ft. I live on 4 acres un-fenced so I use a long 50ft leash to keep control of Jackson but still give him space to exercise and run. I use Flexi leashes (which again can range from as short as 6ft to as long as 23ft) for quick potty breaks. In public places, I use a 5 or 6ft leash to keep him closer. And at certain family's houses who have a fence, he gets to safely run off leash after close inspection of the fence. You can set up an x-pen if you want them to just have minimal space, you can get one with a roof or cover if you're that worried.

Not everyone has these opportunities to have land so accessible, I get that, but there is usually always somewhere you can find that is somewhat private... I know some people use soccer and football fields, or fenced in tennis courts, etc, places that aren't "dog parks" so you're not as likely to see a lot of other dogs, etc.

I used to be like that with mine, but he loves the outdoors, always begging me to let him outside. He is the happiest when he is outside, he likes to smell everything and run wild so I have to keep a close eye on him and be on his tail (literally :)

Dogs really do love the outdoors. I don't trust Cookie enough to take off her leash anywhere but my back yard though. She's a real dummy about wanting to try to challenge other dogs, cats twice her size, and so on.

Oh yeah I don't trust Jax either lol. As well trained as he is (most of the time), I could never just let him off leash and expect him to stay close. He's way too much of an explorer/hunter.

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I would let him out experience the outside, as far as fleas go you could bring them in your self, I have flea busters come to my place once a year and I dont have any fleas