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Comment by im3w1l | Hacker News Reader

I literally never heard about this and I am pretty curious. How does a dog behave if you don't have a fence and let them roam?

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Never heard of a dog running free outside? So strange to me! I grew up with a pet dog. She wasn't allowed in the house, and mostly just ran around our unfenced property (we lived on an acre fairly rurally), and probably off it to some extent, but I'm not really sure. She had a food bowl that we'd keep filled, and water. She'd often run up to us when we were outside, and we'd pet her and she'd wag her tail. Then she'd either follow us around until we went back inside or drove away, or she'd just wander off on her own.

I remember thinking it was so weird and gross when I first heard about people letting their dogs inside!

this is how i grew up as well, rural setting with a (big) dog (or two) that roamed our property (the boundaries of which they more-or-less knew). however they're pack animals and would rather be with their humans, so they usually stayed close to the house, but sometimes they get bored and chase something in the grass or in the wind or whatever, and come back later.

i now live in an urban area and walk my (little) dog at least twice a day, which gives us both exercise (5+ miles/day), and she seems pretty content with the amount of outdoor time she gets.

Similar but we always had at least 2 dogs. My dad would it's not right for them to not have a buddy to hang out with since they couldn't come in the house with us.

Like...a dog? Curious what other behaviors you think they might exhibit. They hang around the house, or you if you're outside, and nap on the porch. If you're worried they'll run off, they may chase after an animal that mistakenly ventures in, but otherwise they stay in their territory with their people, and walk around the property doing dog things.

Also note that in these contexts there are "inside dogs" and "outside dogs" depending on if they get let into the house or not.

>Also note that in these contexts there are "inside dogs" and "outside dogs" depending on if they get let into the house or not.

Yes, I had for years an "outside" dog and an "inside" one, the funny thing is how they divided their competence for "alarm", the outside one would bark if anyone arrived within earing distance, then would stop barking when the car or truck actually arrived, and immediately the inside one will take where the former left.

Still there was a small area on the side of the house that was "free", the outside dog somehow believed it was not (anymore) his business, and the inside one thought it wasn't (yet) his.

Amazingly, they understand property boundaries as well as a surveyor. I was always astounded at the farm dogs I knew that would run up to the property line and bark at whatever, but not cross. They have an amazing sense for picking up territory cues from their owners.

Head of security, bringer of cows at milking time, and announcer of arriving delivery trucks. No proper farm can do without.

>They have an amazing sense for picking up territory cues from their owners.

Seems to me like something a powerful sense of smell would make trivial. A dog can instantly detect the points past which its human pack members never venture.

They just get out and run, get into fights with other dogs, harass cats etc. Dog stuff. It really depends on the dog's temperament. There are dog's that are too scared to get out of their yard. If you've got a hunting breed it will probably get out and run. When we throw a garden party, the dog becomes less interested in going for a stroll, it would rather join the party. It's a fox terrier mixed breed. Very smart dog. You can fool it once, but then you have to get creative.

They get skunked/quilled every other week.

That is a pretty daft dog.

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