What air temperature

[WhiteCollarChow]

We have a large dog run in our garage that we keep our 6 month old chow in when we're away and I was wondering what temperature I should keep the garage set to now that winter is approaching?

[chow4life]

Simple- don't worry about the temp in the garage because your chow should be in the HOUSE. There is no reason that your chow should have to stay in the garage. By 6 months he/she should be potty trained. If your worried about safety or tearing things up then put him/her in an area with a baby gate (family room, dining room, etc...) Chows like to be part of the household even when owners are absent.

[Me & Tess]

I'm with chow4life. Mostly I was thinking about the darkness of a garage & also that the Chow would have to "go." It sounds like an unhealthy situation to me. Not sure where you are, if you are in a cold or cool climate; if you have a back yard..... If you live in a cool climate a back yard would be optimal. We left our Tess in the house when we worked. She did well for 4 to 6 hours. I am sure if she had to she would have been fine for over 8 hours. We lived in SoCal, so it wasn't the cold we were worried about, it was the heat.

[maikinda]

If there are no fumes or other hazards in your garage I would much rather have my dog inside while I'm gone. You don't know what could happen if you leave your dog outside. As long as the temperature is at least 50 degrees your puppy should be fine. I would be more concerned during summer when it could get too hot.

Laura

[chunkymonkeys]

AAAwwwww, a six month old baby being left in the garage when you're not home? I hope she'll be OK in there when no one's home

[ski]

A dog is a member of the family. Our dogs always enjoy the comforts of their home...even when we are gone for a period of time. We then have a pet sitter.

[rmb]

Poor Baby! Really!
I adopted a 13 month old male Chow Chow in January and crated him while we were at work just until we could be sure that he and his 10 year old chow mix "sister" would be ok together. The crate was in the living room with soft music on, near a window with Sis Suzy having run of the house. After just a few weeks, and we had a chance to see them togther alot, left the crate door open. I dont think he ever went in again and now they both have the run of the house and yard (doggy door and fenced yard). Returned the crate. Haven't had a single incident since and they are now best of freinds.
I am such a lucky girl! One of these days I'll figure out how to post a picture of my handsome chow boy.

[maikinda]

What a great welcome to the site. A new member asks a questions and is criticized. If they weren't concerned about their chow they wouldn't have asked the question. Maybe your garage isn't clean enough for your dog, but that doesn't mean his isn't. I've seen some houses that I wouldn't let my dogs stay in. I thought it was a great idea for my first puppy to stay in my bathroom while I was gone until he ate the drywall. You may think its great for your dog until something happens too. A large kennel in a safe garage is not cruel at all. It doesn't mean they love their puppy any less than you do. Lets not be so quick to judge, please. In case you are wondering, my dogs are all in the house.

Laura