Outside Dogs

Hi Everyone:

Do any of you have dogs that are strictly outside dogs that do not come in the house? I have always believed that my dogs should be a total part of our lives and didn't believe in the concept of prohibiting my dogs from coming into the house or requiring them to sleep outside at night

However, a couple of things have changed my thinking on this. Our gardens have grown and we are seeing an increase in nocturnal visitors night which is causing some damages. We are also scheduled to have a major road pass by our property and are worried that people may access our property and steal food or supplies when we are not at home. So we are considering adding some dogs that would essentially watch over the property. Our current dogs are great at that when they are outside which is generally only when we are home.

Is it cruel to just have an outside dog? What should be done to make sure that any outside dogs are comfortable? What about shelter? Will there be any territorial issues when our current dogs are let outside?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks
BB