I don't want to get in the breeding part of it, but there are definitely health benefits for dogs spending a lot of time outside. Not just dogs, but humans too.
The thing that makes an outside dog a bad thing, is that most people automatically assume it is left outside, alone, with little to no human interaction.
But if you have an active sporting/farmer owner who spends his/her life mostly outdoors, it becomes a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle for the dog as well.
One of my friends went to a canine reproduction workshop, taking a whole boatload of notes. One thing that kept showing up over and over and over again is the importance of natural sunlight. Lack of natural sunlight was linked strongly to calcium absorption problems, small litter sizes, low birth weight, higher incidence of c section, infertility in males and females, etc. The lecturer went on a rant about how many show kennel folks keep their dogs indoors to keep sunlight from bleaching/damaging the coat, cleanliness, etc. and how it had a huge negative impact on the overall health and reproduction of the dogs.
For what it's worth, the longest lived irish wolfhound known lived to be 18 years old. That is more than twice the average life expectancy of the breed. He was born and died in Alaska. He never, ever once stepped foot inside the house. Not even when it was -60 F out. His family tried and tried to bring him in but he refused. He is a very famous dog among IW folks, and he also belonged to Strider's ob trainer's aunt.
I'm intrigued by the lifespan of ufimych's dogs, because that is very high for a sight hound. Even if we don't agree with his breeding practices, I do believe he has something to offer us that *gasp* maybe we don't know yet.
If I remember correctly, aren't your dogs imports also? I think you posted something about having to import salukis because you had a hard time finding dogs in the US the way you liked them, but maybe I am remembering wrong.
The thing that makes an outside dog a bad thing, is that most people automatically assume it is left outside, alone, with little to no human interaction.
But if you have an active sporting/farmer owner who spends his/her life mostly outdoors, it becomes a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle for the dog as well.
One of my friends went to a canine reproduction workshop, taking a whole boatload of notes. One thing that kept showing up over and over and over again is the importance of natural sunlight. Lack of natural sunlight was linked strongly to calcium absorption problems, small litter sizes, low birth weight, higher incidence of c section, infertility in males and females, etc. The lecturer went on a rant about how many show kennel folks keep their dogs indoors to keep sunlight from bleaching/damaging the coat, cleanliness, etc. and how it had a huge negative impact on the overall health and reproduction of the dogs.
For what it's worth, the longest lived irish wolfhound known lived to be 18 years old. That is more than twice the average life expectancy of the breed. He was born and died in Alaska. He never, ever once stepped foot inside the house. Not even when it was -60 F out. His family tried and tried to bring him in but he refused. He is a very famous dog among IW folks, and he also belonged to Strider's ob trainer's aunt.
I'm intrigued by the lifespan of ufimych's dogs, because that is very high for a sight hound. Even if we don't agree with his breeding practices, I do believe he has something to offer us that *gasp* maybe we don't know yet.
If I remember correctly, aren't your dogs imports also? I think you posted something about having to import salukis because you had a hard time finding dogs in the US the way you liked them, but maybe I am remembering wrong.