dog likes to be outside!

[katyphillips]

My 12 year old dog sometimes refuses to come inside. It is as if he would just rather be in the garden the whole time.However once i have closed the back door and left im outside he will sitand bark for me to open it.I end up leaving the back door open just to please him  however i cannot continue doing this when  the weather turns cold..does anyone have any idea why he might be doing this, or how i can get him to stop?

[Emily Ball]

My dog is two and he does the same thing. He enjoys being outside but hates to be shut outside-my french window is almost permanently daubed with muddy footprints where he's scratched for me to open the door. He actually wants the best of both worlds; to romp around the garden whenever he feels like it and to keep a check on what I am doing at any given moment. When I do open the door and invite him back in he stands about two feet away and refuses to budge or bounds off with a garden spade or some other forbidden item in his mouth (believe me he's that big and strong enough) so that I have to chase him around the garden(his favourite game!)  I guess that, at twelve, your dog is very close to you and just wants to enjoy the outdoors but also to be back at your side whenever he wants. I know it can be really aggravating at times, and very impractical. None of which is helpful in solving your problem I'm afraid.

[shaneystar]

My ten year old dog does this too.I think he does it in the winter to cool off from being indoors with the heating on and of course in the summer when it is hot.He has a really thick coat so I think he likes the feel of the cool grass on his belly.When it snows (when) he likes nothing better than rolling around in it.When we take him to the beach he makes a beeline for the sea and we can't get him out until we walk away and then he comes running!!They have got some funny ways!!Not of course that this any help to you .I usually shout out that "So and So" is coming and then he comes in.