Is this normal? (dog behaviour)

What  breed of dog?   Some like to sleep outside whatever the weather.

What kind of dog? Our Cockerpoo gets cold and shivery, particularly if damp or wet because he doesn't have a heavy greasy coat. No shedding type of dog. I'd go for cold if he's actually keen to go outside and wouldn't go to sleep if on guard.

Sounds a bit odd to me.
Recent rescue?

Ours can be a bit contrary but generally want to be where we are. If we go out then that is the best thing ever. If we go in then that's where they want to be. Anxiety can be an issue and manifest itself in odd ways. One of ours is anxious and it is hard to deal with but he's getting better with training and time.

The guide dog we fostered did that due to her anxiety. She would be after you to let her out then either she'd want to sleep on the lawn or play (usually at the wrong times of the day).

Having said that;
Most dogs do want to sleep a lot, doing it outside isn't unusual, and most breeds tolerate the cold well (bear in mind that a medium sized dog will burn more calories per day than an average human, 2500+, despite being a quarter of the size of us, they do run hot).

Althoug the shivering doesn't sound great?

Maybe he hates you. 😁

I'm not a dog person but in that scenario I guess I'd either:

a) Build some sort of insulated outbuilding, a "kennel" if you like,

b) Train him to lump it and stay indoors, like that bloke off of the telly with the cravat and expensive shoes would have you do,

c) Both of the above.

Get a dog flap?

d) get him a fleece jacket. 

e) hand in his proper dog membership card. They don't do it verbally, it's all in body language and pheromones, but if dogs see your dog out wearing a nice little fleecy waterproof, be in no doubt they are ripping the piss out of them.
My dog only goes out to do her business and occasionally shout at the cats that live next door. The rest of the time she's pretty happy just curled up - except her current weirdness is that you can't leave a coat or a hoodie or whatever hanging up or over the end of the bannister. She'll either yip at it, or has taken to trying to get it down herself, whereupon she drags it to her basket and makes a bed out of it. And then is happy to be just curled up.
It'll pass in a couple of weeks, and then she'll invent some other bizarre ritualistic thing to do.

What breed of dog? 

He's a rescue dog of some description from Taiwan (generic "Formosan mountain dog" but in reality mixed). He's about 17kg and "medium haired" (for want of a better phrase). We've had him for about 4 years so not a recent rescue either...

d) get him a fleece jacketkennel.

😃

Get a dog flap?

That would be ideal but not an option unfortunately 

Maybe he hates you. 😁

That had occurred to me as I don't spoil him as much as Mrs Vlad 🤨

Do you actualy have a real friendship or bond with the dog, or is the dog just a feature of the household, like an ornament or something.. maybe he's lonely and feeling rejected, and doesn't know what to do with himself?

@mattyfez
I don't know how to answer that! For sure, even though I'm at home with him all the time, I can't always play with him when HE wants attention. So there are times (big chunks of my working days) when I have to ignore him...

For sure they need to know when you are busy.. but, say for example, do you ever just chill on the sofa with him and watch a film whilst having cuddles?

He’s a rescue dog of some description from Taiwan (generic “Formosan mountain dog” but in reality mixed). He’s about 17kg and “medium haired” (for want of a better phrase). We’ve had him for about 4 years so not a recent rescue either…

Nice mountain dog.

Alternative explanation only if you believe otherwise go get it seen by animal psychologist or check with the vet to see if the dog is healthy etc. In a worst case scenario the dog is dying as mountain dog seldom die at home.

Is this a recent occurrence? If it is then you must have a recent "invisible visitor(s)" to your house and they might have frighten the dog.

If it has always been the case then the dog is missing it "past mountain life", like wondering free in the nature etc.

Happened to our dog once and it was trembling and hiding under the table etc. Well, some invisible unseen entity(s) was messing with it because we saw "shadow" in the house too. Took a while for the dog to regain it's confidence again after we told the unwelcome entity to leave, and not to bother the dog.

WTF ^^^

WTF ^^^

Have you offered any explanation that can be considered?

I have, albeit different from the conventional ones.

"Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth"

@chewkw

Fireworks frighten him, so I'll go for the more pragmatic option 

Have you offered any explanation that can be considered?

I have, albeit different from the conventional ones.

That's what you're going with, the op's dog see's ghosts so it likes to hang around outside. Righto!
I have have nothing to add, sorry op. I wish my dog would leave me alone sometimes. Don't reckon your problem is ghosts though.

Fireworks frighten him, so I’ll go for the more pragmatic option

Is there fireworks recently? I know it's Halloween night etc. Yes, they don't like fireworks for some reasons but that usually only last for few minutes after the fireworks are over.

That’s what you’re going with, the op’s dog see’s ghosts so it likes to hang around outside. Righto!
I have have nothing to add, sorry op. I wish my dog would leave me alone sometimes. Don’t reckon your problem is ghosts though.

You have not provided any probable explanation or reason yet. So what say you? What is your "diagnosis"?
Whether you believe in ghosts, aliens, spirits etc or not is not that important, it is providing the probable explanation that is needed to rule things out.

*non judgy voice engaged*

Is he stimulated? Lola can annoying **** for hours if she has only had a walk.

Or scent work her for 15minutes.

That sparks her out good and proper and she is always more calm.

Also. We need a photo.

What happens if you don’t let him out? Would he likely settle down after a while, maybe?

I would be worried about my dog if she were outside for a while, shivering. Maybe give him a cuddle when he is outside to see if the shivering subsides. Or put an old blanket over him, so that he warms up, which should help you decide if he is cold or anxious? Tricky one, as cuddles and blankets can also help with anxiety too. If only they could talk.

EDIT: mine can never decide if she wants to be in or out. There are squirrels, birds and neighbour dogs to bark at out there.

We need pics!

Of the invisible entity?

non judgy voice engaged*

Is he stimulated? Lola can annoying **** for hours if she has only had a walk.

Or scent work her for 15minutes.

That sparks her out good and proper and she is always more calm.

He's not super energetic (and has a heart murmur, so we have to be careful not to over exercise him) but I try to play ball with him for couple of short periods of time during my working day and he gets a good 30-40 minutes walk/sniff first thing in the morning then the same at lunch time PLUS he's taken out by dog walkers twice a week (as I'm conscious he needs more stimulation than I can give him whilst working)

My Vizsla has been like that for a day and a half but just worked out she was scared of a huge blue bottle that was flying about. Fly despatched this afternoon and she's happy again.

She was hiding under the stairs or under a bush at the back of the garden. Strange creatures.

(Compulsory mutt image attached!)

Have you bought or installed any new electronic equipment that he might be able to  hear that you can't?

Have you bought or installed any new electronic equipment that he might be able to hear that you can’t?

Last new electronic device we bought an Amazon Fire Stick about six weeks ago but this weirdness started about two weeks ago

I'm hoping alot of this is just down to fireworks. We have been plagued by ****wits setting off fireworks over the last few days (Halloween was terribly with fireworks going off more or less continuously from around 6pm to after midnight 🤬)

I was maybe a bit strong in my last post...

...But dogs do need to feel like an integral part of a familly, they are very social, and if they get booted outside it might well make them feel like they are not welcome, possibly more so if it's a rescue that was mis-treated.

I DONT GIVE A DAMN what anyone 'thinks'.. dogs have complex feelings and emotions and should be treated as such, especially if it's a rescue and been mistreated in the past.. you shouldn't be shovving it outside into the cold, you should be welcoming it into your family.

If you can't understand something as simple as that, then you have no business keeping the animal.

Spend time to talk to him and stroke his ears and rub his belly, and build a relationship.

you shouldn’t be shovving it outside into the cold, you should be welcoming it into your family.

If you can’t understand something as simple as that, then you have no business keeping the animal.

WTF! Did you even read my OP? To be absolutely clear about this, I am NOT "shooving" him outside...on the contrary, he's pestering me to go outside and he's (sometimes) reluctant to come back indoors.

In warmer weather, the backdoor was left open so he can come and go as he pleases but in the colder weather, I'm (obviously) not going to leave the door open all the time

probably the fireworks. heard the banging noise while inside, didn't hear it outside.

i'll not give the spirits theory any credence but it does offer insight.

lovely looking dogs both. 🙂

I would go to the vet. Ours started shaking his head occasionally. My wife insisted he go to the vet who found he had an ear infection. Anti-biotics and now back to normal.

Could be something like an infection so he thinks he wants to go to the loo but doesn't really.

I was maybe a bit strong in my last post...

Then. 

If you can’t understand something as simple as that, then you have no business keeping the animal.

🤣