Learn Hardcore German: Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus heraus.

Both are correct. Aus already means “out of,” so the version without heraus is fully sufficient. Adding heraus emphasizes the outward direction and often makes the motion feel more dynamic or vivid. Many native speakers use the combination; it’s not considered wrong or clumsy in everyday German.

What’s the difference between heraus and hinaus?

heraus = “out (toward the speaker).”
hinaus = “out (away from the speaker).”

In careful standard German, her- points movement toward the speaker, hin- away. In casual speech, many people don’t strictly maintain this distinction, but it’s good to know the rule.

Can I just use the short form raus instead of heraus?

Yes. raus is the colloquial contraction of heraus (and is also often used where standard German would prefer hinaus). So:

Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus raus. (colloquial) Use heraus/hinaus in formal writing or when you want to sound more careful/standard.

Why is heraus at the very end of the sentence?

Because herauslaufen is a separable verb (prefix-like particle + verb). In main clauses, the finite verb goes to position 2 and the separable particle goes to the end:

Der Hund (position 1) läuft (position 2) … heraus (end).

So you get: Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus heraus.

Is herauslaufen really a verb?

Yes, dictionaries list it as a separable verb meaning “to run out.” In the perfect tense, the particle attaches to the participle:

Der Hund ist aus dem Haus herausgelaufen.

Why is it aus dem Haus (dative) and not accusative?

Because aus is a dative-only preposition. It always takes the dative case, regardless of motion or location. Haus is neuter (das Haus), so the dative singular article is dem: aus dem Haus.

Could it be des Haus or des Hauses instead?

No. des/‑es marks genitive, and aus doesn’t take genitive. With aus, you must use dative: aus dem Haus. (Genitive would appear in different contexts, e.g., “the roof of the house” = das Dach des Hauses.)

What about aus dem Hause? I’ve seen that ending.

That’s the old dative ending -e. It’s largely archaic but survives in some fixed phrases (e.g., zu Hause, nach Hause). You may still see aus dem Hause in formal or literary contexts, but in everyday modern German aus dem Haus is standard.

Why are Hund and Haus capitalized?

All nouns are capitalized in German. Hund and Haus are nouns, so they get capitals.

Does läuft mean “runs” or “walks”?

In standard German, laufen usually means “to run.” gehen means “to walk.” There is regional variation (in some areas, laufen can mean “to walk”), but if you want to be unambiguous:

walk: gehen
run (fast): rennen
run/jog/are on the move (neutral): laufen

Why not use rennt if the dog is running fast?

You can:

Der Hund rennt aus dem Haus (heraus). rennen implies greater speed/haste. laufen is more general and can cover anything from brisk movement to running, depending on context.

Can I change the word order, like putting the place first?

Yes. Topicalization is fine:

Aus dem Haus heraus läuft der Hund. That sounds a bit more literary/emphatic. You can also front just the prepositional phrase:
Aus dem Haus läuft der Hund heraus. Keeping heraus at the end is important in main clauses with separable verbs.

How would this look in the past tense?

Two common options:

Simple past (Präteritum): Der Hund lief aus dem Haus (heraus).
Present perfect (Perfekt): Der Hund ist aus dem Haus herausgelaufen. Motion verbs like laufen usually take sein in the perfect.

If I want to say the dog is coming out toward me, is heraus the right choice?

Yes. heraus implies movement outward in the direction of the speaker. hinaus implies movement outward away from the speaker. In casual speech many speakers don’t enforce the distinction, but using heraus for motion toward you is textbook-correct.

What if I just want to say the dog is outside, not that it’s leaving?

Use a state description:

Der Hund ist draußen. (The dog is outside.)
Der Hund ist draußen vor dem Haus. (The dog is outside in front of the house.) Saying Der Hund ist aus dem Haus is unusual for a state; it sounds like part of a movement description and normally needs a verb of motion: ist aus dem Haus gegangen/gelaufen.

Can I use von instead of aus?

No, not for “out of the house.” von means “from” in the sense of origin/point (often outside), while aus means “out of” the interior. So:

leaving the inside: aus dem Haus
coming from the area of the house (not necessarily inside): von dem Haus (usually contracted: vom Haus)

Why is it Der Hund and not Den Hund at the start?

Because Der Hund is the subject in nominative case. For masculine nouns:

Nominative: der Hund (subject)
Accusative: den Hund (direct object)
Dative: dem Hund (indirect object) In this sentence, the dog is doing the action, so nominative der is correct.