Yard setups

[R2L]

Let's see those chain/kennel/pen setups

[R2L]

I keep em in a 300x200cm kennel, grizzly doghouse with a "cat flap" and a galvanized 120x80cm wooden platform. Would like to have a massive concrete floor which is more hygienic and easier to clean but that would be a major operation and the house is only for rent. Hope to get some ideas for when i found a new/bigger place

[Officially Retired]

Those are actually really, really nice professional-looking setups man. They look fantastic! The only thing I don't like are for 2 things: 1) the wood flooring as you mentioned and 2) the limited space the dogs have to live in. For those in the United States, 300 cm x 200 cm is only about 10ft x 6 ft, which is pretty small quarters @ only 60 square feet of living space for each dog to live its life in. Other than that, you couldn't ask for a nicer-looking kenneling system.

Still, overall (when looking at a cost + quality-of-life-for-the-dog aspect), the best way to keep dogs is on a good ol-fashioned chain spot. I typically have my chains at 12' which (if the surface area of a circle is 3.14 x r²) affords 452 sq. ft of space for each dog to live in:

I do agree that the dogs living in the dirt isn't all that sanitary either, and a person really has to keep up on his worming protocol, but the room they have to run around on makes it worthwhile. Not to mention the fact a dog has the chance to "be a dog" in that he can run around, dig, bark at squirrels, etc.

I can also say this with authority too: plastic barrel houses rule. The top photo was taken of Dirty Hammer in 2008, right after I finished making that nice wooden house, while the bottom photo was taken in 2007 of houses I made back in 2002. It is now 2012, and that wooden house has long since been destroyed, while the plastic barrel houses look exactly the same now, 10 years later. Not a bad investment for about $5/barrel, about 40-min of time, and another $5 in hardware

Jack

[ScratchAndGO]

I get a 20ft tow chain from home depot and cut it in half. They are about 35$. The houses are the 2 room kind. The barrel of water is only for playing in. The water bowl is about a 1/3 of a bag of concrete. The shade board is a full sheet with 2X4's on each side for strength. Each set up is a little expensive but I really like them. As long as you have good keepers then they will last you a considerable while. If you have some Knuckle heads then I would clearly not spend this kinda cash on the setup.


I have some of Jacks houses on the other side of the yard. Will try and take some picks later.

Chain::: 17.50
House:: 75.00
hardware 30.00
shade board 25.00
bowl 10.00
about 150 apiece but I think well worth it.



Digging it down 1 foot and screwing a 2X4 across the bottom so they cant kick it out. The location is a old gravel pit so the ground is near perfect. It is 16X12X6 and is 9 gauge wire.

[ScratchAndGO]

These are the above grounds I use inside the house. This little sucker is a pretty tough keeper for his age. Daddy's little killer.

[Nash]

These are the above grounds I use inside the house. This little sucker is a pretty tough keeper for his age. Daddy's little killer.

Hahaha.

R2L space is much more expensive here, also the way you keep a dog differs. Nice kennels !

[R2L]

agree Jack, but this is the most i can offer them for now. i walk each every day as well so they have all the chances of being a dog. i think if the kennels are 300x400cm they still won't move allot more, those 360 chain setups are allot better.


lol ScratchAndGO. that setup looks very good as well. nice stairways to the roof, hehe. they love it up there too

[R2L]

repaired the wooden doghouse again. next time he destroys someting im going to call the A team and pancer it totaly

[Officially Retired]

Very clean and professional-looking set-up man.

My only criticism would be there doesn't seem to be a "soft spot" for any of the dogs (no straw/shavings, etc.). Would be rough on a young dog I would think (would lead to sores callouses, etc.), and would be even rougher on an elderly dog.

I think you'd be doing your dogs a favor by having a nest in their house, cedar shavings at least.

But the setup itself looks great.

Jack

[R2L]

Thanks, i removed the straw last month cause it stopped freezing, now i put this:


You think that'll do?

The platform should be better on the joints then the stone if they want to lay outside the house.