Yard setups

[R2L]

The reason why the dog lies on wood, is because it is softer than concrete or metal. A mat is a step in the right direction, but I don't think it really is a "soft spot" for the animal. (Would you like to sleep on your carpet or a welcome mat?)

I do agree straw would be too warm for summer, which is why I suggested cedar shavings instead. Fresh cedar shavings also repel fleas, ticks, flies, etc.

The dog on that set up kept sleeping on the wood in the entrance of the doghouse, he never went in to sleep on the mat. even when i put multiple on top of eachother. I think he didnt enter the "accual sleeping part" of his doghouse for a month since i removed the straw. So i decided to put back the straw in today, if it will be warm soon he can lay in the entrance and outside anyway. Guess what, within an hour he disappeared to sleep inside the house Regret i removed it now.

[Officially Retired]

Like I said, at the end of a long day, a mat is a poor substitute for a soft nest

[R2L]

copied from a European board for whoever is interested

Our winters can be long and VERY cold (-40 is not un common) and lets face it , keeping the dogs housed properly can be a challenge when it gets that cold out... One alternative to building a wooden insulated house is to get ahold of a small deep freezer (It doesn't need to work as you'll be removing the motor anyways).

Some benefits of using the deepfreeze dog house are ,they are completely waterproof , it's already insulated , ** it has a hinged top thats sealed so you can open the lid when its time to change out their bedding or wash it when needed** , the only wood needed is to go inside the opening thats been cut in one of the ends so they dont cut themselves on any sharp edges etc..

These setups will last MANY years and are surprisingly light so one person can skid them around when you have to clean the yard etc..

Simply cut out an opening in one end , line the opening with some wood and add a flap to keep the wind out.

Seeing as you don't need a working freezer , they can usually be picked up for free , so the only cost is the material for the opening

[QCK23]

We recently moved and are in the process of getting our yard set again. We wish we had the room to do chain set ups but we are using kennels to conserve space.

This is a chain link kennel from TSC reinforced from the inside with 14 gauge welded deer wire. Barrel house with cedar shavings and 12x12 red concrete pavers for the flooring. Kennel was $280, deer fencing was $35, and stones were 1.30 a piece x 100 makes the flooring $130. We like the Magnum kennels but this is literally half the price and if we want to get a double gate panel to make this 10x10 two 10x5s it'll cost us 165 instead of 360.

I set up a spring pole inside the kennel, its kinda jimmy rigged right now until I go get a bigger spring and longer rope toy. Notice the nice hard turd in the kennel from their raw diet.

This is the dog septic tank which is also visible in the first pick. This is our first experience with the septic tank but all the videos on you tube say its great. I still have four more kennels to set and am going to place stone lined paths to all of them so updated pics will be posted with progress.

[Officially Retired]

A very thoughtful setup ... but it has one glaring flaw: no roof!!

If those were Poncho puppies, they would have already scaled that fence and been lost in the woods ... and it is only a matter of time before some of those pups figure out how to do this themselves.

To complete the project, I would strongly suggest you get a roof on that ASAP.

Nice setup otherwise

Jack

[R2L]

Structure of the fence also makes it easy to climb, but thats a very fine space for a dog imo, nice proper setup

[Officially Retired]

Might want to put cinder blocks on the outside of the fence too

[QCK23]

A very thoughtful setup ... but it has one glaring flaw: no roof!!

If those were Poncho puppies, they would have already scaled that fence and been lost in the woods ... and it is only a matter of time before some of those pups figure out how to do this themselves.

To complete the project, I would strongly suggest you get a roof on that ASAP.

Nice setup otherwise

Jack

Guess I should have mentioned that I have pen covers on order and they should be here Wednesday. Found them on Amazon for $25 which is way cheaper than anything else I have seen. Thanks for the input.

[LollipopGuild]

Two room insulated dog houses. These are fresh spots since I moved the pups to chains. Any suggestions on what I can lay down on the ground (gravel, pea stones, rock dust) due to the land getting ''marshy'' after rain? All are on 1/4" 12ft chains except one that is on a 10' chain.



The only house that requires shade. I need to do something better without losing the capability to remove the roof of the house. I have to fix the shade pallet every 2 days or so because she knocks it over.


The houses:


Freshly built:


Kennel I built inside the garage for various uses; whelping, weaning, confinement, dog in a keep, etc...


And the outside:


I get a lot of leaves because there's a huge tree right next to the garage. This was taken right after we set it up. I'll put a roof on it at some point, but none of my dogs are climbers, so it's not a situation for me right now.

[Bolioman]

Great setup what type of plywood did use to make the dog houses ?