Dog House Question....

[Brooke&Ryan]

Hi all---

Well since we're going to be putting up fencing for a run for Jules I think we're going to put in a dog house also. Even though we will be home when he is outside I still would like him to have some shelter & a nice place to plop down if he feels like it.

Do you have any reccomendations of good dog houses that you've been pleased with? Or ones that you would NOT reccomend?

Also---if we do put a dog house in the run should we put bedding in? Like cedar chips? Or something like that? Or maybe we'll just put in an old blanket.

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas or opinions.

Thanks in advance!

:)
Brooke

[Sharon Marples]

We've always used the Igloo doghouses and they have been great.

Depending on the dog and if they are chewers or not, they either get blankets, straw or cedar chips for bedding.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Hehe,
I think the Igloo is one that we ruled out, just cause we want it to be square to push up against the sides. The reason is so we don't worry about him getting inbetween the house and fence trying to get a toy or somthing. Sorry it was not mentioned in the first post.


Ryan

[lblax]

Originally posted by Brooke&Ryan
Hehe,
I think the Igloo is one that we ruled out, just cause we want it to be square to push up against the sides. The reason is so we don't worry about him getting inbetween the house and fence trying to get a toy or somthing. Sorry it was not mentioned in the first post.


Ryan

he wont get stuck..... i like the igloo ones too they are warm and easily cleaned remember if you have a square one and push it up against the fence he may stand on it as a escape route the rounded igloo roofs are harder to stand on and push off from

[Sharon Marples]

I agree, he won't get stuck :D We see our girls going around them all the time, they just kinda slide over them when trying to get inbetween them and the fence. There are no edges on them for the dog to hurt himself.

And ditto on the roof-standing. We had one bitch we could never figure out how she was getting out of the kennel. That was in the days when we had square dog houses :p

Went to the igloos and although she still plays acrobat and stands on it, she can't get enough traction to be able to jump up off of it to clear the fence.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Hmmmm, we've never thought about the roof standing. Thanks for the tip. We'll be checking into the Igloo Doghouses. Thanks for the tip.

:)
Brooke

[k9rott333]

My cousin who works in the construction field makes his own and the the feature I like best was that he put hinges on the roof. This made it real easy to hose out from time to time. It also had a couple of "rooms" to help shield it from the direct wind.

[Brooke&Ryan]

That's actually what we were thinking of. I LOVE to build things, and a wooden house would be great because with me being a perfectionist we could paint it to match the house and put on the same shingles, HOW CUTE WOULD THAT BE! Hehe, does anyone know of some good plans to build a wooden house?


Ryan

[SABELLESMOM]

Ours are rectangular, with a pop off roof for easy cleaning. Ther're the same kind of durable, insulated stuff the igloo shaped ones are out of. I don't recall the name brand, but we paid dearly for one, then found Walmart carries them as well...and much cheaper!

We put cedar chips in the run, but the dogs aren't actually out there long enough to require bedding IN the houses. (of course if it started to rain, or more shade was needed) Mostly they are out for play/exercise, etc. and we are home with them.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Yeah,
The house is more just for "IF" he happened to be out there with out us able to let him in at the moment and he needed some shelter. He has the porch for rain he can go under but I am more worried about the wind.

Ryan

[Bird]

If you like to build, this is the way to go. I have built 3, and the dogs love them.

http://www.doghouseplans.com

[Brooke&Ryan]

Bummer,
You gotta pay for them. I do like the way they are built though, and the thought of the house being outside of the kennel is cool. It would leave him more space inside the kennel.

Ryan

[JeninND]

Originally posted by lblax
he wont get stuck..... i like the igloo ones too they are warm and easily cleaned remember if you have a square one and push it up against the fence he may stand on it as a escape route the rounded igloo roofs are harder to stand on and push off from

Our neighbor's Lab is constantly standing on their igloo doghouse. So, some dogs CAN get up there

[Ocean]

My husband and I built Ocean's house (fortunately it is plenty big for both of them now that we have 2). We didn't use any plans, just based it on the size of a standard sheet of plywood - the house is 8' x 4'. It's raised off the ground on 2 x 6s and has a flat slanted roof so that rain runs off (shangled to match out house too :D ). It has 2 plexiglass windows because Ocean didn't want to go inside due to the darkness in there - it also lets sun in and keep it warm. There is one smallish opening at the far end with heavy clear vinyl hanging over it to block wind, and inside they have a giant indoor/outdoor bed on indoor/outdoor wall-to-wall carpet - I just pull it out and shake it when it gets too dirty. They also have a wooden "deck" in front of their house because when it rains, I didn't want them lying in the mud. They love to bask on the deck in the sun.

It was a fun project - but I don't have any plans to send you!

[Brooke&Ryan]

Wow!
We are planning on a dog house, not a doggie resort! Hehe, thats awesome though that you guys built that kind of house, I am sure it is loved. I think we are however going to keep the size down because of the space we have to work with. I was thinking of somthing around the size of his crate (28X36X48). Keep the ideas comming! I have a good idea of what I want to build yet any more ideas you guys have will be awesome to hear!


Ryan