# Outdoor kennel ideas?



## CAB (May 18, 2008)

I'm thinking that an outdoor kennel is the best idea for my future pup to keep her separated from the other dogs as well as other hazards.

Could you give me ideas on how to build it and any pics that you might have of yours?


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I hope these come through ok:









http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b308/sselzer/Dsc00831.jpg








http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b308/sselzer/Dscn0059.jpg

I used concrete as a base. These kennels were large, 14x23, I later cut them in half so they are 14 x 11 1/2. I used treated four by fours set in concrete, nine gage wire chain link around. 2x4s top and bottom between the 4x4s, and topped it with 11 gage wire. What I would do different would be to double the slope and put in a drain. 

The treated plywood shelter is one of my first attempts at a shelter. two sheets of treated plywood, 4x8' set on top of three 2x4x8s make the base. This presents a nice resting place for the dogs up off the concrete. I roofed this one, but since I think I made a better model with a flat top, same base and solid on three sides. The height is high enough to easily set a dog house and cot inside, but the dogs can also leap on top and lay up there. It provides great shelter and I made five of them this way. 

Unfortunately, no pictures. Again, I used plenty of treated 4x4s and 2x4s and 4x8 sheets of treated plywood CDX. I am no lightweight and can crawl up on the top of these. 

An outside kennel is a great idea to keep the pup safe. But it is not a great way to keep a pup 24/7. The pup needs to be in with the family when you are home. He needs to be taken out for classes/socialization. This makes it a lot easier when you have to take him out to the vet. I have dog houses inside my kennels, but I bring them in when I am home and for the night. 

I also use stainless steel water buckets and a bucket holder for horse stalls. This ensures that the pup will not spill their water in the morning and be without all day long. 

Good luck with the pup.


----------



## Crookedcreekranch (May 27, 2008)

I had a friend whose dog nearly dog from chewing on "treated" lumber for his kennel posts, which contains arsenic. Please be careful about what type of wood and posts you are using. Dogs will chew.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

They do not contain arsenic any more, at least mine do not, I asked before buying and the lumber guy told me they no longer put arsenic in the wood to treat it. 

Whatever you do, someone out there will have a dog that almost died.


----------



## shepherdbydesign (Mar 7, 2007)

Selzer they look great never thought of building a shelter inside their runs before. Great idea


----------



## CAB (May 18, 2008)

Thanks for those pics. Yours look really appealing unlike a lot of cage-like runs i've seen. How long and how much did it cost to make?

I'm well aware that it will mainly be used when i'm at varsity during the day and when I'm home it will either be in the crate inside, if the other dogs are in the same room, or enclosed in a room with me. I've just been told that my new dog will never be allowed to be left unsupervised with the older dog/s even once it has matured...


----------



## spartshep (Feb 20, 2008)

Your kennels are very nice and look well constructed. I am in the woods and have chosen to use the ground as the flooring. My vet also said that ground is the best for shock absorption and since I can do it, I did. The kennels face west and a little south since the wind comes from the east and perhaps a little north. The runs are 30 x 40 with a 6 foot fence, a gate in front and a small door in back that goes into a large exercise area. Houses are within the lean-to with a storage area above them and a nice sized porch aside. They are insulated with foam and air, so I have no worries in the winter or summer. I will add a picture and hope this helps.


----------



## spartshep (Feb 20, 2008)

Mistake...kennels face east...wind comes from the west. for some reason...I was not permitted to edit the post...sorry.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Those look awesome. I agree that ground is good for shock absorption. That is one worry I have for them jumping off of my shelters. But I went with concrete because they cannot dig out of them and worms cannot take hold like they can in ground. 

My last set of three kennels were 10' x 15' and the three of them cost me $5000 completed by my sub contractor. The dog shelters cost me $300 each, he did the actual work, my design. 

My contractor works cheaply and slow. I told him that it had to be done by August when I went back to work. It was done in September. However if he worked on it steady, he could have spent a day getting it ready to poor the concrete, spent a day on the concrete, another couple for the concrete to set before stretching the wire, two days to add 2x4s and stretch the wire. One day to add the wire to the top, and another day or two to build the dog shelters. I would think that it should take two weeks tops. But I cannot support the guy so he works other jobs and well, my stuff is not exactly last on the list, but... 

Oh and mine are six feet tall. The two by fours across the top are fine since I am about 5'7. However, in the winter I smack my head constantly. Also, if I had it to do over, I would make the gates so I would have to step up over a foot or so of solid fencing and the gates themselves would be up off the ground by a foot. At present I have to shovel them out in the winter and and it can be a pain. But it is definitely manageable the way it is.


----------



## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Selzer, your kennels are beautiful!! I've never commented on kennels before but yours are great!!! I love the shelter area AND the chair out there for when they have human 'guests'.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Thank you, I love sitting outside with my dogs, and puppies. The puppies generally fall asleep at my feet and I feel bad when I have to move. The chairs make grooming easier too. Especially tonails, I can have them get up on the chair, they feel secure but cannot go anywhere, and I am not trying to cut nails that are down by my toes. 

On the patio, I keep a dog cot in between two lawn chairs so the dog is comfortable while it lays next to me. 

They absolutely love their cots. I bought some custom chew proof ones. They do not let the water through so I put them inside the shelters. Only Whitney ate hers. The rest are holding up nicely. And I have several of the koolaroo cots hanging around. They do pass the water so they can be kept out in the open without filling up with water. Whitney chews through them in an afternoon though. I use them inside as well. 

Mom calls my place "Puppy Heaven." I am just a sucker for my dogs and if I see it and think they would like it, I buy it. Someday, I will be living under the bridge because of it.


----------



## northwoodsGSD (Jan 30, 2006)

Sorry to jump in on this thread, but I'm in the process of designing my kennel area & need HELP!! What I have to use is about an acre of outside area and a 6'x25' area inside a barn-type building. My plan is to use the inside area for cover/sleeping areas. I would like to run the fencing directly off of the barn, so the dogs can go in and out as they please. I need to make three smaller runs off the barn, with the ability to open into a bigger single "yard" area. I only need one of the smaller runs "puppy-proof" as the older dogs are well behaved







I don't like the look of traditional chainlink fencing, nor do I think it the safest out there. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

Selzer,
How do you like the wood chip area? Do you have it concrete underneath it or just ground? Any problems or "do-overs" with it? We get a lot of wet snow/rain in the early winter & late spring, I would worry it would make a huge mess.
I do like the idea of building the gates up off the ground, will def. use that idea if you don't mind.

Spartshep,
What type of fencing did you use? Hard to see, but looks more square then typical chain-link. Have you noticed any drawbacks to having ground as the floor in the kennel area? Did you do anything to prevent diggers?


----------



## shepherdbydesign (Mar 7, 2007)

Selzer I can relate ( Dog Poor ). LOL


----------



## chruby (Sep 21, 2005)

Connie and Selzer, very nice setup you both have!!


----------



## CAB (May 18, 2008)

Thanks for the info. I don't have that much space in my back garden so mine will be smaller. I'm looking forward to finally starting although i'll only be getting my pup in roughly 6 months time. Unfortunately my parents are still not ok with the idea of locking up the dog in a small area when all our other dogs have had the whole garden and house as their run


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The wood chip area was concrete underneath. Yes, changing the chips was a trip. I would use a much bucket and muck it out about once a month or once every other month. Poo was removed daily. 

If I waited too long, mucking it out was no fun at all. The chips would get stuck under the two by fours and I used the urine filled chips to discourage vegetation under my trees and along my fence lines so I would not have to mow there. 

The chips did discourage bugs though as they are cedar and they smelled nice. Even pups under eight weeks old would go over to the chipped areas to potty and that was really nice. 

Since I cut the kennels in two, I eliminated the chipped area. This means they potty a bit indiscriminately, but it is still a lot better than anything else I had to do. 

ground for flooring does not work here. Firstly, they can dig under it and be loose. Secondly, the precipitation is so much here that the ground would be mud. Muddy dogs would not come in every night. Pretty soon, I would have only outdoor dogs. Currently, my dogs may be damp when I come home in the rain, but a quick toweling can remedy that. They are never filthy.


----------



## galadybug (Dec 15, 2005)

Since summers are so hot where we live and running the A/C wide open in the house costs so much, we built an outdoor kennel for the doggies to stay in during the day. My DH and BIL did most of the work. Its evolved over the last 10 years. We built a 10' X 30' chainlink kennel divided into two kennels with a gate that opens between so dogs can either be separated or allowed to hang out together. The original kennel is 6' high chain link on a 4" concrete slab with rebar. It had a chainlink roof with shade cloth. The concrete floor was covered in outdoor grass and playroom cushions.
The original cost us about $1000 to build with most of the labor being our own sweat equity.

The shadecloth had to be replaced every year or two costing several hundred dollars so last summer we upgraded with a custom "roofover"! The height of the new roof actually creates an updraft so that the doggies have a natural breeze on hot days. Each dog has a heated dog house, and we have an outdoor fan that we can use in the summer to cool the pups! Only doglovers really understand most folks think we are CRAZY!!!

Lady's daytime digs -










Close up of inside - Lady likes her carpet, and she rearranges her playroom cushions everyday!


----------



## galadybug (Dec 15, 2005)

I located a picture of Lady's outdoor kennel pre-roofover. Still comfy..but she did get wet but not muddy and dirty when it rained.


----------

