Kennel floor - revisited (again) - Page 1

Already dug through the archives for kennel floors, but have one additional question: Do dogs often eat the wood shavings??

i use cedar shavings. dogs and puppies don't eat the chips on purpose, but i occasionally find a couple of chips in somebody's poop. i assume a few chips got knocked into a food dish, or were stuck to a favorite chew toy.

Stephanie, dogs will usually chew and swallow anything that gets in their mouth, rather than spit it out. I have never had one make a point to eat wood shavings, especially if there is a chewing object available. But if they are rooting for a scrap of food, they may injest a bit. I have never noticed it to be a problem with adults, but with puppies it is a different matter. They are not as picky about what they place in their mouths and will try everything. But, I have never seen it appear in their stools or on an x-ray. I have, of course, seen small pebbles in the digestive tract during an x-ray of dogs of all ages. I don't think there is a huge problem with wood chips or pebbles as long as they don't purposely eat them. Bob-O

Although it smells good and helps keep bugs down, be careful of the cedar shavings. They can cause eye irritation (redness, watering) and sometimes even allergic reactions. If you must use wood chips, use pine or some other non-aromatic wood source. Puppies will eat anything, especially if their food drops onto the flooring where the wood chips are (a spilled dish, etc). They are so eager, that they'll eat anything that is there with the food. With older dogs, it is less of an issue, in my experience.

Anytime we move a young litter to the pen with pine shavings, they all have to get to know what they are on and most will snack a bit until they figure out what's what.. then once the newness is gone, they don't snack anymore.. but it is by far the easiest to cleanup and help keep the pen clean...

What you think would be better, shavings or pea gravel? (or concrete pavers!)

Concrete can cause hip/foot problems. Pea gravel can be eaten and cause problems as well. I would stick with the wood shavings, or use the alternate plastic flooring.

pea gravel tempts too many dogs to swallow them and wood shavings are not very good either for some dogs I lost a 10 week old to them. The best kennel floorings IMO is concrete with a rubber stall mat over most of the surface. It is costly but very durable and completly sanitary and good for dogs body caustion not for unshaded kennels in stong summer sun as they are black but I would hope kennels are shaded anyhow..... One thing I have been interested in hearing about is any experiences using composit boards? those plastic durable suposedly unchewable ones?

Dittos GSDNewbie! I have a concrete slab with 7 seperate double stalls with horse mats in the den section of the stall. Easy to clean, durable, and the rubber horse mats absorb the hardness/cold of the concrete. The 5' x7' horse mats were 36 dollars per mat at Tractor Supply Company. Super! Stephen

I have been breading working dogs for 18 years and I have never had a foot problem or hip problem caused by the concrete. It is more sanitary and easy to keep clean. Just wash the waste into the septic tanks. I always sanitize before whelping and it is much easier to sanitize the concrete than anything else that I am aware of.