Kennel info - Page 1

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by vonrivera on 20 September 2016 - 20:09

Hello all, I am interested in getting a kennel (maybe 2) in my backyard for GSDs. I am leaning more towards buying one, but if anyone has a good plan on building one, I am all for it. Any ideas and information would be appreciated. :)
Vonrivera

Hundmutter

by Hundmutter on 24 September 2016 - 05:09

Wow Vonrivera I thought you would have had floods of responses to this ! Maybe the board is in an unhelpful mood at present ?

A site search might prove useful to you, I seem to remember several topics over the past half-dozen years that have discussed materials, bases, shop-bought designs, whose kennel wire not to buy (!), etc, both good and bad.

I have never had to build any kennels but I have used a 'few' down the years!

FWIW I prefer concrete floors for cleaning purposes; with the proviso that you then MUST provide beds and bedding. Dogs will frequently choose to lie out on cool concrete, but for those times when they decide they need soft and/or warm, it needs to be available if you want them happy.

Wire or bars as surrounds / runs HAVE to be high enough; no good relying on 5 feet, if one of the dogs you want to use it for turns out to be a Houdini.

You need to decide which way to put them, whether self-build or bought in, to take wind direction, shade, etc into a/c for your area & minimise bad effects of those. And I would ALWAYS plump for 'the bigger the better', whether in the indoor part or the run, my experience being that GSDs size-wise LIKE room to move around; even though the thing about liking the security of curling up in an internal bed or a box kennel or igloo is often true, if they spend much time in a kennel and run you can almost always expect SOME degree of stereotypic movement (pacing) to develop, even if only minor; and if they get distressed and this becomes extreme, it is very distressing to see a dog spinning up the walls of too small a space.

That's my two cents...

Q Man

by Q Man on 24 September 2016 - 14:09

Maybe you could explain what your plan is for a kennel...I mean is this outside...what kind of weather are you talking about...Is this for a dog/dogs to stay in or is it to move dogs to outside for daytime...
When building a kennel you have to take everything into consideration...Weather is a biggie...
I've built a number of kennels...in different states and have to take a number of different things into consideration...
What is the kennel for:
Everyday use...
For short periods of time (like daytime only)...
For Training purposes...etc...


Hundmutter

by Hundmutter on 24 September 2016 - 15:09

Thumbs Up Bob.


by vonrivera on 25 September 2016 - 15:09

Thank you for taking the time to respond! This kennel would be for outdoors and for daily use. The dog would be in the kennel for about 8 hours (day time) and in the house when we are home. I live in California, so mostly warm weather with the rare occasional rain.
Vonrivera

Q Man

by Q Man on 25 September 2016 - 15:09

Ok...that certainly helps in what you could use...

Now the question would be what size are you talking about and for how many dogs...I've now built a couple kennels for multiple dogs in Florida so I sorta understand what you need...
The first question is what kind of surface are you looking at...I mean cost is a lot of it here...I personally like and use Concrete surfaces...it's more expensive but to me it's worth it...You can also use a Stone surface or even dirt/grass but it does depend on your dogs and if they tend to dig...
You're also looking at some kind of roof...for even containment and/or shade...

What is your thoughts on containment material...Chain Link...Concrete Blocks...etc?

What size are you thinking and for how many dogs...Are you wanting individual Runs or 1 or 2 big Runs...?

by vonrivera on 25 September 2016 - 16:09

Optimally, I would like a single 10x6 (for one dog). I have a spot in the yard already, it is pebble coated concrete. I have a attached a picture of what it kind've looks like below. I agree, a roof is necessary for many reasons. I personally would like welded wire as a containment material because I think it is sturdier and looks more appealing haha. Thank you for your time.
Vonrivera

by ZweiGSD on 25 September 2016 - 17:09

Was trying to send you a pm as I was having problems trying to put up a picture of the kennel we built last year (with some ideas that Q Man gave us) but that is messing up too. Will try pics later. We used welded wire, wood framing and a metal roof.

by vonrivera on 25 September 2016 - 18:09

Zwei, what is the flooring? Why did you choose to build instead of buy? What tools and skills did it require? Do you have blueprints? How was the price range? So many questions :), sorry!! Thank you for your response.
Vonrivera

by ZweiGSD on 25 September 2016 - 18:09

Flooring: We used sand but am not happy with it as it is retaining urine odor. I personally don't like concrete - summer is fine but dislike it in winter. Have used wood chips but not happy with them either. I don't think any flooring is perfect, just personal preference.

Built because my husband wanted it to look nice. It's against the back of our garage next to the deck. We were replacing a hastily put up chain link dog run that we did when we first moved in and the size was not "stock".

Tools: Chop saw, hammer, screw gun. Also used an electric hand grinder & bolt cutters for getting the size we needed on the wire panels (needed the specific size).

My husband made a rough sketch on a piece of scratch paper for his blueprints. If I can ever get the pictures posted you can see if you like what we did and he could do something for you.

Will have to look at my records to give you pricing & post later.





 


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