Need help with Dog Kennel - Page 2

I like concrete with drains.  My kennels are concrete and each one has a drain so they dry faster.  I think they are the best way to do it in the long term.  Mine are 6' x 6' x 20', with the dog  houses on the outside of the back of the kennel.  I frame out openings in the Chain link and put the dog houses out side.  Gives them  more room inside the kennel and they can't jump on or chew the dog houses.  Works well for me.

Jim

If I had one thing to do over, I would place industrial heat tape in the concrete in order to melt the ice and snow off to keep it from being tracked back into the indoor portion of the runs.

I don't have an individual drain in each outside run but the concrete is sloped to make the water run off and easliy cleaned.

My dogs are on shiny Western river pea gravel. They are clean, no sore feet. We have to relenish it once in awhile, but I can hose it with a hose-end sprayer that infuses disinfectant, rake it, repeat, and rinse, and its as clean as aquarium gravel. No callouses on elbows either!  We have fluffy pine shavings in the dog houses in winter.

SS

Mine are dirt,
I use straw in wet weather, remove the straw when things dry out.   I have to add fresh earth from time to time.
I let the dogs out more than in so picking up after them is not a big problem.
Dog houses are raised on mounds, everything is on a slope and drainage is not a problem.
I have shade from trees for summer heat.

Still in wet weather it can be a mess.
But I don't like concrete for the dogs, and they tax you for it here.

Best thing I would love to do is have them all under a metal roof post frame shelter.

Moons.

If you have mud the pea gravel will do you no good, the mud will rise through it, and it makes it harder to work the soil.
Anything you cover the ground with (pavers) , can breed bacteria and mold underneath and would have to be dealt with regularly.

Dirt is easy to work, can be sprayed, and is easy to remove or replace.
Straw can be a pain in the ass but at least it's also easy to replace.

I use strips of indoor outdoor carpet sometimes on walking paths its better than rock or concrete, also easily replaced and free if you know where to look.

Are you building the kennels from scratch or using pre-made sections?

If you build from scratch using posts, a metal roof is easy to add.

Moons.

I am building from scratch. I was thinking about digging down a foot and laying drain rock under the pea gravel with a weed screen seperating them so I wont have to worry about mud coming up. metal roof? I thought about that, but it gets REALLY sunny there in the summer until about noon. It gets about 110F on high days and average is mid 90s. Metal will reflect or get real hot?

You can bury drain pipe (plastic tile) and it will not clog better than just rock.   You can buy it in rolls or buy the solid type.
It needs to be bedded in gravel.
Metal does get hot but with open sides you would not notice, the shade would come in handy as well as diverting rain and the darker colors keep snow from staying long.   Lighter colors reflect and are cooler. 3 in12" pitch minimum on flat roofs.
It takes more lumber and isn't that cheap but it's durable and will last longer than a conventional roof by far, decades.
Not talking about galvanized metal, this is what is used on Pole barns, the finish is usually guaranteed for forty years.

After buying four free standing kennels I could have built from scratch myself.    I'm lucky to have the shade trees.

Moons.

I use bluestone (and have used other kinds of gravel) and have zero mud, and I live in PA.  You have to be generous with the gravel, though.  If you're thin with it, or don't refill as needed, then you'll get mud.

It gets up to 110+ here too
I forgot to say the kennels my dogs are in has a heavy, corrugated metal roof, with a few fiberglass panels for skylight. .We use misters and fans to keep the runs cool in the hot summer months. Works well because the humidity is so low here.
Swamp coolers work well too.
The best way to replenish the gravel is to open the end panels, pull out the dog houses,
use a small front-end loader. I like to keep it 4-6" deep.