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by Sunsilver on 18 September 2010 - 15:09
As I am a newbie to the dog boarding and grooming business, I am still trying to figure out what works for me as far as kennel sanitation.
I'd like some input from those who have been doing this for years.
How often do you do a complete sanitizing of runs and cages? What products and equipment do you use to kill germs and keep down odours?
And, most frustrating...how do you sanitize pea gravel effectively??? I don't really see a good way of doing this that is really going to kill off germs, so we are looking at paving the pea gravel areas in the near future. It's just not possible at the moment (too much money.) Most of the runs are concrete, so we mostly use the pea gravel areas for our own personal dogs. Unfortunately, they like to dig, and lots of dirt and stones are being tracked into the house as a result!
What about day-to-day cleaning? What are your routines and the products you use?
Another pesky problem I'm having is that the sliding doors in the kennel are wood, set in wood frames. The wood absorbs urine odours, if you have a dog that's a cage pee-er. So far, I haven't found a way of completely eliminating the smell, and right now, I'm in the process of completely rebuilding one of the doors. I had a dog in that cage for more than two months, who urinated in his cage EVERY NIGHT! I hate to think what the owner's home smells like!
I'd like some input from those who have been doing this for years.
How often do you do a complete sanitizing of runs and cages? What products and equipment do you use to kill germs and keep down odours?
And, most frustrating...how do you sanitize pea gravel effectively??? I don't really see a good way of doing this that is really going to kill off germs, so we are looking at paving the pea gravel areas in the near future. It's just not possible at the moment (too much money.) Most of the runs are concrete, so we mostly use the pea gravel areas for our own personal dogs. Unfortunately, they like to dig, and lots of dirt and stones are being tracked into the house as a result!
What about day-to-day cleaning? What are your routines and the products you use?
Another pesky problem I'm having is that the sliding doors in the kennel are wood, set in wood frames. The wood absorbs urine odours, if you have a dog that's a cage pee-er. So far, I haven't found a way of completely eliminating the smell, and right now, I'm in the process of completely rebuilding one of the doors. I had a dog in that cage for more than two months, who urinated in his cage EVERY NIGHT! I hate to think what the owner's home smells like!
by tuffscuffleK9 on 18 September 2010 - 17:09
Sunsilver,
You have a few issues at your kennel when it comes to sanitizing, odor control, and digging. Let me see if I can help you 1 at a time.
1. Sanitizing - no need to buy expensive commercial products. A solution of 10-20% household bleach mixed with water is really good. (if hospital ER's use it then I feel safe with it). Just remember if mixture has too much bleach it will irritate the dog's nose as well as bleach out your clothes. 20% seems to be max. I mix in pump-up sprayer and spray and let it set a few minutes then hose down with water. Warning: Vet said to use nothing with Pine-Sol, Lysol or any such cleaners, it will effect the kidneys and liver.
2. Odor Control - take the dog out of the kennel then spread powdered lime over pea gravel. After a complete spreading (1/2-1") then wash it in with water. Use a spray setting on your water hose so as not to wash it away. You want it to soak in. I would not do this in conjunction with sanitizing as there may be a chemical reaction between bleach and lime. I don't think there will be, but why chance it.
3. Odor Control on wood doors. I've had some luck with Nature's Miracle - Skunk Formula. Use as directed. However, best solution would be to paint with Kilz then Couple of heavy coat of oil based exterior paint. If wood is unpainted cedar or treated wood and you don't want to change color. Then after wood is completely dry paint with several coats of exterior polyurethane. Either of these methods should seal the wood so that odors do not absorb. KEY: Wood must be dry prior to either treatment.
4. Digging - Gonna be a problem with soft surface. I would try working at it one dog at a time with an E-Collar. Monitor the dog's activity and when digging starts hit the button. Since you will not be present following the training (most GSD's learn fast so if you start early one morning then by night fall dog should have it figured out.) Key: Persistent all day training. And stimulate the dog strong enough that it will get the message.
Good Luck,
TUFF
You have a few issues at your kennel when it comes to sanitizing, odor control, and digging. Let me see if I can help you 1 at a time.
1. Sanitizing - no need to buy expensive commercial products. A solution of 10-20% household bleach mixed with water is really good. (if hospital ER's use it then I feel safe with it). Just remember if mixture has too much bleach it will irritate the dog's nose as well as bleach out your clothes. 20% seems to be max. I mix in pump-up sprayer and spray and let it set a few minutes then hose down with water. Warning: Vet said to use nothing with Pine-Sol, Lysol or any such cleaners, it will effect the kidneys and liver.
2. Odor Control - take the dog out of the kennel then spread powdered lime over pea gravel. After a complete spreading (1/2-1") then wash it in with water. Use a spray setting on your water hose so as not to wash it away. You want it to soak in. I would not do this in conjunction with sanitizing as there may be a chemical reaction between bleach and lime. I don't think there will be, but why chance it.
3. Odor Control on wood doors. I've had some luck with Nature's Miracle - Skunk Formula. Use as directed. However, best solution would be to paint with Kilz then Couple of heavy coat of oil based exterior paint. If wood is unpainted cedar or treated wood and you don't want to change color. Then after wood is completely dry paint with several coats of exterior polyurethane. Either of these methods should seal the wood so that odors do not absorb. KEY: Wood must be dry prior to either treatment.
4. Digging - Gonna be a problem with soft surface. I would try working at it one dog at a time with an E-Collar. Monitor the dog's activity and when digging starts hit the button. Since you will not be present following the training (most GSD's learn fast so if you start early one morning then by night fall dog should have it figured out.) Key: Persistent all day training. And stimulate the dog strong enough that it will get the message.
Good Luck,
TUFF
by nonacona60 on 18 September 2010 - 17:09
Sunsilver,
For sanitizing, I use bleach at least every other day......For odor control, I use Odoban eucalyptus scent, sprayed on dry sanitized surface......I have my runs on cement and this works for me.......Thankfully my dogs do not soil their runs during the night...I make it a point to let them out the last thing I do before bedtime, and the first thing in the morning..Not very often do they have accidents. Guess I am fortunate for that....I can't help with your other questions as I really don't have any diggers.....or wooden wall or doors that could get urine on them.....
Edited by nonacona60 to add:
The reason I sanitize at least every other day is because, our dogs don't live in the kennels.They just sleep in them at night. Each dog has its own kennel and does not switch kennels. Since they don't soil or dirty where they sleep, in my opinion, its a waste to sanitize everyday...However, I do not go past every other day without santizing and using Odoban for odor control...JMO
For sanitizing, I use bleach at least every other day......For odor control, I use Odoban eucalyptus scent, sprayed on dry sanitized surface......I have my runs on cement and this works for me.......Thankfully my dogs do not soil their runs during the night...I make it a point to let them out the last thing I do before bedtime, and the first thing in the morning..Not very often do they have accidents. Guess I am fortunate for that....I can't help with your other questions as I really don't have any diggers.....or wooden wall or doors that could get urine on them.....
Edited by nonacona60 to add:
The reason I sanitize at least every other day is because, our dogs don't live in the kennels.They just sleep in them at night. Each dog has its own kennel and does not switch kennels. Since they don't soil or dirty where they sleep, in my opinion, its a waste to sanitize everyday...However, I do not go past every other day without santizing and using Odoban for odor control...JMO
by Beardog on 18 September 2010 - 18:09
Every day
Wash, rinse, and sanitize ( 1 capful of bleach to 1 gallon of tepid-cold water) bleach expedites the drying process and is not strong enough to irritate. I allow kennels to dry before the dogs go back in on Kuranda beds or stall mats.
This is the same procedure that is used to clean dishes in restaurants that hand-wash.
The sanitizer does not kill if it does not have adequate contact time with the surface.
Wash, rinse, and sanitize ( 1 capful of bleach to 1 gallon of tepid-cold water) bleach expedites the drying process and is not strong enough to irritate. I allow kennels to dry before the dogs go back in on Kuranda beds or stall mats.
This is the same procedure that is used to clean dishes in restaurants that hand-wash.
The sanitizer does not kill if it does not have adequate contact time with the surface.
by Sunsilver on 18 September 2010 - 19:09
Tuff, what is Kliz? I am not familiar with that product. Also, will exterior grade paint be harmful to dogs that chew on wood?
I don't use the sliding doors unless I have a dog that is aggressive and difficult to handle. I run the dogs in and out, and they learn the routine very quickly. Well, MOST of them do! Then there's the fox terrier that cost the owner $1,000 in training...and the dog STILL won't come when called! She has two terriers, both of them littermates, and I swear they're both retarded!
The wood surfaces are all painted and sealed. That's required by the building code for kennels. However, that doesn't stop urine from soaking into the cut ends of the boards that form the frame for the doors, and also into the bottom of the doors. I have sprayed the door and frame with a strong stream of water from the hose, applied bleach and deodorizer, and even used a toothbrush to clean the groove inbetween the frame and the wall, and it STILL smells! So, I have purchased new wood, and am going to redo the frame and make a new door, if necessary. (First thing I'll try is to cut a strip off the bottom of the old door where the urine has stained it, and see if that works.)
Given the Canadian climate, I'd really like to do away with the guilluotine doors completely. A number of them have been sealed up by the former owner. The door I'm having problems getting the smell out of is one. If it hadn't been sealed, I would have been able to clean around it more effectively while the rotten little pisser was still here.
I tell ya, I'm really developing a dislike for Jack Russell terrors...er, terriers!
I don't use the sliding doors unless I have a dog that is aggressive and difficult to handle. I run the dogs in and out, and they learn the routine very quickly. Well, MOST of them do! Then there's the fox terrier that cost the owner $1,000 in training...and the dog STILL won't come when called! She has two terriers, both of them littermates, and I swear they're both retarded!
The wood surfaces are all painted and sealed. That's required by the building code for kennels. However, that doesn't stop urine from soaking into the cut ends of the boards that form the frame for the doors, and also into the bottom of the doors. I have sprayed the door and frame with a strong stream of water from the hose, applied bleach and deodorizer, and even used a toothbrush to clean the groove inbetween the frame and the wall, and it STILL smells! So, I have purchased new wood, and am going to redo the frame and make a new door, if necessary. (First thing I'll try is to cut a strip off the bottom of the old door where the urine has stained it, and see if that works.)
Given the Canadian climate, I'd really like to do away with the guilluotine doors completely. A number of them have been sealed up by the former owner. The door I'm having problems getting the smell out of is one. If it hadn't been sealed, I would have been able to clean around it more effectively while the rotten little pisser was still here.
I tell ya, I'm really developing a dislike for Jack Russell terrors...er, terriers!
by Doberdoodle on 18 September 2010 - 19:09
IMO the best sanitation routines will alternate which disinfectants you use, under the theory that certain bacteria/viruses can become resistant to one chemical. I do not like to use bleach-- it is a respiratory irritant to dogs and humans, and a skin irritant. However, it does a great job at killing germs, so you may want to use it because it's very cost effective!
I use KennelSol, it's the best cleaner and disinfectant I have ever tried, and I've tried many, it has a fresh mint scent. I use their odor remover, it's excellent if you don't mind a strong cherry smell, it has the enzymes to break down urine or odors. I also use Landrapet, their laundry detergent, and I swear it's the only thing where the bedding will come out not smelling bad out of the washer.http://alphatechpet.com/ I think Nature's miracle is a little too expensive and not concentrated enough, their odor remover is very concentrated. Petedge.com has their own brand of kennel cleaner that is good, I use that as well, Top Performance Disinfectant, several scents. I really like Odoban as well, but I do not think it's for killing canine-specific viruses. KennelSol will get rid of that smell in the wood I think.
I called about KennelSol to ask if it was safe for pets to come in contact with, and it is. So you can use it to sanitize pea gravel, although I would not recommend pea gravel for a kennel because it's too small-- a slightly larger rounded stone would be better. Less likely to stick in-between paw pads and be uncomfortable, and less likely to be eaten and swallowed by puppies. Vinegar works well to clean surfaces that are touching dogs or things they will lick, plus it's cheap.
I use KennelSol, it's the best cleaner and disinfectant I have ever tried, and I've tried many, it has a fresh mint scent. I use their odor remover, it's excellent if you don't mind a strong cherry smell, it has the enzymes to break down urine or odors. I also use Landrapet, their laundry detergent, and I swear it's the only thing where the bedding will come out not smelling bad out of the washer.http://alphatechpet.com/ I think Nature's miracle is a little too expensive and not concentrated enough, their odor remover is very concentrated. Petedge.com has their own brand of kennel cleaner that is good, I use that as well, Top Performance Disinfectant, several scents. I really like Odoban as well, but I do not think it's for killing canine-specific viruses. KennelSol will get rid of that smell in the wood I think.
I called about KennelSol to ask if it was safe for pets to come in contact with, and it is. So you can use it to sanitize pea gravel, although I would not recommend pea gravel for a kennel because it's too small-- a slightly larger rounded stone would be better. Less likely to stick in-between paw pads and be uncomfortable, and less likely to be eaten and swallowed by puppies. Vinegar works well to clean surfaces that are touching dogs or things they will lick, plus it's cheap.
by nonacona60 on 18 September 2010 - 20:09
Doberdoodle,
I use Odoban only for odor control...I don't think it is all that effective for canine-specific viruses. I would not advise anyone to rely on odoban for that.. But it sure works wonders on odor control....
I use Odoban only for odor control...I don't think it is all that effective for canine-specific viruses. I would not advise anyone to rely on odoban for that.. But it sure works wonders on odor control....
by VonIsengard on 18 September 2010 - 23:09
Sunsilver, you can get one of those liquid sprayer attachments for your hose (like for miracle-gro) and just put a bleach solution in it for spraying your pea gravel. Let it sit for 30 min, then thoroughly rinse it with water.
Dober is right about the pea gravel and puppies, I had a little male eat a TON of pea gravel once! Poor little guy was passing them 20-30 at a time and I was scared witless, and not amused by the jokes that his name should be Rocky-Poo.
Dober is right about the pea gravel and puppies, I had a little male eat a TON of pea gravel once! Poor little guy was passing them 20-30 at a time and I was scared witless, and not amused by the jokes that his name should be Rocky-Poo.
by windwalker18 on 19 September 2010 - 03:09
Back in the day when I had kennels I had peastone gravel down, with bankrun gravel beneath that, wire beneath that. Once or twice a year we shoveled the peastone up, washed it with bleach and a screen, and let it set for 2 days to be washed down two more times with fresh water, then sit to dry. The bankrun was raked up and mixed with a fertalizer called Sodium Borate... (Salt and Borax) the runs were washed down, sit over night, then turned, washed down again... then the peastone was returned to the top and the whole thing washed down again. Daily clean up was shoveling the poo and any touching peagravel into a bin where it could be washed down and used as fill in a low area of my property. The sodium would crack the paracite eggs and the borate killed it. Peastone was better on the dog's feet than concrete, but a LOT more up keep. @ the Vet's where I worked we had a power washer. The runs were sealed as well.
by mobjack on 19 September 2010 - 03:09
Sunsilver,
A suggestion for the wooden door, cover it with metal. You can get a sheet and have a shop cut and brake it for you to wrap around the door. Maybe a foot or so on the outside, go under the bottom and back up a couple feet on the inside and just screw it into place. Thin gauge coil stock or galvanized sheet metal will work and it's a fairly cheap permanent solution. They could brake up a couple pieces to go on the sides too. You could also cover the frame with thin coil stock pretty easy before you replace it.
A suggestion for the wooden door, cover it with metal. You can get a sheet and have a shop cut and brake it for you to wrap around the door. Maybe a foot or so on the outside, go under the bottom and back up a couple feet on the inside and just screw it into place. Thin gauge coil stock or galvanized sheet metal will work and it's a fairly cheap permanent solution. They could brake up a couple pieces to go on the sides too. You could also cover the frame with thin coil stock pretty easy before you replace it.
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