Kennel Design - Page 1

We are planning to build 4 indoor/outdoor kennels for our GSD's.

I've seen many 4x4 inside and 8x4 outside, but i'm not sold on this, seems a bit short.

If you could build, what size would you make yours?

SitasMom, I am in the process of planning a 4 dog indoor/outdoor setup myself. I will be building my structure 20x20. 10' run and 4x4 kennel w/ 6x 20 foot room in the back. I am going with the 4x4 kennel as it will be heavily insulated and my dogs bodyheat will help keep it warm inside.  I am still in the planning phases but, I will be getting started on construction as soon as I get home. If you come up with any brilliant ideas let me know and Ill do likewise. ;0)

Something along these lines but, bigger.

4 feet just does not seem to be large enough for a kennel.  If I was building my own, I would have that width increased to 5 feet.  Just a thought.

mntman - That is a cool looking Kennel.  What company is that through?

mtnman, I love this idea, its beautiful. I like the idea of solid walls for the indoor area, it may cut down on noise.

In Texas, we must guard against heat much more then cold. We equipped our garage with heat and air conditioning and plan to use part of one of the bays for the indoor portion of the kennel. The outdoor portion will be partially covered to protect from direct sunlight.

I will have to check city, county, state and federal regulations for compliance prior to start of construction.

Does anyone know the federal space requirements off hand?

 

I have some kennels that are 4x4 inside and 12x4 outside. If I could make one change, I'd make them wider. The 4' width is adequate and an efficient use of the space, but if they when the dogs turn, they often brush their tails against the fencing--for some dogs, this leads to a choppy looking tail. Also, the dogs in these kennels are walked twice a day and seldom go to the bathroom in them. When they do potty in them, it can be a mess.

Christine

This looks pretty small - we have to build at least 86.11 sq ft ( 8 m² ) kennels for one dog, 107.64 sq ft ( 10 m² ) for two dogs - and I think, that´s still not perfect.
If I´d be in "kennel building" I´d build inside/outside kennels with an outside area from at least 129.17 sq ft ( 12 m² ) for each dog, a part of it with a roof, the outside floor partially with rubber mats on concret, the puppy area with grass in a 90 degree angle to the other kennel runs.

Most of you do have the luxury of a lot of acres, why not make use of it?

I have three 5 x 10 outside runs and I really like their size. Our female GSD is a VERY determined escape artist (she is weak nerved) - a 10 x 10 kennel gave her too much space to tantrum; she is much calmer in the smaller kennel. The five foot width is also wide enough to place a Kuranda bed anywhere in the kennel and the dog can still walk past it. Our kennel will be attached to an existing building but my husband hasn't finished the interior kennel area yet so I can't comment on the size.

"too much space to tantrum; she is much calmer in the smaller kennel"

I've never considered the psycological aspects of kennel sizes - very interesting.

Psycology?

• A too small kennel often is the trigger for spinning
• A too narrow run often is the trigger for running up and down, chasing the dog on the other side
• A too small kennel often is the trigger for dogs not caring where they poop...

Before building a kennel you have to consider a lot:

• How many dogs? While breeding sometimes there are more than expected
• Do the dogs I own change?
• Do I have the chance to separate them? Males don´t always "like" each other and a female in season is no fun ....
• Puppies? Any breeding planned? Whelping area, you need to be able to clean up and maybe fumigate the area
• Climate?
• Do I walk them on a regular basis? Do they have to poop into the kennel once in a while? Cleaning?
• Might there be a dog once in a while that doesn´t "like" you ? Good thing to be able to open/close the inside area from outside, so you are able to clean and feed without getting bitten
• Electricity and water

My own dog right now is lying in front of my feet - but it´s just one Times change...