Cold Weather Dog House - Page 1

I need recommendations for cold weather dog houses for the times the dogs will be outside in their kennels.  It would be GSD using them, 60 - 80lbs ish.  I like the idea of the aluminum skin dog houses, see link to example below.  The plastic warm weather houses ended up being giant chew toys, and I dont think I ever saw any of them go in it.

http://www.kjskennelssupplies.com/doghouses.html

I'm not sure how much space you have in your kennels but straw bale houses are very warm and safe. They are made from stacked bales of straw which cost about $9.00 a bale. For moisture, people cover them with a tarp that is anchored to the ground. Although I'm not sure that woukld be neccessary as the bales of straw are about 18" thick.

Just a thought.

We've made our own dog boxes with 1" foam insulation all the way around including the roof sandwiched between plywood and T1-11 with steel corners around all edges to prevent chewing. The flooring is 3/4" rubber horse stall mat cut to fit. Then we add straw/kennel plastic heating pad drilled to side or floor. It's held together with ss latches and comes apart in minutes to be moved/cleaned.

All houses on the market just weren't the size I wanted or the right insulation I preferred:-(

The one linked is the closest to what I would have wanted and would work for you in you add straw or a heating pad.

Our dogs don't live outside but I have everything set up in case we have an emergency and they have to go out in their kennels in the dead of winter! It's gets way below zero here, sometimes for weeks to well over a month.

We used these designs as a template & modified to fit our needs. We put straw in the sleeping area(change out as needed to keep dry). They work very well, keep the dogs warm & dry even in the coldest winters

http://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how_to_build_a_custom_insulated_dog_house

http://www.kwhumane.com/features/resources/building-a-doghouse/

Go to elites canine website they have some nice dog houses

My fiance has been quite busy lately, since he's having yet another surgery next week. He's trying to get my dog boxes/houses finished in my kennel so the dogs can be outside longer while I'm busy nursing him back to health.  Gonna be a joy. 

I'm a bit over the top (I know, you're all shocked) when it comes to dog houses, so mine all have 2x4 framed walls and actual rolled insulation in all the walls and in the lid. The walls are flooring-strength plywood. My boxes are way bigger than they need to be, but it made it not only easier to build, but we can now use the tops for storage. The extra length allows for an additional small "wind block" wall, though since they're already 10' under roof on a 3.5-sided building, there ought not to be much, if any, wind. But I would rather err on the side of smaller than larger for heat-retention, of course. 

Simon's (APBT) box is actually on top of another one, so he has the extra protection of being up higher with another dog under him and is not on the ground level at all. His box is also smaller. 

I'll go take a few pics of the boxes, but here is the outside to give you an idea of the front. You'd asked for pics in the other thread a while ago and I forgot to upload them. Now, in the back corner opposite where Pri is sitting, there is a hole leading to the insulated box. So, the dog in there will have the cozy inside box, the covered deck area, and the gravel yard to choose from. Gravel yard is about 25x22. Deck area is 10x6 if divided, but interior panels are removeable so I can have up to 4 individual runs or take them out and have 1 or 2 bigger ones (good for a litter of pups you don't want outside during rain, etc.)

Simon gets a window for more air circulation since he's at the end (and he's also the only one who could be trusted with a window!). There will be a gutter on the front, which is why the trim is done like it is. There was supposed to be an overhang, but the moron thief who framed it and did the roof screwed up before he ran off with $4k. So...we finished it ourselves. We're going to add gutters and then next summer, we're going to redo the roof w/overhang. Since this pic was taken, the area around the sides has been dug out and filled in with pea gravel and hostas, except for just in front of the kennels which have paver brick walkway. You can just see the edge of the entry door for humans into the back, insulated area of the building.

I'll get some interior box pics shortly. 

And, while it sits 3/4 empty most of the time, it's really nice to have in case of emergency. 

Very nice, Jen!

Thanks, Keith! I'm happy with it, mostly. Of course, we have ideas for "next time" if we move away and have to rebuild. Big stress relief knowing if I had to leave due to emergency, that someone could come and feed and they'd be ok over a weekend or whatever. 

Nice Jen, that looks real good. How are you liking the deck? I can handle it if the advice didn't work out for you ;-)

Ang

It's fine, Ang! The only problem we've had with the small spacing is really only a problem because the gravel we ordered for the puppy yard ended up being too small, so it gets in their paws and then they track it onto the deck and it plugs the gaps and prevents good draninage, but I only wash it every couple weeks or so since they have the yard. They don't potty on the deck.