Kennel design - Page 1

Does anyone have any idea as to what they would want in their ideal indoor/outdoor kennel? Concrete floors? size for indoor kennels? Length of runs? Anyting like that. Thanks

you really want a indoor-outdoor kennel where the dogs can go in and out with weather and night and day. Where you can keep them inside if need to. Concrete pads are the best but can be rough on the paws. so you can put alot of hay down. generally you want the outside to be about 15-20 ft long 6-8ft tall and 10ft wide. the inside does not need to be that big it can be 10ft wide and 5-10ft long, 6-8 ft high. On the outside you should also have a overhang or at least a sun shade tarp to run the fullsize to keep the sunshine and heat to a minium

You read my mind. We are building a new kennel this spring. The sooner the better; I will be very interested in watching this thread! I'm planning indoor/outdoor runs, permanently covered outside. 6x8 indoor, solid walls 4.5 - 5' high, with grates over the walls to prevent "unofficial intra-kennel visits." Outdoor runs 8 x 20', slight grade, hopefully/eventually surfaced with nice pavers over base that affords excellent drainage channeled to seperate eptic & sand mound. 12 x 12' Food prep/bathing room. Equipt. storage room accessible from inside and out. Carport for trailer. Skylights, Heat/air cond., excellent lighting inside/out and on connecting walkways/drive, high pressure water line in the indoor and outdoor kennel areas, halfway up the wall, with quick-connects for short hose every 6-8 ft. and an infusion system for disinfectant. Separate whelping room (probably addded later...) on the end of the L-shaped building closest to the house, solid fencing between it and the rest of the kennels. We have half the materials and most of the site work done, held up by weather and, yes, $$. Not sure about the flooring inside yet. (That pesky $$ factor again) Would LIKE concrete with thick rubberized surfacing, possibly "pour-on," (no seams) non-porous, non-skid, but easy-to-clean. May have to make do with light-brush finished concrete and resting benches for awhile, but compared to the mess of thick shavings on too-rough garage concrete, that would be a blessing. BTW: Anybody want to lend me about $50-60K; no collateral, no interest, no questions asked? Didn't think so. :-D SS

Shelley, you could hire yourself out as a contract hit woman. Just five to six hits and you'd have a new kennel :-)~

I want to design and build a new kennel this summer too, if I have the money. Pole buildings are very easy and fairly cheap to construct, I've made my own horse stalls entirely by myself with NO help in the past-- a small 12 x 28 pole barn with two horse stalls. I also made a cute little goat barn, 12 x 10, designed to have a milking stantion as well as stalls, and also designed to be added onto in the future. After I was done, I found out that I was alergic to goats milk. Go figure. Figuring out the logistics of building a pole barn with a partial concrete floor, insulated walls and ceiling, electrical wiring, plumging, and an overhang over the runs is going to be a new experience.

Oh goodness. I am not certain I could do in anybody I didn't know personally. I can't even watch my hubby dress out a deer. I had a heart-to-heart with my dogs and puppies this morning before breakfast. They said they'd help pay for the FEED ROOM. Figures. Of course these are the same puppies that promised to wait till I let them out of their kennels and into the ex yard to do their business just last night... and you can guess how that worked out. I've considered the lottery, but am too cheap to spend the money for the tickets. That only leaves re-fi-ing the house and pulling out some equity. Guess I'm going to have to be reee-a-lly NICE to my hubby for awhile. (and I KNOW you know what THAT means... ;) Tough call. Maybe the apple pie in the oven will help? (dream on) SS

I just need to find a husband and a money tree and in Texas trees dont grow very fast......lol

Finding husbands is easy. I've had several. The money tree could be a problem, regardless of your climate. Also, the more money you have, the more husband-prospects seem to want to hang around. JMO ;) SS

Shelley, Your kennel sounds like everything one could want. How many runs are you planning? I've been planning one for a while and the Girlfriend is pushing me now, she wants one too. I think I am going to plan something small, only 8-10 runs. Indoor/outdoor, 8x8 indoor and 8x16 outdoor runs. Water and all other utilities, brushed concrete floors, etc. I am still unsure about the outdoor runs. Concrete or half concrete and half pea gravel.

It took me a lot of years and a lot of mistakes to come up with this plan. It'll take awhile to get it all built and finished too. I'm planning 12 runs to start with + the separate whelping/puppy kennel. This may be a completely separate building, given the terrain and layout of our property. Of course the whole project has to be planned in stages, unless I win the lottery or some distant relative I don't know I have dies off and leaves me a small fortune... One of the first things I want to install are the exercise runs: a series of concentric ovals, 6' fenced, graduating ever larger to the perimeter, so the dogs run in show-ring shaped ovals. Pups can go in the middle, under the trees & a shelter for shade in summer, shelter from rain/snow in winter. Double gates will open & close 2 ways so I can access inside rings without letting dogs together. (change pups out without removing the rest or letting them together. Surface will be decomposed granite, deep enough to allow some "give" but still packed hard enough beneath for good drainage. Eventually I would like to put rubber down, but the cost will be prohibitive for awhile. The granite is not dusty, sharp, and doesn't give so much that dogs are inclined to dig in it. It has a neutral scent, too, and is cheap! (unlike the stone I had to buy for the site) This time I will use a Bobcat loader to spread it. That wheelbarrow and shovel thing is OUT anymore. ;) The hardest part is keeping my hubby on tract for consistency of construction materials. He is a typical Dutchie, so tight he squueks when he walks, always prone to use what discarded materials he can get off one of his job sites for nothing instead of putting it in the dumpster. Its a constant battle around here to convince him that everything has to MATCH, and that aesthetics are just as important as functionality. I don't care how well-built it is... or how well he hides my crow bar and sledge hammers: If its ugly, I'll tear it out and make him do it over, RIGHT. (Crow bars are cheap. We npw have at least 7 now because when I don't like something and can't find one I just go buy another one. :))) Yes, I am a bitch... and PROUD OF IT! Time to go get something done. SS