kennel size - Page 1

hellow friends for GSD what is the exact and ideal size and map of the kennel, pls share here.

Through trial and error, I have learned a few very important things... 1. The kennel should GENTLY slope AWAY from the door where you will go in and out. 2. Automatic waterers are great, (I use "Lixit" faucets which screw directly onto the hose bib, and the dogs have fresh clean water on demand all the time.. no way they can walk in it, no way birds can bathe or poop in it and give them coccidia...) if you follow #1 above, and put the water faucet at the BACK of the kennel slope... this allows any excess water to drain right off the back, and not freeze on the concrete or make the whole kennel slippery. 3. I prefer good quality tarps for cover, rather than a solid roof, because dogs really do need sunlight to absorb nutrients from the sun that are very necessary for good health. Also, since birds will try to roost in rafters beneath a solid roof, and they are known to carry parasites harmful to dogs, I prefer a tarp. A tarp is removable for great weather, and therefore, it is a good idea to build the kennels to a size that will accomodate premanufactured tarps.. like 9X12, or 12x20, etc...mine were built on the metric system andNONE of the tarps fit them right :( Check out Northern Equipment, Home Depot, etc for tarp supplies. (If you build them 10x12, a 12x20 tarp will actually span two kennels.) I also like a pad or walkway of Cedar mulch/shavings around the outside perimeter of my kennels, which is a great natural flea and bug repellant, and it smells good too. These are just a few ideas that I think will improve the quality of the kennels and help you enjoy them more.

Those are all good ideas. Dogs do need sunlight, as the contact with their skin and hair helps to produce vitamin D, which they absord when they groom themselves. I like concrete as it is cool in the summer, and easy to sanitize. My previous kennel had wooden floors, which I prefer. But with that said, a wooden floor is more difficult to sanitize if a dog has been sick, so the next one will have both. Wooden floors for the shaded area of full shelter, and concrete floors for the exercise area. I always built the kennels so the front (gate side) faced due east, and the rear due west. Perhaps mere superstition on my part, but I always thought they should see the sunrise and the sunset. It also allows more sun exposure during the shorter days of the winter. I will soon build a new home, and a new kennel. The FINAL kennel that will be the best and last that I will ever build. Similar to the previous one it will be similar to a broad, low barn with individual stalls for good air circulation and privacy, and contain six (6) stalls (5'-0" x 16'-0" approximately) with six (6) small exercise runs (5'-0" x 10'-0" approximately) that are connected to two (2) larger exercise runs. Just for safety and the reduction of personal liability in the litigenous U.S.A. I always have two (2) secure boundaries around the dogs to prevent anyone who may pass near to have a finger or hand bitten should they stick it through the fence. Yes, people are DUMB and they will sue your butt off! My dogs all move around between the house and the kennel, so it is never full unless we are out of town and someone is caring for my dogs. You have to take that into consideration as well when you build the kennel, as you may need for an outsider to care for your dogs without being bitten. Curently I am living in a small house until we build the next one, so I just purchased the 10'-0" x 10'-0" kennels from Tractor Supply Company and joined them to make 10'-0" x 20'-0" pens that are covered with a tarp. Very temporary, to say the least, but they will be no trouble to remove and sell when we move. Bob-O