Dog house plan - Page 1

Hi! I found a nice job in a big city. I would like to take my girl with me because there is a Schutzhund and Agility club and I will have time to go on training with her. There is a sea too wich means a lot of sand where she could run after the tourist season ends. I rented the first floor of a house and it was really difficult to find a place where people could bring their pets. In the yard there is a 3-5 meters 'dog yard' but there isn't a dog house in it. If I take the dog I would have to build a house for her. I've already went to few places here and looked for a nice dog house but didn't find what I was looking for. I think I have the ability to build a better dog house than those I've seen on the market(most of them don't have any isolation...). I have a friend who is willing to help me and if we have a plan we could build the house for a day or two. The dog is about 30kg at the moment. I don't know how big should actually be the house for her. For now the weather is fine(today it was 25C) and here it doesn't get that cold as it gets in my home town. I can't bring her inside for night or sth because the people who rent me those rooms live on the second floor of the house. I'm thinking of building sth like this(with a 'hallway' and a 'bedroom') http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~claypool/misc/dog-house/roof2.jpg . If you have other ideas please share. I don't think it should be something really expensive and difficult to build because we won't stay here forever :D .

Boltipo, when you wrote 'isolation' did you actually mean 'insulation', ie protection from extremes of temperature ?
If so, it may interest you to hear what we did with half a dozen bought-in dog house kennels: they were wooden, German made, of typical construction, a 4 foot high box measuring about 5 feet by three & a half, raisable roofs for cleaning access. There any many on the market of this kind.
'The lads' I worked with then took ply board and lined them out, including making a half-way barrier inside to make a smaller 'den' giving protection from any draught from the doorway. In between the kennel wall and the new inner wall, they sandwiched packs of that household honeycomb-style insulation material that comes as flat pieces. They ended up very snug !
I can't show you pictures or name the materials as I no longer have access.

http://www.ronhazelton.com/m/projects/how_to_build_a_custom_insulated_dog_house#steps

Impt you need an interior baffle as in this plan to protect from drafts. The old Goldbecker & Hart books on GSDs are a wonderful resource & had a good plan in it. Perhaps a board member can svan in a copy of the plan.

I also like the German kennels that areva combination of house and covered run.

Yes, the 'halfway barrier' I mentioned ^^^ was exactly like that, TIG, and as shown on the video of making the doghouse you've linked.
[Although I wouldn't have anybody make a doghouse for me that made such a ridiculous mess of measuring the actual dog in the first place as 'ronhazelton', LOL !]

Hi! We are almost ready with the dog house. I've ordered a door for it and we need to put isulation on the floor...or should I say under the floor :D. At the moment my girl is living with my grandfather. His house has a 'doggy door' and she could go outside almost whenever she wants. He told me that she choses to be outside even at night. The temperature at night could be below zero, but usually it's 5-6C. In the city where I am is warmer. She would sleep curled up in the garden. Maybe it's too hot for her in the house because my grandfather usually starts heating it in early October. My grandfather has two rescued dogs with short hair who prefer sleeping next to the fireplace. I come to see her every other day and this is not the easiest thing.
When the house is finally ready I need to teach her how to use it. When she had been chained in her previous owner's yard she must have had used some kind of a dog house(I hope she had some kind of shelter...) but that was 1 year ago. Since then she hasn't even seen a dog house... I don't think she would have a problem entering the house for treats :D but how could I show her that staying or sleeping in it isn't a bad idea?

If I understand correctly, this dog is going to be out in a small yard 24/7, never allowed in the house. The landlord lives upstairs and dogs aren't allowed. I guess you expect this dog to never bark or be a "problem". Doesn't sound like a good life for a dog to me, but then my dogs are considered part of the family.