How to Build a Doghouse

Every dog needs a little place to stay. I built a doghouse 12 years ago, when I was 8 years old, by myself. My dad is a general contractor, so I already had a little experience in building. It has not leaked a day since, and is actually comfortable enough for a person to stay there. Countless puppies have been born there, and several different dogs have lived in it. I will tell you how I made it, and hopefully you can build one yourself!

First, stake out your doghouse. How big do you need it? I built a 4 foot by 4 foot doghouse for my old lab. You’ll need some post-hole diggers and some 5 foot 4 by 4 posts. Put the first post in the ground, about a foot down. Then, at a 90 degree angle, measure out 4 feet and plant the second post in this spot, with the outside of the post being exactly at 4 feet. Continue doing this for the second and third post. Now you have the layout for your doghouse. If it is square, you can measure the distance between diagonal posts and the measurements will be the same.

Next, we need to make some walls. I recommend using half inch or three-quarter inch plywood. 2 walls need to be 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide. This is easily done, as plywood comes in sheets measuring 8 feet by 4 feet. Simply measure out half and cut it across. This will give you your side walls. You can go ahead and put these onto the sides of the doghouse, making sure that you utilize wood glue as well as nails. Now for the front and back of the doghouse, you will also need two four by four sections. However, there will be an angled section on top. Exactly two feet across from the wall (middle of the wall) make a point above the top. This will give you your angle for the roof. Next, draw two straight lines from the edge of the wall that are each the same angle up to the point. This will give you your roof’s shape. This will be one of the front or back walls. After this is cut out, simply use it as a stencil to cut the other side. Now, you can use a jigsaw on the front. You can use the jigsaw to cut a U-shaped door opening into the front. Make sure that it is at least 2 feet high so that your dog can actually get in. Now you can go ahead and secure the front and back walls to the doghouse.

Next, you have to measure from the point of the roof down to the top of one wall. Add 2 inches to this measurement. This will give you one side of your roof. The 2 inches will give an overhang to allow water to run instead of leaking down the inside of the wall. Now, cut two pieces that are this measurement by 5 feet. This will give you your two roof sections with overhang on the front, back, and on the sides. Secure these, making sure that they meet as closely on top as they can. After you have secured these sections, caulk the place where the two sections meet. This will keep water out of the crack, which could rot the wood. After this, you can caulk any other trouble spots all over the doghouse which you may notice.

After the doghouse is sealed, it is time for roofing. You can easily put a little tin on the roof and it will never leak. However, if you want it to look great, you can shingle it. A simple shingling pattern will work for this simple doghouse. If the kids want something to do, you can even paint the rest of it.

Now that your doghouse is done, you can fence it in. Also, don’t forget to put a little pine straw and hay in it to keep those puppies warm. Also noteworthy is that if you want a little extra security, put some concrete around the 4 by 4 posts to keep it from wobbling. Have fun making the doghouse!