Tips on Building a Dog House
Take on the real estate attitude; build to suit. You want your dog to have room to grow and when you start to build the house, actually, before you start to build the house you will need to decide what size it needs to be for when they grow to be the biggest they are expected to be. Keep in mind also that if you build a dog house that is too big, this is okay, you would rather over estimate than under estimate. Also, the house is not just there to provide shade or warmth, it is there because they like to live in a house. So making sure that the house has plenty of room in it to make it their own is very important. The way to measure your dog for the house is to measure him in different positions. You will want to measure him when he is standing up, laying down stretched out or any other position he might be in. You will want your dog to have plenty of room to stretch and be comfortable but you also want to make sure that no matter what position the dog is in, they will be able to look out the door of the house. You will also want to make sure the door is not only tall enough, but wide enough as well. Another tip that will help you is to put yourself in your dogs position, how would you want your accommodations built? You do not have to get too fancy or anything remotely like that, I am basically just speaking about comfort and not feeling claustrophobic.
You will also want to build the dog house with about an 8 to 10 inch gap between the house and the ground. The house needs to have enough space underneath it so that wind and rain can pass down through it. When you are considering the ventilation system of the house, the best thing to do is make holes in the overhangs or make sure there is a small space all away around the house between the overhangs and the walls of the dog house. I do not recommend putting in too much space, but enough to allow free flowing air to go through. Also, think about the colder months where you live and is it cold enough to where the dog is going to need good shelter. If so, maybe installing a wall inside the dog house is in order, making it a two compartment dog house. This way, they have the option of taking more shelter for when it is really cold or just laying in the entry way where they are comfortably staying cool. Make sure you have built the foundation large enough to also accommodate some blankets or pillows.
One of the best ways to avoid rain in the dog house is to make it slanted forward a bit. One thing to avoid is painting the inside.
Usually, we when get storms, they tend to come from the west or southwest and so you will want to make sure the dog house faces another direction. Most dog professionals and breeders suggest that you face the dog house east.
Lastly, when you build the roof of the house, you might want to build it with hinges. This way, when you need to clean the dog house, it will be much easier for you to do it this way. The intervals in which you should clean the dog house are as often as you bathe your dog.
When your dog lives outside, he should have as comfortable of a shelter as possible.
