5 Great steps to Building a Dog House

INTRO:    Dogs are pack animals and YOU are their pack.  Dogs prefer to be with their packs, inside your home with you.  That will help keep them happy and feeling safe.  However, it’s nice to have a dog house in your yard when you are away during the day and the dog is outside.

5 Great Tips On Building A Dog House

1. You should begin your dog house building process by making sure the house is big enough to accommodate your animal’s potential adult size.   Humans enjoy having about 2 feet of air above us in a room in order to live without feeling claustrophobic. Your dog will probably also enjoy having that much room. The comfort zone for both humans and dogs is about 1/3 of their standing height.

Stand over the dog and measure the width
of the widest point of the animals shoulders

To figure out how much room the dog will need get out a tape measure and measure your dog.  Measure him standing straight up, sitting on his haunches and above all measure the full dimension of the dog when he is in the most comfortable, relaxed and stretched out position he can get into.

Your dog should be able to look out the front entrance while both standing up and sitting. So the dog will not have to significantly lower his front shoulders or scrape his belly make sure that entrance is high enough.

This shows a properly raised
dog house above ground with proper
entrance. 

2. Remember to raise the dog house several inches from the ground to allow air and water to flow underneath. To dissuade pests from invading the dog house and taking your dogs’ health into consideration remember how important ventilation is. Put in a few nickel-sized holes in the walls under the eaves.
should be able to turn and stretch easily inside the doghouse.   

                                                                                       

This has the proper ventilation holes but
the entrance is not high enough

Install a wind block inside the house so the dog can use the heat of its own body to warm up the area if it is really cold or windy outside. Consider adding a partial wall which will allow your dog to escape the bad weather.

2 separate entrances

Your animal can choose to just sleep in the entry room or go around the inner archway maze wall into the inner sanctum. Your beloved pet should  have a pillow or some sort of bedding to sleep on.

This shows a dog house with slanted
roof , a nice dog bed and is raised properly
above the ground.  

 3. To avoid rain coming into the dog house make the floor just a bit slanted toward the doorway and build the roof a little bit slanted, as well. Make sure the house is well insulated but you should not paint the inside.

A dog pool is also a great idea for the summer heat
as long as the dog can exit easily

4. In the United States most storms come from the south and west so make sure the dog house faces a different direction. Most dog house plans suggest that the dog house door faces EAST.    The cold air will not be able to whip through the entryway then.   

5. It is suggested that you put hinges on the roof of the dog house. This makes it easier for you to clean out your dog’s home. You should clean the inside of your dog’s house every other day . 

Have your dog bowls elevated above the floor
to keep pests away

This dog house lacks ventilation but
has a cooling and heater system.

    

 Remember, a dog should live inside your home with outdoor privileges, but if your dog does live outside, he/she deserves to have a comfortable place to sleep and get out of harsh weather. Hopefully these easy tips on building a dog house have helped you get started.

Links on how to build a dog house

http://www.lowes.com/cd_Build+a+Dog+House_1390258672829_ 

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/structures/how-to-build-a-simple-a-frame-doghouse

Inside living spaces for your dogs