Emerald Prince Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 With the arrival of a new puppy early next year i've decided i need to build a kennel, but have some questions i need to ask. My plan it to build a kennel that is made up of galvanized metal fencing which will measure 5wide x 15long x 6high will this be adequate enough for two dogs? The two dog won't be left in the kennel for any significant amount of time maybe a couple of hours at a time. Also what kind of flooring would be advisable? Concrete, Gravel, Rubber stable matting, concrete slabs.....? The kennel will be covered from the elements with a roof. The dogs will each have their own kennel/dog box. Any advice or help would be appreciated as this will be my first kennel. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 That should be large enough if they're left in there a fairly limited amount of time - I wouldn't want to leave them in a space like that if they weren't allowed time out to move around.I have and indoor/outdoor kennel for my non-cat-friendly dogs, with 10' inside and 20' outside, some runs with 1 dog and some with 2, and they still appreciate getting out and running around a couple of times a day. Covered is good! As for the flooring, most have pros and cons - the important things are that it can be cleaned easily, drains well and helps keep them in! I really like the idea of the rubber stable matting from a cleanliness and easy on their feet and legs point of view, but some/many Siberians would think it a marvelous chew toy. Concrete (which I have) is pretty easy to clean and disinfect and helps keep toenails worn down, but can be harder on feet and legs, should be slanted for drainage, and can still stay wet in damp weather. Patio block can be cheaper and have similar benefits as the concrete, as well as drain a little better because of the cracks between the blocks, but they tend to wear out/break faster and settle oddly. Both patio blocks and concrete tend to crack in cycles of freezing and thawing. Gravel drains well and can be easily rinsed with a hose, but it can be hard to remove poop and leave the rock - it's also easier on the feet and legs (more forgiving surface), but can be dug through if there isn't something like fencing underneath, to prevent digging out. The ideal dog house for me has been one with a flat, removable roof. The dogs love to lay on top of it, and we usually made them about 4' wide by 2' deep and I think 30" tall (on a 2 x 4 frame-bottom) - my ex could make a dog house from a single piece of plywood that way. Off-set the door to one side for less draft. In winter, I'd put logs of cedar chips in, and the dogs (sometimes one, sometimes 2 friendly dogs) would be very snug in it - and would smell wonderful! With the removable top, it was fairly easy to take out any wet or soiled cedar chips, and replace them with fresh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 I forgot to mention above - if you choose to use cement as flooring, make sure to put/have a little bit of texture put on it so that it isn't totally smooth. It will be a little harder to clean off, but a smooth finish is really slick, for dogs and humans, when it's wet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Prince Posted June 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 (edited) Gigi, Thanks for the informative infomation! Much appreciated! I've decided to change the kennel size to 10 x 20 x 6. I think im going to go with concrete slabs with Gavel around the outside of the kennel. The joints will be pointed with dryer cement. I may lay some kind of rubber flooring over the top but any sign of chewing and it will be removed. The dog houses i think im going to buy are these ones... do they look suitable? http://www.kennelstore.co.uk/shop/dog-cabins/heavy-duty-wooden/large-heavy-duty-wooden-cabin-174 I already have a water supply to hose the kennel out, dog bowls and a poop scoop and dog bins to store their food in. Is there anything else that would be good to have for the dogs? Edited June 17, 2012 by Emerald Prince Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 @Gigi - do you have any pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Gigi, Thanks for the informative infomation! Much appreciated! I've decided to change the kennel size to 10 x 20 x 6. I think im going to go with concrete slabs with Gavel around the outside of the kennel. The joints will be pointed with dryer cement. I may lay some kind of rubber flooring over the top but any sign of chewing and it will be removed. The dog houses i think im going to buy are these ones... do they look suitable? http://www.kennelstore.co.uk/shop/dog-cabins/heavy-duty-wooden/large-heavy-duty-wooden-cabin-174 I already have a water supply to hose the kennel out, dog bowls and a poop scoop and dog bins to store their food in. Is there anything else that would be good to have for the dogs? Those should be great - I like the metal edges - dog houses make such lovely chew-toys! I would suggest that for water, you buy a galvanized steel bucket and a clip to hang it - they tend to like to play in the water, which often causes spills. If you're going to leave the bins outside, make sure that they seal tight enough to keep bugs and moisture out. Otherwise, a bucket or some other way to dispose of poops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 @Gigi - do you have any pictures? Of the kennels/runs or of the dog houses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Of the kennels/runs or of the dog houses? Either / both / any would be good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Either / both / any would be good! I don't know if I still have any that show the dog houses - that was at my previous house, and the computer I had those pics on took a jolt of electricity from lightning, and I couldn't retrieve them, but here's a picture of my outside runs... and another of Trooper in his inside run - at the time, his kennel was at one of the ends, so has a wall, rather than another kennel panel. All the runs inside have pallets for the dogs to lay on (and chew, lol!), but only a few of the older dogs get beds, or they end up destroying them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskyMom09 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I currently have 5'x10'x6' pre-fabed kennels and it can be uncomfortable for 2 dogs to share that space for a given amount of time. I find that they are perfect containment units for single dogs. I did patio paver squares for most of the flooring and a 2' gravel space for potty drainage. Currently I'm still in the process of constructing my 10'x25' kennel runs that will house 2 dogs comfortably. The flooring will be total pea-gravel for optimal drainage and easy on the elbows and feet. Current In construction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I love HuskyMom09's new set up, but wouldn't personally recommend the type of kennel panels that both she and I have currently. I don't think that mine, anyway, have worn particularly well, especially where the boys have peed on them! You can't replace the bottom railing easily. If I could, I'd replace my kennels with chain link on steel poles, cut to size and pieced into a frame with L-brackets, so that pieces that rust out can be replaced, rather than having to replace whole panels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Gigi I love seeing photos of your 5 Star husky accommodation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Lani, that is a great set-up, a room with a view Like Gigi's pack, yours are very lucky - I'd move in quite happily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskyMom09 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Honestly my panels, the ones we bought new from Behlin still look brand new even at 5 years old. The other brand ones we found through friends and craigslist haven't faired as well but still do their job. The hardest thing has been cleaning the fluff that got stuck to them and then peed on. Really the only reason we are upgrading is just the direction we are moving with our pack. They deserve the extra room to move around when they have to be kenneled, even though with the new fence/extended yard is less and less. I will be posting a thread of the build as soon as we finish the kennel runs, to share start to finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Prince Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) Thank you for the pictures both of you! Edited June 18, 2012 by Emerald Prince Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskyMom09 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I have had 2 climb outs with the panels I have, a mesh 'lid' was quickly added....just got a roll of 6' metal mesh "horse fence" and made a top secured with industrial zip ties. No climb outs since, and the cattle panels under them have prevented dig outs, as you can see I'm using the same principle in the new kennels since it has worked so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Thanks for all the pics - it helps a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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