How to Build a Dog House for Your Puppy
Stephanie Hetu
So you'd like to know how to build a dog house? Well, that means
we're talking to less than 50% of all dog owners. Why? Because
current survey information at OpinionTrone says most dog owners
(over 50%) allow their pets on the family couch. Furthermore, if
you allow your pet on the couch, chances are that you do not HAVE
a dog house!
But for those of you who do, there are really good things to
remember about how to build a dog house:
1. Any good how to build a dog house plan should begin by making
sure the house is big enough to accommodate your dog's ultimate
grown-up size. You would not like to live in a house whose
ceiling was below your head height--neither would your dog. Most
humans like about 2 feet of air above themselves in a room in
order to live without feelings of claustrophobia! That comfort
zone is about 1/3 of their standing height. Allow your pet the
same airiness. Figure out how tall it will stand as a mature pet
and make sure the ceiling of the dog house is 1/3 again taller!
2. Raise the house a few inches off the ground to allow air and
water to flow beneath. Ventilation is important for the health of
your dog and to dissuade pests from invading its home. A few
nickel-sized holes in the walls under the eaves should be
sufficient. 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 and windy outside. Any good plan for how to build a dog
house will have a house big enough so that a partial wall will
allow the dog to escape the elements. The dog can choose whether
to just sleep in the entry room or go around the inner archway
maze wall into the inner sanctum. Both areas could have bedding
or a pillow, such as one filled with cedar chips to discourage
fleas.
3. Make the floor just the littlest bit slanted toward the
doorway. Any good "how to build a dog house" plan will make
certain that any rain that does enter via the ventilation holes
or doorway automatically drains out. Make sure that the roof is
built at a slant, as well, for obvious run-off reasons. Do not
paint the inside of the house, but do make sure that the house is
well insulated.
4. Make sure the dog house faces away from the major storm
direction. In the U.S., most storms come from the south and west.
Not all, mind you, but most! So most how to build a dog house
plans will suggest that the ideal placement of a dog house door
is to the east. That way, even in the wintertime, the cold north
wind will not whip inclement weather into the dog's entryway.
5. Finally, almost all how to build a dog house plans will have
you put hinges on the roof of the house for easy cleaning. When
you clean the dog, you should clean its house and bedding--just
as faithfully as you would wish your pet to be to you!
Stephanie Hetu
Description: Stephanie is a dog lover and the editor of the Cute
Puppy Dog Newsletter. You can subscribe at
http://www.cutepuppydog.com/cutepuppydognewsletter.html (every
subscribers get 20 exclusive puppy pics, 2 dog screensavers and 3
dog ebooks).
Back to All Dog Training Info
Back to All Info About
Puppies & Puppy Care
Special Dog Breed
Specific Gift Items
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Try doing a search
