Building a Dog House

[Aggie007]

I searched and didn't find ANY threads on dog houses and I finally got around to building one, so I figured I would share even though its not much. Everybody is welcome to post pictures of theirs in this thread too. I have been researching cooling/heating, basically finding a way to mount a safe fan and small heater box. I haven't found a fan yet, looked at quite a few 6in bathroom vent fans that are quiet and move a good amount of air. For a heater I am just going to install a 40-60 watt ceramic bulb inside an 5-6in aluminum box, so that I can replace and remove from outside the dog house.

I live in southeast Texas, so its hot here. Pretty much have 11 months of summer and a few days of a winter The house is being built for two dogs, a GSP and a Brittany. I just bought my first house and have been doing a lot of upgrades (roof, siding, plumbing, etc) and fixing crap that was never done right, and being a do it yourselfer, I have a lot of left over supplies.

This dog house is pretty well over built. Framed out of 2x4's, and 1/2 CDX plywood floor and will have a 1/2 CDX plywood roof and siding, and a shingle roof to match the house.

This is about 3 hours of work:

[bobman]

not to rain on your parade but its too big the door isn't right and two dogs often wont share a doghouse so one will end up sitting out in the cold rain

I have a good set of plans if you are interested in taking another run at dog house construction

pm me your email address if you want them they are Jpeg files and have to be attached to a email I can't PM them to you

heaters will not be necessary with these plans.

[Greg Jennings]

Someone is a heck of a good frame carpenter!

[topher40]

I think your getting a bit overzealous. I use a 50 gallon plastic barrel and cut one end off. They dont chew it, easy to clean, and CHEAP. Havent ever had a dog that doesnt use 'em. Just a thought

[Dennmor]

topher40,
Nicely framed.
My dogs share one house just fine!
As far as type of house construction, we all do what we can.
Denn

[Dennmor]

Sorry topher40, I meant Aggie007... :roll:
Denn

[Triple R]

Nice dog house, I don't have any problem with my 2 gsp sharing the same house.

[Aggie007]

I definitely want it to be as nice as I can make it, but my skill and experience building is limited to small projects (hunting cabins etc). I was taught the "build it right, build it once" ideal, but I have all the materials already laying around so might as well put them to good use instead of letting them go to waste. I have a good size back yard for a suburb house, with good shade, just need a place for them to hang out when its cold and to get out of the rain when I am at work and they can't come inside.

I going to work on it when I get home from work today, then call it quits since I will be traveling for a while, so I won't have any updates for a week or so.

bobman,
Don't worry about raining on my parade, I am learning so I take criticism well, plus its my first dog house I've built. It will just make me a better dog house builder in the long run
My dogs shouldn't have a problem sharing the house, they share a dog mat (old papasan cushion) in the house all the time. My dad has three hunting dogs that share a dog house that is 3.5'x5' which used to be an old storage box, and I know a few other people that have multiple dogs that share a house as well.

As for the door, I just wanted as much ventilation as possible since its so hot here. I could easily make it smaller since I haven't put any paneling on it.

I would like you to explain further on what makes a good size door and why dogs won't share the same house since I have never built a dog house, just seen what a few other people have.

[bobman]

First let me apologize for being so blunt I didn't intend for it to sound like it does. I wrote it when I was busy doing my real job and was too hurried to word that like I should of.

In my kennel I used to try to pair dogs but found over the years that in the most unexpected times the dominant dog will for whatever reason unknown to us not let the submissive dog in the doghouse ( who knows why?) . I did observe it was more likely to happen if the dominant dog entered the house first and these dogs were litter mates that had been raised together not strangers.

I got tired of that routine and decided to make sure they all had their own shelter

The ideal door to a dog house should be offset to block wind in cold weather and create a tunnel that flies will be reluctant to fly down into dring the summer so the dog has a place a "den" to retreat into. That space should also be small enough that the dogs body heat can keep it warm in winter. The roof should be removable for cleaning and inspection.


I have a set of plans from gun dog magazine in the the 80's I use with some mild modifications, I too built a few dog houses before I landed on this clasic design its a good one in any climate. The fact that the roof and the divider can be moved or removed allows a lot of flexibility.

For some darn reason I can't get the pictures to upload so heres a link to some http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=43953

[wems2371]

My two share a house too when they're kenneled. I wouldn't worry about the door size or alter it permanently. Here in my Iowa weather, it can easily be 90-95 degrees during the summer (like today). So I have big hinged doors, about your size, for air circulation. When fall and early winter set in, I close the doors, which have a much smaller cutout door in them. So if it was me, I wouldn't make the door hole any smaller, just make yourself a removable insulated door--because at least then you have options. Insulate the heck out of the stud walls and ceiling. You could also make or buy a flap/doggie door for the door to keep drafts out. Denise

As an edit: I forgot to add that your house looks like it's off to a great start. I would also be interested in Bobmans or anyone elses plans too. While my house will be good for many years yet, sometime it will need to be replaced, and there's always a better way to do something.

[bobman]

wems...Pm your email address and I'll send you them they are on jPeg files so they have to be sent via email

[Aggie007]

I recently got a PM about my dog house and realized I never put any finished pictures of it. Well here they are.

[Dennmor]

Aggie007,

Nice digs!

dennmor

[MTO4Life]

I agree... nice place. I like how the dogs are doing their thing in the first picture!