Gun Dog Forum

I'm wanting to build a kennel at my home and was wondering how everyone built theirs. My plans so far are to build 4 or 5 runs with each run being 5 x 25 and I still debating on concrete or rock. What are the pro's and con's of the rock and concrete?

Thanks for the reply's in advance.

Brian

Concrete is nice but does not help toughen feet. You need maintance on gravel, as in keeping it raked level if they dig plus adding rock from time to time. Concrete is easy to clean and looks good. My personal kennel I have at my house is perfect IMO. Runs are 5x15, slight slant, level 3 ft sidewalk across the front, and a trough along the bottom side wide enough to slide a shovel thru. I have a permant metal roof that runs from the end of the sidewalk to cover half of the run, allowing the sun to hit part of it. I have doghouses in them made out of nonchew airline aluminum.

Concrete is the best way to go for many reasons.....Health is first and foremost.

Concrete will toughen up the feet if you leave a slight broom finish. It also makes it safer for the dogs and you when cleaning.

A slight 1/8 of an inch per foot slope will due. Use a 3500 lb mix. Depending on your location, the fiber mix will work fine, without wire.

Phil
REO

Dad and I poured concrete seveal years ago and we neither one would do it any other way given the opportunity.
One thig we were able to do though was we did it ourselves, otherwise it may have cost alot more, I'm thinking it was somewhere near $100 a yard delivered, and we have slightly over 4 yards, maybe closer to 4 1/2 yards.
It doesn't have to be a full 4" thick either, ours is on the edges, in the center it is a little shallower on ours, but we are only going to use it for dogs and we figured they weren't heavy enough and it woudln't get enough pressure on it to ever really break that apart.

how did you all pour that much did you have a mixer? Thats alot of bags of quick crete!

Lord no, that'd be several hundred bags of quickrete, or a whole lot of mixing by hand.
We had it all delivered by a concrete truck.
Originally when we had only one dog we poured a 10'x10' pad, then we got another dog and poured a 10'x10' pad joining onto the original. So then we had 2 5' x 20' kennels.
Then when we decided we'd have four dogs we went ahead and poured a 10' x 20' behind the two we had so together we have approx. a 20' x 20' pad with 4- 5' x 20' kennels.

Bird,

You are a bit higher than us for concrete. We just paid 68.00 a yard. Is there any other way to get it other than delivered!!!???

Thickness of the pad has to do with location, not weight on the pad, for kennels in this case. Keeping it from cracking & heaving in the cold etc. This is the first time I have used the poly fiber instead of wire reinforcement. Everyone swears by it out here though.

Brian

If you are planning on mixing it yourself, a 3000 lbs per inch mix is 3 shovels of stone/ 2 shovles of sand/ 1 shovel of cement, if memory serves that is!

Make sure to score the pad when you are finished.

Concrete is alot easier to clean too! Easier to disinfect and keeps nails short. I have had both at my last kennel....hardly put dogs in the stone runs unless I had to.

Peace of mind knowing the dogs couldnt dig out. I put cattle panels about 6 inches under the stone runs. We always had to have a few yards on hand for regrading as snips mentioned. THe ground will eventually saturate and smell will be a problem. We used a product for horse stalls (PDZ) to aid there. Bleaching is a problem, bleach and urine combined makes amonia.

just alittle more food for thought!

Phil
REO

Maybe it was somewhere closer to $80 a yard for the concrete.
Each time we poured a pad we also spread gravel underneath and I always went and got it in the back of my truck from the same yard that delivered the concrete and maybe that was included with the total bill.

It's been a few years since we poured any but I am thinking our first 10' x10' was just over $100.00 for the gravel under it (I spread the extra on the driveway) and also the concrete itself.

Each time i also rented a bull float from the concrete plant so i coudl float it and not have to buy a several hundred dollar item sto use a few times.

I was gonna say bird you are the man! I havent priced concrete around here yet but have heard its about 80-100 per yard! What is the formula for yards? I know its L x W and then you do the depth some how! Right?

Concrete, gravel, etc. is most often measured in *cubic* yards.

The formula for volume of rectangular prism is Length x Width x Height.

Measure in feet then divide by 27 to get cubic yards.

Best,

Just did a 7 ft by 30 ft run for my males. used this to caculate my concrete

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete ... ulator.htm

we also poured footings for my deck and a pad for the stairs. When you call then they will ask you the "bag" I used 6 bags per yard you can go higher, then they will ask you what slop or how wet, depending on where it comes from (which yard in the metro area) I order "wet" it will evaporate a little. Rent a float? na we have one used to do it a lot. Try to make the pad as even as possible to keep it from moving around, I also use a post hole digger to drill a few holes into the ground to keep the pad from moving over time since no footings were used.

Float it once then litly broom it do not leave it slippery.

My dogs do not defecate in this run tho. Might be a problem if I go out of town for a few days...

Well my Wife informed ( :tfrag: ) me today that the dog run needs to be poured, and right quick! Any other pointers before I call to order the concrete? Also thanks for the pointers so far especially the calculator. I will posts pics of the run as soon as it is done.

They can add a fiber to it now so you do not need rebar, some say it works great I did read where some said the fiberglass "worked its way" up? I doubt if it would happen. I used the 6 bag mix and used 2x4s to frame it up. Try to make the slab perfectly uniform, the bottom or top of the dirt should be level and smooth. You can use some pea gravel as un underlay for the cement.

Try tp slope it one way or the other so you can hose it down if needed. I also put 2x4s under the metal kennel but not all the way around, this allows water to drain and keeps the kennel from rusting etc.

Add an extra foot or so front and back 8 is better in case you add onto the kennel, mine is 30 ft long and 8 ft wide. I have 2 6x12 kennels back to back on the same slab. Put a cover over 6 ft only so the sun can aid in germ killing. I also go to the Baumgars or TSC and get a jug of cattle fly spray, it is usually pyrmoretian, spray around the kennel and any trees that hang over, (not while the dogs are in tho) this will keep flys, fleas and ticks down. It will kill a fly right off so it is powerful use all precautions.

Thats how I do it, hope it helps.

I don`t like the fiber, it can make their feet sore.

"Fiber is crap" when you broom it it will be on the top and sticking out "not good on the dogs feet". Wire mesh is the only thing that will keep a cracked slab from seperating. Lenght x Width x Depth in inches / 324. This fomula will tell you yards needed. I would recomend class C concrete this is 6.5 bag mix and will get to 4000 P.S.I. Around here it is 100 dollars a yard. The slump is the wetness factor I usually pour at a 5 inch slump because of the amount we are pouring but remember every gallon of water to a yard of concrete will reduce the P.S.I. strenght by 500 P.S.I. If I was pouring a kennel it would have at least 1.5 inches of fall every 10 feet.