Full Roof? Half Roof? No Roof?

[prairiefirepointers]

Going to put up new amenities for my 2 outside dogs and room for a couple more when I get my Unlce Sam money back. I have a small garage that is 20 feet deep and has an area adjacent to it that I want to pour concrete in and put up kennels.
It would be perfect for putting up four 5' X 10' pens.

My plan is to make a "lean to" roof coming off the garage covering the pens. I am going to have dog doors leading inside to a small 5' X 5' area for sleeping and feeding. I was wondering though, should the roof span the entire length of the pens? Surely having some sunlight its good? Maybe halfway with the roof overhang?

Your thoughts please.

[cjuve]

Where I live I would full roof it no matter what but depending on the climate and the way the building is facing it might not matter.

[prairiefirepointers]

I like half roof. Gives the dog some shade yet allows the sun to hit the concrete and rid mildew.

Yeah I think mid to 3/4 roof. I also want to run guttering around it and set up a rainwater collection system for watering the dogs. And, the small inexpensive celing fans above each run.

[prairiefirepointers]

yeah most likely. Not a motion sensor tho.. It'd be going off all the time.

One of my buddies said something about burrying a 55 gal drum for waste collection. Wouldn't it fill up rather quickly though?

[JMc]

Full roof...get the dogs out in the sun when you are working them.

[prairiefirepointers]

Full roof...get the dogs out in the sun when you are working them.

JMc,

That is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL gsp! WOW.

[nitrex]

One of my buddies said something about burrying a 55 gal drum for waste collection. Wouldn't it fill up rather quickly though?

The 55gal drum is used like a sewer tank (collect solids) on the systems I've seen. You will still need to put out a least one (1) leach line. I'll see if I can find the website that has some detailed plans and post it here.

Nitrex

[prairiefirepointers]

One of my buddies said something about burrying a 55 gal drum for waste collection. Wouldn't it fill up rather quickly though?

The 55gal drum is used like a sewer tank (collect solids) on the systems I've seen. You will still need to put out a least one (1) leach line. I'll see if I can find the website that has some detailed plans and post it here.

Nitrex

Fantastic! Thanks. So the "leach line" is like a latteral line on a septic system?

[Coveyrise64]

One of my buddies said something about burrying a 55 gal drum for waste collection. Wouldn't it fill up rather quickly though?

The 55gal drum is used like a sewer tank (collect solids) on the systems I've seen. You will still need to put out a least one (1) leach line. I'll see if I can find the website that has some detailed plans and post it here.

Nitrex

Fantastic! Thanks. So the "leach line" is like a latteral line on a septic system?

Fifty-five gallon drum is to small if you plan on using it for more than one dog. You'd be cleaning it pretty often. If your going to that much trouble I'd buy one of those poly septic tanks and depending on how well the soil perks I'd put in more than one lateral line. Nothing worse than a non-working septic system. Also, you don't want any rain run-off trapping into your septic.

Coveyrise64

[windswept]

What direction will the kennels face? Mine face south and I have a full roof over them and I get enough sunshine on the kennels. The full roof is nice. Keeps the kennels pretty dry and I don't have to shovel snow very often.

[TAK]

I don't have any science to back it up, but do have a old dog guy that told me once that them dogs need that sun. Something or another about the vitimans? But anyway he went on to say, a friend of his had a nice bitch that had good numbers of pups, good ones too. When he built a kennel and pretty much blocked out the sun, she slowed down production...
Again no science to it, but I do trust what this guy talks about.

[prairiefirepointers]

The kennels will face South.

Yeah, I think I'll go with about 6' of overhang on 10 ft kennels. I think that's a happy medium. My gut tells me not to completely cover them. Idunno, no science to that either, just a hunch.

Covey- Thanks. Where would I procure such a poly tank? and what size? There will be 2 dogs but I'm putting in 4 runs. Might as well plan for capacity. I only plan on doing this project once at this location.

Jess

[Coveyrise64]

I don't have any science to back it up, but do have a old dog guy that told me once that them dogs need that sun. Something or another about the vitimans? But anyway he went on to say, a friend of his had a nice bitch that had good numbers of pups, good ones too. When he built a kennel and pretty much blocked out the sun, she slowed down production...
Again no science to it, but I do trust what this guy talks about.

Vitaman D.....

Coveyrise64

[Coveyrise64]

The kennels will face South.

Yeah, I think I'll go with about 6' of overhang on 10 ft kennels. I think that's a happy medium. My gut tells me not to completely cover them. Idunno, no science to that either, just a hunch.

Covey- Thanks. Where would I procure such a poly tank? and what size? There will be 2 dogs but I'm putting in 4 runs. Might as well plan for capacity. I only plan on doing this project once at this location.

Jess

Here is one place but I know I've seen them when driving down the road, maybe Lowe's, Home Depot, Orchlens, or someplace like that might have them. There will be an inlet and an outlet, make sure you set in position properly.

http://www.tank-depot.com/

Coveyrise64

[prairiefirepointers]

Thanks.. That solved one problem. I was wondering where I was going to find a barrel plumbed for dispensing collected rainwater. They have many to choose from. I particularlly like the 55 gal woodgrain flat backed barrels.

I don't know if I'm going to go to all the trouble to plumb it for sewer or not. I don't plan on staying here. We'll probably turn this house into a guest house when we find an acceptable place in the country. With 2 CSA's in a town of 500, guest house's and B & B's are in high demand. I'm tired of having to drive 10 miles to my ground outside of town to train... augh.. why can't I win the lottery. :roll:

[Coveyrise64]

Thanks.. That solved one problem. I was wondering where I was going to find a barrel plumbed for dispensing collected rainwater. They have many to choose from. I particularlly like the 55 gal woodgrain flat backed barrels.

I don't know if I'm going to go to all the trouble to plumb it for sewer or not. I don't plan on staying here. We'll probably turn this house into a guest house when we find an acceptable place in the country. With 2 CSA's in a town of 500, guest house's and B & B's are in high demand. I'm tired of having to drive 10 miles to my ground outside of town to train... augh.. why can't I win the lottery. :roll:

An awful lot of scooping if you don't do something. Another option is a septic tank and a lagoon. I've seen several of these on houses around KS. Probably cheaper than putting in multiple lateral lines, especially if the soil doesn't perk well.

Coveyrise64

[Ricky Ticky Shorthairs]

Full roof...get the dogs out in the sun when you are working them.

JMc,

That is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL gsp! WOW.

+1. What's he out of?

Doug

[JMc]

Thanks Doug...I sent you a PM to keep from hijacking the post.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

PFP,
Living where you do I would build the full roof, here in the back woods of Pa, under the massive tree cover, we have tall kennels sides and no roof, sun is no problem back in these mountain woods.
RGD/Dave

[ymepointer]

I just watched a traiing video Bob Welhe did in 1989, he had some really wildly designed kennels one at his alabama facillity outside union springs used underground kennels(basically build a sloping roofed dog box, tarred it and burried it ouside the kennel run then built a tunnel sloping iup to the run, then build a low roof about 3 -4 feet long and about 3 foot high to cover the entrance so water would not get into the underground kennel. Anyway just thhought I would chime in and say don't be afraid to think outside the box on this one.

[kbshorthairs]

No science, but even with a full roof, the dogs will get plenty of sun. Roof above will only block most of the sun while it is overhead. Lots of sun will get in when it is rising and setting. I had a wise old guy advise me to build a full roof kennel with a walls on the north and west side, but open on the south and east. This allowed full sun as it was rising in the morning, but helped blocked the intense heat in the afternoons.
A nice breeze would blow through most of the time to help cool in the summer, but that bitter north wind was blocked in the winter. Just my .02.

[prairiefirepointers]

KBshort- Thanks. I think I've decided to go with a full roof. I've gleaned from several that even with full roof, they'll get plenty of sunlight. The stalls are going to have dog doors leading inside where it will be heated when cold and air conditioned when the heat is excessive. So a wind break is not really a factor. The runs outside will have a celing fan in each stall for plenty of air circulation. I think its going to be a nice setup.

I want to start on it NOW! Been waitin on mama's W2 so we can get filed. That way I know just how bonkers I can go with this project!

[ezzy333]

No science, but even with a full roof, the dogs will get plenty of sun. Roof above will only block most of the sun while it is overhead. Lots of sun will get in when it is rising and setting. I had a wise old guy advise me to build a full roof kennel with a walls on the north and west side, but open on the south and east. This allowed full sun as it was rising in the morning, but helped blocked the intense heat in the afternoons.
A nice breeze would blow through most of the time to help cool in the summer, but that bitter north wind was blocked in the winter. Just my .02.

The dogs don't need the sunlight but it is good as far as helping to keep the kennel sterilized. The sun everyone is talking about is for the kennel and not the dogs or at least should be.

Ezzy

[kbshorthairs]

Now Ezzy.......have you never seen those hairy dogs of yours lying in the sun? They love it!