Hound Heater plus for small dog house

[Novice123]

I live in MN where it was -30 F last winter. I want to heat my insulated dog house. I thought the Hound Heater plus with thermostat might solve that problem. My dog house is 24 inches X 36 inches floor with about a 2 ft. height. My concern is that the manual on the Gun Dog Supply site states that this product can be used for up to a 750 sq. ft dog house. My dog house is about 12-15 square feet. Have any of you used this product? Can I mount this inside my small dog house without the temperature getting too hot? A 50 degree F temperature inside the dog house would be fine. By the way, I am still trying to get a French Brittany pup. I had a wonderful pup, but returned it to the breeder within 3 days (sad!). Now we are fencing in our backyard and I figured out that I can put the dog house under our outside patio eave in the winter. I will also use cement pavers in the 10 ft. X 10 ft Preifert kennel for spring, summer and fall. The reason I returned the pup is that I didn't have a good plan for how to care for it. With some additional work on our yard and some additional thought, I believe I am close to solving some of these dog care issues. I am hopeful about getting a pup this spring. I haven't had a bird dog in 45 years, so I am no longer used to having a dog and also I need to find some solutions for my MN climate.

[cjhills]

Assuming you have a garage, why not put a small insulated dog house in the garage with dog door access to the outdoor Preifert kennel. Don't look to me like a very happy life for the pup. But that is another topic......Cj

[Novice123]

C.J., I didn't provide all the information to you. The 10 ft. X 10 ft. Preifert kennel would only be used in the spring, summer and fall to keep my dog out of the mud and facilitate clean up. In the spring, summer and fall seasons, we would let the dog out of the kennel to roam our large fenced in yard during the evenings. My wife is a gardener, so the kennel is to accommodate her wish for a nice yard. I would bring the dog into our basement family room in the late evenings and play with it and keep it inside at night in a wire crate. During the winter, the dog could be let out of the house in the morning and have access to our large yard and go into it's heated dog house under the patio eave. Gardening and yard plants are not an issue in the winter, so the dog can have the whole of the yard. Winter evenings i would take the dog for walks in the neighborhood and the dog would be inside the house in the evenings for me to socialize with it in our basement family room. Then I would the put the dog in it's wire crate in the basement when we are actually sleeping. I needed to find a way to not be a slave to my dog and yet not have the dog in a wire crate inside the house so much of the day as many others are forced to do. My wife doesn't want the dog upstairs or to make a mess of the yard during the gardening season, so there are many complicating factors!

[mm]

I have two of the hound heaters for about 5 years now. The ones I have , have a thermostat and I set it to a temp. that that the dogs seem ok with and leave it plugged in all winter. The dogs are in a kennel run attached to an unheated building. When they go in the dog door in their run there is a house for each dog that is about 4 x 4 and they go around a wall so they are away from the door. The hound heater is in there. I am please with the heaters. It goes below freezing here but does not get as cold as your area. For me they work good. I would say the coldest it gets here is 0 and that would be for short periods.
mm

[averageguy]

Novice, I have heavy gauge chain link kennels set on brushed sloped concrete. High pressure water hydrant next to the kennel for cleaning and watering dogs. There is peaked covered roof over the top and in the winter I place a solid wind break down the north side of the kennel, in the summer I zip tie shade screen on the east and south sides. There is a large metal outdoor bladed fan over the top attached to that roof covering the kennel. Also have an outlet on the wall for running a heated dog water bowl in the winter. I have best in class for design insulated dog houses (tunnel entrance with a second swinging door entrance into the nest box so no drafts are possible and the dog's body heat is trapped) set inside my 6 inch thick insulated wall machine shop which stays 40 degrees in 35 below zero F temps. My dogs are safe and secure when I am not around to supervise or work with them. At a minimum they get two times daily exercise free run exercise or training during the off season and many/most days spend hours inside the house with us as well. It meets and balances all the critical areas of owning and caring for a dog in my view and perhaps gives you some thoughts on how you can best approach your setup. I much prefer the setup I just shared vs a heat source inside my dog houses and have had healthy happy dogs for over 50 years using this approach.

[Novice123]

Everyone, when I had a German Shorthair long ago, that dog was never in the house. Now that I live in such a harsh climate, I want the dog inside in the evenings and also for socializing or just fun. My question is regarding what you and the dog do when it is in the house? Does a younger dog, want to tear up the coach cushions and such? I can't imagine that a younger dog is content to just sit at my feet and sleep the evening away. Please bear with my seemingly ridiculous questions. I big concern of mine is how to negotiate meeting my dog's needs and still being able to do other activities that I like. I am a very conscientious type and will want to take good care of my hunting companion.

[duckn66]

I use the hound heaters in my boxes. With the ability to set the temp it will be just fine. Mine don’t have that but the dogs love the warmth. When it’s cold out they don’t want to come out. Been using them for years. Safe with hay and all. No worries of Fire.

Make sure your roof and floor are extra insulated as that’s where most heat is lost. With a door on them you won’t need hay unless it’s just bitter cold. I also wrap mine with a heavy sleeping bag on outside (my boxes are on outside of kennel). I like those when it’s really cold and the wind is howling. I think it helps some. Probably not needed but I like my dogs extra warm.

[cjhills]

Everyone, when I had a German Shorthair long ago, that dog was never in the house. Now that I live in such a harsh climate, I want the dog inside in the evenings and also for socializing or just fun. My question is regarding what you and the dog do when it is in the house? Does a younger dog, want to tear up the coach cushions and such? I can't imagine that a younger dog is content to just sit at my feet and sleep the evening away. Please bear with my seemingly ridiculous questions. I big concern of mine is how to negotiate meeting my dog's needs and still being able to do other activities that I like. I am a very conscientious type and will want to take good care of my hunting companion.

One thing, Dogs sleep 18 hour a day if they don't have anything else to do. When they are in the house they generally sleep. younger dogs will chew things they shouldn't given the opportunity. I do obedience training in the house when the dog is a puppy. Commands such as sit, down if you want that, here, heel and retrieving a dummy maybe in a hallway. Only five to ten minutes. Keep it fun.
My choice would be a kennel run with access to a building Preferably heated but if not a heated sleeping area. You could then let the dog run in the fenced yard when you were there or for training, play time and exercise and put him in the small run (6x8 or 10m would be plenty big preferably with a concrete floor) ,when you are doing other things or gone. I would keep him inside when I was gone. Eight hours in a small kennel or crate is no problem for an adult dog provided he gets enough exercise and mental stimulation. he will sleep when you are gone. Feel free to PM if you have questions..…..Cj

[shags]

Everyone, when I had a German Shorthair long ago, that dog was never in the house. Now that I live in such a harsh climate, I want the dog inside in the evenings and also for socializing or just fun. My question is regarding what you and the dog do when it is in the house? Does a younger dog, want to tear up the coach cushions and such? I can't imagine that a younger dog is content to just sit at my feet and sleep the evening away. Please bear with my seemingly ridiculous questions. I big concern of mine is how to negotiate meeting my dog's needs and still being able to do other activities that I like. I am a very conscientious type and will want to take good care of my hunting companion.

I don't think your questions are ridiculous at all; they are thoughtful.

Be aware that taking on a dog isn't simply adjusting your yard and house to accommodate it. It's more of an adjustment to your lifestyle.

IME young dogs do not sleep away the day in a kennel, then come in and sleep at your feet in the evening. They need some intense exercise in between. That generally means that you devote time after your long day at work to physical activity that you may or may not feel like doing.

Having a dog means you pretty much give up lots of weekends and holidays away. Not all of them, but a lot of them, unless you make arrangements for dog care. Those arrangements mean spontaneity goes down the drain.

In that same vein, even taking the dog along for outings takes new twists. Can't leave him crated in the car in the summer while you hit the diner for lunch, that sort of thing. Just last week at the local grocery store there was a car parked and running with AC on, and a note in the window telling that the dog inside was being monitored etc - but still several passersby gathered and wondered about calling the police or breaking the window.

Dogs zooming around the yard do things like scatter mulch, break hydrangea stems, and crush hostas. That means more work and perhaps hard feelings on the part of the gardener. Even the neatest kenneling looks like what it is, and might grate on someone who is particular about their yard.

Likewise, a dog in the house adds a bit more work - more vacuuming, maybe more floor cleaning, and wiping slobber drips of the front of the fridge.

Dogs require a change in budget. Decent food isn't cheap, and vet services can be costly. Training bird dogs means purchasing things or hiring a trainer. These might cut into discretionary spending that one might be used to as a non-dog person.

I hope you are able to figure out everything you need to comfortably and happily take on the dog of your dreams, and offer the above comments from experience. Good luck to you.

[Tenderfoot]

In regards to the hound heater, I have a k9 condo dog den that has a hound heater.

https://www.k-9kondo.com/all-new-dog-de ... -shipping/

I don’t live in such harsh conditions as most who have already posted but during winter -10 or -15 would be expected and with thermostat set at medium it’s toasty warm inside. So far I have been very pleased with that set up. Good luck