Owning a dog is often considered enjoyable but challenging. Providing your dog with shelter is one of your responsibilities as a dog owner. However, if your furry friend loves the outdoors more than indoors, then it’s best that you build a dog house especially for your pet.
Many people have tried building their dogs’ houses, and the experience they get is quite enjoyable most of the time. If you’re planning to build a dog house for your pet, make sure that you have a dog house plan on-hand which you can get on the net for free or you can sketch it yourself. Next is the choice of wood, and cedar is always the best option according to builders and dog owners. Prepare your budget by paying your friendly hardware store a visit. You can come up with a rough estimate with the store manager’s help.
Before starting out, you need to consider these factors once you build a dog house for your pet.
Space and size
The space and size of your dog’s house will depend on its height and length. Always make allowances to the wood panels’ measurements so that the inside of the finished house will have enough room. The house should allow your dog to comfortably turn around while inside, lie down and stretch out.
Proper flooring and height
The standard practice is to raise the dog house at least 3 inches off the ground to avoid the flooring from getting wet when it rains/snows and to allow proper air flow underneath the dog house. To help protect the flooring from the inside, you can add a flap-type door to help keep your pet warm and dry, and to keep away the elements.
Proper insulation and ventilation
It is important that you consider these factors because poor insulation and ventilation can cause major damage to your dog’s health and its home. It is best that you use insulation pads all over your dog’s house to help keep it cool during summer and warm during winter. If you live in a cold region with harsh winters, then you must consider installing a dog house heater to keep your pet warm.
Easy clean-up
You can build a totally detachable roof or you can attach hinges on one side and onto the dog house so you can lift it during clean-up time. You may need to leave the rood lifted up for a couple of house after cleaning in order to remove possible odors and to disinfect naturally.
Location
You need to decide where to put your dog’s house. The direction of the wind and cold front should also be considered. The entry way of the dog house should not face the direction where these elements are coming from to protect your pet. Underneath the trees, within covered porches or backyard gardens are some of the places where dog owners put their dogs’ houses.
Once you build a dog house for your pet, you should use these guidelines to help you create an ideal living space for your pet while it’s outdoors. The challenges are does not only occur when you build a dog house, but on how you include all these factors in order to come up with a good house for your pet.