Puppy Care

Breeds of dogs all differ, just as owners Differ. Housing your dog depends on many factors, such as your lifestyle, your dog breed and the amount of room you have to spare.

For those who dont know me, my name is Sue Walton, and I am a professionaly accredited Dog trainer and coach. This article shares with you some of my top dog housing tips, but for my best secrets and heaps more info, you need to visit my site on dog training tips, which has a huge section on choosing and siting a great kennel/dog house. 

We can start with looking at which breed of dog you own. Housing your dog largely depends on its requirements to stay safe warm and dry.

Toy breeds, by the virtue of their petite size, make perfect house dogs. Many owners of pet breeds such as terriers, shitzu or maltese are happy all the time provided they are trained well!

These small dogs respond well to the home, providing they know their place inside! You’ll find a matt or a dog bed around the size of a cat bed will do for these small breeds.

Keeping them in shed or laundry may be ideal provided that your pet dog feels safe and it feels like it has a little area of its own. Dogs are, after all, well known for being territorial.

As for larger dogs, such as medum sized spaniels, boxers/terriers, you will find that having them inside becomes tedious and irritating. Not just for you the owner but for the dog too.

They relish the space that an outside environment provides them.

In addition, you need to think about the size and space you have for housing your dog.

If your garage is well aired, cosy and there is not to much clutter, it might be a great place for your dog to live, if however its full of gear and your dog has to live in a corner where it cannot make its own space, it will quickly become fustrated.

For those of us that live in areas like apartments and duplex houses (or attatched units) you have to be very cautious of how your dog will be exposed to the neighours. Many dogs dont take to kindly to being housed where other people can annoy them and irritate them.

Youve also got to think about what sort of breed requires what sort of housing.

Your breeder will have evaluated you before selling a dog, to see if your lifestyle suits that breed, however people often obtain dogs in other ways. Do plenty of research into your chosen breeds living requirements. A lazy bulldog will surely be happy with a corner of the yard and little space, but you try and keep a livly species like a retreiver in a small back yard, and you will drive the poor dog crazy. Working breeds are active and require room to run and spacious kennels.

If your in this situation, and have a yard space for your dog to be housed and run around in, please please please ensure that the fence you put up or have, is in good order and is secure. Consider that your dog should not get out, but also think if anything else can get into the area. Cats, other dogs and children are pretty handy at getting into places where they shouldnt be, and this can lead to obvious trouble!

Housing a your dog also has situational requirements. Think about your climate and where you are going to site the kennel. will your dog be cold? Windy? Directly sunny? Consider all these factors when siting a dog house in your yard or chosen space. Insulation on the kennels walls and floor might be needed in snow prone or frosty areas.

Obviously, in this scenario a wolfhound will be happier than a pointer, so apply common sense about the breed your dealing with. Pay attention to areas that get very hot, as this can affect the dog quickly.

Black paint on that kennel might suit your house, but will it cook your dog….? As far as purchasing a kennel goes nowadays there are great off the shelf items that suit many lifestyles and homes. Moulded polythene ones are popular but watch out if your dog is a chewer!

Avoid fibreglass kennels like the plague, as the glass can lead to pain and harm for your pet. Wood styles are great and look good too. If you can afford a nice wooden kennel, go for one!
My best dog housing tips, and some great examples of kennels and enclosure designs can be found at my dog resource page on housing your dog. Check it out, and the rest of my site www.dog-hobbyist.com