I know someone has already asked about kennels.

What I am looking for is things I should not over look, things you may not have done but wished you had done and any suggestions at all. What kind of heating you have used and materials etc.

Short summary of thoughts. :-)

One large building. kennel but with a spilt partition. Reason for one is I can heat, light, power, plumb one large building easier than 2. 2 seperate runs coming from this.

Water to the kennel and drains in the run. Concrete painted floors in runs and a toliet area. I thought about flap doors to the run with a full size door at the back.

I am moving in 2 weeks so plan to get it done right away.

I am not worried about costs ( gulp) as it is important they have a nice, warm, safe area when I am not at home during the day.

At present we have a small kennel in a run but I don't leave them out in it when it is wet or too cold as the wee beggers would play in the rain and not take cover. :-)

I walk them just before 9 am , and either hubby or I walk them at 12.30pm Hubby is in at 3pm

but would prefer them to have their own area that they can run around it any weather.

Any ideas would be greatly appricated.

Pam

Pam, I would only add a couple of points. Firstly, I wouldn't bother painting the concrete floor as it just requires lots more maintenance for no gain (it will soon get tatty and start lifting). Also, it's nice to have hot water plumbed in as well, as well as a light that comes on when dark and stays on all night. Worth adding some storage space for food sacks, washing up liquid etc, so you can keep everything you need down there to save traipsing up and down with bowls of food and stuff. You may well also find that it still gets wet in the runs when it's raining, especially when it's windy as well, so trying to keep them dry may not be possible.

Pam look at www.Cosykennel.co.uk

They are brilliant and incorporate a good floor too they are of a cleanable material and cool in summer and warm in winter very expensive though :( I was looking at them last week was very tempted but just a bit out of our price range at present.

We have galvanised stell doors on our kennels but tokeep them (huskies :rolleyes:) a bit warmer my lovely boyfriend put up clear acrilic (sp) it keeps the wind and rain out the runs, there are power points in the runs so they have a radio in there to listen to, 100 watt bulbs so it is bright in there which I change to a 40 watt pearl of a night so it does not blind them, they have slabs on the floor which have a thin layer of concrete over them, its toung and grooved on the out side so it looks like log cabins, :) they have shaveing about 6 inch thick to soak up poo and wee, and have patio chairs in there aloing with a bean bag, plastic dog baskets, foot balls. raised water dishes etc etc

Heidi

I am hoping to expecting to get two husky pups in April and am in the process of considering potential a kennel/run in the garden to keep the huskies occupied when I`m not in (and to avoid any confrontation with my cats) As you appear to be a devoted husky owner what sort of kennel run would you recommend. I wasn`t sure whether the weldmesh/timber runs I have seen would stand up to husky damage. What is your view.

i`m also not sure what size kennel/run I should be considering for two. They will not be housed outside overnight.

I`d appreciate any advice you could offer.

I`m off to get a good night sleep, i need to relocate my plants tomorrow to provide space to lay a concrete footing!

Thanks

Liz

Thanks everyone , I will look at all the offerings.

I am quite prepared to spend what it takes to get it right, as better do it right first time I think. ( I hope).

I have put a bit of money away.

Good point about hot and cold, a few years ago when we built our last house the plumber put a hot outside tap in by mistake, I thought it was a great idea and got him to add a cold. So from then on we always had both. (clever plumber).

Any thoughts on the heating or prefered methods. I was told about over head heat lamps than can be bought at champ shows but half the price at agricultural places. Any opinions??? off to look at cosy kennel..

Pam

Pam, you can get infra-red lamps for heating, or use those heating tubes as they are safe for outside use. But ask yourself if you really need heating, as it may well make you feel better, but make no difference to the dog :)

I know my springer sleeps out in the run whatever the weather even though the kennel area has heating. The other thing to remember, unless the kennel is extremely well insulated, you'll never bring the temperature up much anyway, maybe a few degrees at most.

As regards poo and wee, I've never had a problem as they've treated the kennel and run as they would your home, ie she never goes in it, therefore it doesn't need anything other than a quick wash down once in a while. After all, you don't dissinfect your carpet everyday and hose it down (least I don't anyway).

Thanks Dave,

My hubby was talking about fully insulating it, not sure if it 100% needs it but we thought we would.

It is daft really as mine love being outside also but we always worry don't we??

Pam

Mattie,

You are right they are excellent. The one I like is the double which is what my idea was Kind of. :-)

It is £3101 though.

The 2002 double model..

If you come across anything like this a little cheaper let me know and I will tell them you recommended them to me so you get a discount. :-)

PAm

A secure area for storing all your dog stuff is useful, instead or carrying it in and out all the time! If you're going to have water/heat & light, how about a small sink unit so that you can prepare & wash up bowls, and store them out there too?

Hi Val,

Thanks I was thinking about a sink and unit as it would mean grooming out there also, althought Hubby so talking about building or incorporating a workshop for me at the back of the garage.

Keep the ideas coming..

Val I will send you the picture I liked from The site as it was what I had in mind...

Pam

pam

if you send me your email I can send youpics of my kennels

Heidi

hugheszeus@aol.com

Heidi,

Thanks My addy is preidie@yahoo.com

Pam

Hi Pam, what about which way your going to site it? Check out the prevailing winds & I suppose it might be good over there to face them south?? My boarding ones are facing north to keep them cool. One of the best suggestions given to me was make them as long as I could cos then the dogs have the space to run up & down.
Christine, Spain.

Thanks Christine.
:-)
Think I will watch for this.

Pam

Different dogs like/need different kennels

My akita (9 months) cannot take the heat i.e whenever central heating is on in house or it is warm she wants to go out side as I result I have an unheated run and kennel and whenever she goes into boarding kennels I ask them to keep the heating off - no matter how cold it gets. She sleeps out all the time even when it dropped to -8 a few weeks ago. When I let her out she was as warm as toast (except for the tips of her ears)

My black lab pup (12 wks) sleeps out with her in the same kennel and run at the moment although I have extended the run to 9 foot and am in the process of building another kennel at the opposite end. I custom built my own kennels as I was originally only planning on getting one dog! However next time I would buy a purpose built one like the ones available at www.simply-summerhouses.co.uk.

With regards to bases mine are built on concrete slabs (think of a patio) with no visible gaps between them. Very easy to keep clean as bucket of disinfectent and brush then hose cleans it in about 5 mins. I wouldn't recommend any kind of shavings for dog waste as this can just breed germs - but that is my opinion.

I am fortunate to have sufficient space right outside my back door and behind my garage so storage is not a problem - plus I like to have the dogs nearby as I got them as pets not guard/working dogs and kenneling them away from the house doesn't seem right.

Tim

Tim

I use shaveings and I must say the runs are kept very clean, I change the shaveings twice a week and every day when I scoop the mess out I put a sprinkle of new shaveings, the runs have a lovely pine smell to them, twice weekly I brush out all the shaveing then disenfect the runs and jet wash them off, then stick a new thick layer down, the dogs love it on there for the amount of play fighting they do its acts as a good cushion ;)

I personnally don't like them as my lab was kept in shavings and had a horrible musty smell - you obviously take more care of yours! :)

I couldn't handle the hassel of shavings

Thanks Dogs.. :-)

Pam

Thanks Tim,

My new place is not restricted for space and I plan to have the kennel close to the house.

It is a bungalow and works well as it is very very wide and the land then is very deep so I though about positioning it behind my double garage , and the utilitly is the next room in the house with the door so would be perfect for me going in and out.

I am off to look a the site you mention..

Thanks very much for input

Pam

Pam
<My new palce>
Is that a misprint for place or palace :-D
Anne

Tim

Well Im at home all day with the huskies so I have got more chance to look after the mess ;)

Was your lab on shaveings when you got him as a pup?

Yep Lab was on shavings when she was a pup at the breeders

Tim

Hopefully both Anne.. :-)

Hi Pam, A few tips that I picked up:
How ever many dogs you plan to house - allow for another kennel/run. this means you will have a "spare" kennel just in case one needs seperating for some reason, or if in the future you buy another or have a puppy to keep.
Although a kennel with a central walkway is handy,to have runs off either side means that one will face South but the other will face North - not a good idea. I would have all the runs on the same side of the kennel. Have "pop" holes for the dogs to go in and out ( about 18" high and wide) which will keep the inside much dryer and one full size door for you to go in and out of. Have weldmesh/metal interior gats if poss. Wooden ones will rot/get chewed. A stable type door is very handy, you can keep the top shut in wet weather, or open in a heatwave.

If/When you concrete the floor, once the slab is down, lay 2"thick polysterne sheets, with chicken wire on top so that the final screed on top of that has something to cling to. This makes the floor a little warmer. Make sure there is a slight slope in the screed, and a slight slope in the runs too to a half pipe gutter and soak away pit at the end.
I have lidded sleeping boxes with a 4-6" lip at the bottom front, lined with vet bed will be very cosy and you will not need to heat the kennels except for puppies. They are made from stirling board with several coats of yacht varnish which are scrubbable. The "lid" is hinged halfway along the length so in warm weather and for cleaning you can flip the front bit of the lid back. Unless they are clipped very short will be plenty warm enough as long as the sleeping boxes are not too big.

Mine only have vet beds at night, in the day I "shake and hang" and put a generous bed of shavings in the sleeping boxes which will keep them dry and clean during the day. I dont put a deep bed of shavings on the floor as they just drag it outside but a generous sprinkle (so I just cant quite see the floor) they seldom poo/wee inside so its not a problem.

One thing I wish I had done was to have a generous overhang or partly covered run. If you intend to show quite a bit then I would cover the runs completely as if they regularly get wet it doesn't do their show coats much good. It also gives them shade in the summer, as my runs face south, which is great in the winter but can get baking hot in summer. It is also better security as the dogs will be harder to steal if they are completely enclosed. Thick chains and big padlock round the exterior gates. I have to hang a big blanket over one corner of the run to give them shade, which doesn't look quite as nice!! I planted a couple of buddlia bushes near the run which only take a couple of years to get high enough to give dappled shade and lots of butterflies.

My "spare" kennel space is where I keep the shavings, bowls etc up on a table. broom etc hanging high on nails, so there is nothing on the floor and it can be used for a dog in an emergency. You could have a sink and couple of kitchen units/wall cupboards to keep vet beds, grooming stuff, and its a good grooming surface with a bit or non slip matting. Folded cages can hang on the wall too.

If you are going to keep your feed in there I would invest in those wall hanging containers that take a sack of food. The more you can hang on the wall the less floor space you lose.
Make the runs as big as you possibly can, mine are 12x10 per pair and the connecting gates are open so they have an area of 48x40, unless some one is in season, so they have plenty of room to run around and play. The runs in some commercial kennels are only 4 or 6 feet long, which is not nearly big enough imo.
I would definately insulate the roof of the building well, and the sides too if you can, or at least the North wall.

Thanks WL,
I hear so many people say " I wished I had done -----" So trying to do as much work and thought as possible.

My 2 just love being outside.

I am printing off all the posts for Hubby to read. :-)

Thanks

Pam

WL could you just explain what you mean by a soak away pit at the end? As many of you know I'm looking into these too not for Kassie (she's too much my baby;)) but for my next one- and I know that I'll be needing drainage but not sure where to lead it to? Having someone in to put *proper* drainage in is too expensive so I was thinking about some ideas such as a pit- where the rain, water etc could drain to and suitable materials to use for the job?:)

Stacey x x x

Hi Stacy, I dont really mean a pit sorry i wasn't that clear. You should dig a really big deep hole, about 6 foot square and deep and fill it full of stones. The surface water from rooves and slab should run into it so you dont get puddles or soggy ground. A builder would probably give you better advice as the size of the hole depends on the amount of surface water you expect. If you can fit guttering to the rooves and take it off to the house drainage so much the better. we dont have mains drains here so things are a bit different for us.

Thanks WL- I can fit guttering- no probs the thing worrying me was when I hose the run floor- where to lead that too:)

Stacey x x x

Hi all,

Quick update and thanks to all who offered advice, all taken on board, printed off and kept.

So far and hopefully should be going the right way.

I have had a shed company build a shed with top quality wood T & G 10x9 feet with a pent roof from front to back. !0 feet wide and 9 feet deep.

A stable door on either side of shed. 2 windows to front at the high bit so that we can have we holes cut in or flaps at bottom for dogs to run in and out of. ( this will be done when it arrives) Partitioning will also be done when it arrives.

My hubby is a joiner/carpenter but these companies have niche market buying and can do it far cheaper than us buying materials.

The shed on its own is £550. Thr runs will be added when it is in place and another company is going to do this so will up date. As we need to get the drainage sorted and planned first.

Sorry not been around, as you can gather I am moving etc, painting the new one and running between the 2 houses.. Move in on Saturday. Kennel should come on Friday.

Oh the fun...

BFN

Pam

PS forgot to add that my grooming room is being incorporated into the garage. It will be a room on it's on access from the back garden so sinks , tables etc will be in here.

Pam,
we had a kennel built like you are having, ours was 16 ft wide, 6 ft deep and split into four 6 X 4 kennels. I got a lot of panels from The Kennel Company, they delivered to me and do either the normal square mesh or bars. We got the latter as for the Danes it stops them jumpimg up! If you want the contact details mail me and I'll send them.
Good Luck with your move :D

Grace