Hello all,

Thanks for the advice so far received on everything from a-z... works very well!

Anyway, I would like to at some point move my dog to an outside kennel but am unsure of the best way to get her used to it...

Also what benefits are there to this?

Also does anyone have any tips for getting rid of the dog smells in a house?

David

Why do you want o move your dog to the out side, they only way to get rid of those doggy smells is not have a dog :-D
failing that clean everything but the smell will soon come back.

Cordelia

Sorry probably not explain myslef . Think she would be happier outside with the run of the garden, most likely still let her sleep in the house...

Just wondered if there are benefits to this?

Not meaning to be nasty, but what makes you think she would be happier outside?
:)

For practical reasons, and their confort my dogs do actually sleep outside, but the rest of the time they are inside with me :D dogs are happiest being where you are. The back door is open all year round except in the most inclement weather, and yet the dogs only nip out for a pee, or to the back gate if someone comes to the door, other than that they are lying about somewhere in whichever room I am in.

sounds like there is no benefit to the dogs being outside..

I too have the door open pretty much all day...

maybe still get some out door kennel for her to rest in if she fancies it though...

My dogs are kennelled outside when I am out and overnight. They seem to like it although it is a close one with the duvet!

As to getting them used to being outside the advice I was given was gently gently, take your time over it. Put your dogs in the kennels for random times i.e 5 mins, 20 mins, 2 mins etc. This way they will get used to the idea. It should be no different to how you got your dogs used to being without you when you go outside.

There are lots of thoughts on the subject and you will get lots of opinons neither of which is wrong.

My opinion is that it surely is better for any animal to be in the fresh air as opposed to locked in doors. I would quite happily let mine sleep inside everynight, one on the bed and one on the bedroom floor, if they didn't get too hot and always ask to go out in the middle of the night! Come summer my akita doesn't like to be indoors at all and even in bad weather I will often find her asleep on the patio even if the back door is wide open.

Again in my opinion - a kennel is like a crate - it gives your dog somewhere that they can class as their own.

I have one dog that lives outside permanantly, and has done all his life. even on the coldest wettest days he will not come in. If it snows he will only then come as far as the doorway!!!! Also my female prefers to be outside most of the time even though i have always let her sleep on my bed, if given the option she sleeps outside. So i also have this dilema at the moment as we have 2 new pups and living in a mobile home, i will be training them to sleep outside in a kennel, so at the same time i will be training my girl to stay out also.

I found it helpful to feed mine in the kennel first of all. Just shut the door for a very short amount of time while they are eating. I found they would just settle down afterwards and soon became familiar with the environment. I totally agree it is just an extension of the cage and has always been very successful for us as it avoids having wet and muddy dogs in the house!

I find Febreze helpful with smells in the house.

I too was going to post this question, so I hope you don't mind me jumping in! What age do you suggest transfer to outside? We are due to pick up a lab pup in 4 weeks. We intend to keep her inside over the winter months and move her outside when it gets a bit milder, say March. Also any suggestions for cheap kennels with runs, (where to buy from). Had thought of converting a tool shed (sleeping area) and attaching a run. From those I have seen on the internet, they appear to be overpriced sheds with some modifications!

a friend of mine has used her shed as a kennel and attached a run, it looks great and a lot cheaper too :)

BigD

Firstly, I bought my kennel panels from www.kingstown.net. After much research I found them suitably priced and were most helpful regarding delivery, advice, etc and I would recommend them. We added the run to the front of an existing shed. We cut a hole in the front of the shed for them to enter and built an insulated box that my pups existing cage slipped into so she is warm and out of draughts, inside the shed and there is a platform for them to get onto about 18" off the floor that they sleep on too, on vet bed. We did consider insulating the whole shed but felt this wasn't really necessary as it was in a pretty sheltered area and certainly dry.

Secondly, where has your pup been kept at the breeders? Has she been in a kennel? If so I see no reason to get her used to being in the house before re-adjusting her to the kennel. I kept the pup in her cage in the conservatory for the first few nights and fed her in the kennel so she got used to it slowly and gradually adjusted the time she spent in there. Once I was sure she was OK overnight in the cage I moved the whole cage out into the kennel into an area we had boxed off (in a tunnel like fashion), and insulated but with a space round the outside for ventilation (8" gap around edge of cage). She never had a problem with the kennel in the winter, although I did. As much as I hated her being out there in all weather, when I used to get her out in the morning she was always snuggly and warm on the vet bed so it was definitely MY problem and not hers!

My springer sleeps in the house although spends time in the kennel when he has been out, is wet or muddy, etc and in the day too when we are out. The kennel has always been an extension of their cage.

Good luck.

Jackyjat

Thanks for your reply, I will look at the website you suggested when I have finished typing. The pups are outside in a kennel with mother at the moment. I think there is a heat lamp or something similar high up on the ceiling out of reach! I have the same thoughts as you on how to make a kennel and run. Thanks for the info

I have used 1 of my old Aviary twilweld panels to contrust 3 runs outside with kennels for my dogs. I had 2 18 ft long by 12ft wide blocks of aviaries with 16 and 19 guage wire to keep my macaws and other heavy duty destruction birds secure. Some of it had to be double wired so that they didn't get thru to each other which is really useful with the dogs as they can't get at the wood to chew it. I have used 3/4 marine ply to construct kennel blocks at the back of each run 1 is 3ft x 2ft x 3ft and all of my schips climb in there the other's are in blocks of 3 at 2ft x 2ft x 3ft at least 4 of them climb in 1 of these together, I kept the height low so they could get ontop if they wanted to. 3 sides and the roof are covered with insulation to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer along with corrigated metal sheets for weather proofing, all I need now is those clear plastic sheets for the rest leaving just the front open and keeping plenty of light in there, total cost including concrete base, 1 layer of bricks etc has been less than £300 and my dogs love it.

As it's finished so late in the season, the dogs won't be going in there overnight until next spring, bit of a habit with the birds 1st Sept was the latest we put them out to harden off for the winter regardless of age and previous circumstances.