Hi,
I was just wondering how you all go about obtaining your run's for your outdoor dogs? I'm moving to a bigger property soon and will be putting my youngest out for the night and if i go out. I would never have her out without a covered run to keep her safe from the elements etc. Can you buy them from anywhere cheaper than £450? The ones i've seen on the net are that or more and don't appear big enough for my girl. Alternatively if there was some sort of plan that i could download to follow as i built my own. Any ideas?

Might be worth trying to fine a second hand one? Maybe ebay or the free-ads. We got ours through my husbands work but when I bought one personally, it was over £300. I got it made specifically though.

Helen

I got mine from www.kingstown.net. They offer lots of options and were extremely helpful and obliging re delivery.

Try running a search as a while back I made the same enquiry and I think it was TIMB, that put me on to a great site the had integral kennel/run for £340

Great! thankyou so much
Caz xxx

All my dogs are outside in kennels, don't make the mistake of saving a few quid now by buying a wooden kennel and run, they will rot, get chewed up, smell and hold bacteria, there are some good galvanised runs with low maintenance kennels for sale in any of the Shooting magazines that will look the same in five years time, the same can't be said for a wooden one, I'm talking from experience!.

I've had wooden kennels for years with no problems with rotting and they certainly don't smell if you keep them clean. Yes, some dogs may chew but you can replace the chewed bits if necessary. I'd rather have my wooden ones than any other variety :)
Lara x

Thanks you two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like the asthetic appeal of the wooden kennls and runs, my bitch was brouht up in one. They appear more homely. I know the dog doesnt know the difference!
Unfortunately my husband is in the armed forces and we move home every four years minimum. Would i be best with the galvanised steel run? It seems easier to take down and re-assemble.
thanks
Caz xxx :-)

Lara, Its impossible to be ready with a hosepipe all day, dogs will tread in their own urine in the run then tread it back into the kennel the same will also apply to solids.Once this happens your kennnel will smell then your dogs will smell also.The other problem with wooden kennels is that most manufacturers make the roof too high this can lead to some dogs urinating inside. My kennels have a very low roof so my dogs have to go outside to do their business,also a lower roof means a warmer kennel.

Keep your dogs inside with YOU,their family,problem solved:) I'm sorry but it always just breaks my heart when i hear of OUTSIDE dogs,my question is,why have a dog when you dont want it's companionship? I just cant understand. I made sure when i got both my dogs that the breeders raised them in a family environment,i would never,ever get a dog that that had to live outside in a cage or run as they are called. I honestly dont want to cause trouble but i would for once just like to hear 1 plausable reason why owners want to seperate the dog from their pack. Is it coz they pee inside/take the time to housetrain,do they lose hair/groom them,are they too big,boisterous/take them to obedience or get smaller dogs, are they breeding STOCK/ put the animals interest before good breeding lines,points or trophies. These are just a few of the pathetic reasons i have heard for keeping dogs outside.
Like i said i would appreciate a few good reasons for locking dogs outside,it would really put my mind and heart at ease.

~christine~

Ozzie, I work and train Spaniels I can have a lot of dogs in for training and it would be impossible to have them in our house.I also have a pet/working Lurcher that spends the day in the house and is house trained, then he joins his friend a Cocker Spaniel in their Kennel at night.There is nothing wrong at all with keeping dogs in kennels I think you are being over sensitive!

I have a Rottie cross, lying at my feet at the moment. But I work 3 days a week. In the summer, I can work up to 12 hours a day. In the winter I finish when it gets dark. If I didnt have a kennel and run, my dog would be stuck inside for 12 hours with no way of me getting back to let her out. My kennel, is actually a 6'x4' shed, and the run is 7'x12' run, slabs layed, 3"x3" posts and chain link fencing attatched to the posts.The shed has been moved about 3 tuimes,(when I moved) and the slabs are second hand. The whole thing cost me about £80.(shed was a customers, slabs also) only thing I paid for was the chain link fence, limestone, sand OPC. Gemma is perfectlyt happy in there during the day, and at night/my days off she is with me and my children. There are alot of reasons why people keep there dogs in kennels. I used to work at a show kennels, she had 30 show dogs at the time(and 5 cross breds/working collies). There were about 8 in the house, the rest were in kennels. They were some of the nicest dogs I have ever met. I used to walk in to a run with 7 dogs running free together, 7 Malke irish Setters, nearly got knocked over every time LMAO
Lea :o))))

I have four adult Dogs and their bedroom is a double kennel. I first bought a kennel when I bred a litter so that the pups would have somewhere warm and dry to shelter and with a large outside run to play. Being a medium sized Northern breed after about 4 1/2 weeks they need to havew morte room than my kitchen can provide. As pups play and sleep in short bursts throughout the day, and with a large litter some are playing a Kennel and run are practical. They come into the kitchen for their meals and for socialisation, and we take them into the living room to watch TV and have a cuddle one at a time, so they learn how to be independant of the litter.

The adults spend all their days in the house only popping outside for a pee from 7.30am until after 11pm, when they take themselves off to bed, and when I go to bed myself I just close the Kennel pop holes.

Sleeping outside is healthirer for them and keeps them in good coat.

Anyone any suggestions for bedding in an outside kennel. Think I read straw/hay was more hygenic and also blankets could get damp through sweat.

I wouldn't advise straw or hay. They get damp, they harbour fleas (and worse), the bales may at some stage been in contact with rats or an unvaccinated farmdog, and dogs bedded on straw tend to smell musty and unpleasant. A thick layer of woodshavings is much more hygenic, and they can burrow into it too.
:)

I would have to say the same wood shavings much cleaner and dogs dont smell and they can make a nest in it so give plenty, hay/straw smells bad after a day or two and made my lot itch.

I don't like using any bedding that can be dragged or spread all over the place such as straw or shavings there are alot of quality beds on the market that are designed for kennels, look in any shooting magazine and you will find them.Kennel mate produce a bed that is very tough and almost chew proof, although some dogs will play with these and drag them about they can be washed.Most of my friends don't use bedding at all just boards.

Just boards how awful they need some thing to sleep on that is warm dry.

A number of my dogs refuse to sleep on anything else but raised boards!

I've found that Akitas will tear any fabric into 2inch pieces within 5 mins of having it. Beds are out of the question, chewed to bits. Bedding of any type is a waste of time in my house.
When we get another pup i will probably have him outside in a steel, low roofed run with a plastic kennel (saw some good ones in Pets at Home) and no bedding. Thanks for all your advice!
Now we just need to find a new boy! He will be filling the gap Kuma has left, but not there to replace him!
Thanks a lot
Carrie x

What plastic kennels were they? as I also have started to change over to plastic and Galvanised kennels, my kennels are guarnteed chew proof, come with a steel swing door that can be locked open or closed and come with a five year guarantee.

I use vetbed. Someone posted a link to a site that does wonderfully cheap vetbed. It is always dry, warm and easily washable and does well in a kennel. I too find it a little harsh that some dogs get no bedding at all. Despite being an advocate of kennels outside, I am soft enough to allow a comfy bed!

Mine have their plastic oval dog beds in the kennel with a wad of newspaper in the bottom topped off by half a Vetbed (30 x 40 inches) They can snuggle and keep warm on this in winter, but in summer tend to shove it up one side to use as a pillow! The paper absorbs any wet and condenstations so the bedding stays dry.

hi as like jackiecat i got mine from kingstown and i bought 6 x 2 mt panel which they lock and bolt together they are great for taking up and down as with my hubbys job we move a lot. These panels were taken up and down within 5 mins and i mean 5 mins ha ha. it costs 294 and with all others like feet and next day delivery it cost 384 so i thought that was great. one panel had a hole to place a kennel on and 1 full sized door. I have 2 huskies and another one on way and there is plenty of room with six panels...

Hi,

Yes that sounds like my Croft discovery panels I arrange these around our back door,great
for house training,I aso put them up inside my main dog run so puppies can see the other dogs without the fear of being jumped all over.They are also ideal if you have to isolate a dog for any reason.Again these panels just bolt together put together in 5 mins one of my panels has a gate in it.They are designed for constant outdoor use.I Have 4 ,6ft x 4ft
we didn't pay more than £300 we have used them so much I wouldn't be without them :-)

Briony :-)

Get my panels from the same place as my kennels they also can be bolted together in minutes they come with a full size door and opening for your kennel plus infills of galv or aluminum if required but they were cheaper than Croft.

I also got my panels from kingstown earlier in the year. I bought a huge roll of bedding from them also. Can't remember how many bits of bedding it amounted to but I have more than enough to put 2-3 bits in their beds, changing it everday and washing it.. The vet bed on a fast spin once removed from the w-machine drys very quickly and it washes at 90d no problem.

Pam

Have you got a phone number for them, or do they have a website please

http://www.kingstown.net/panels/runs.htm

Pam

You could also try www.hextonsltd.co.uk I found them very cheap and helpful

Britney I am sure you will find the people at Kingstown very helpful. They really were great in sorting out just what I needed, giving recommendations and arranging delivery for an appropriate time/day. I would use them again without hesitation.