How to make a dog house: diagrams, stages of work, photos of the most successful dog house models. How to make a doghouse with your own hands

Building a dog house with your own hands does not take half a day. The materials for the booth are simple and easy to use. A four-legged guard, like a full-fledged member of the family, needs a comfortable home. Skillfully selected materials and an unusual kennel design will decorate any area.

Kennel drawing

It is wise to choose a booth with a rectangle at the base and a flat pitched roof. There is no need to build partitions inside or complicate the design. Dogs don't need rooms, they care about comfort and sufficient quantity places to lie down in a way that makes them comfortable.

Traditionally, the roof is made folding or removable, so the owner gets the opportunity to produce aseptic processing and cleaning the booth without moving or turning it over.

The size of the dog’s home must be strictly proportional to the parameters of the animal. The width, height and other characteristics of the booth are calculated using the following formulas:

Height: must be more height animal by 5 cm. (Width = height);
Depth: animal length + 5 cm;
Exit height: 5 cm + height of the animal at the withers;
Exit width: 5 cm greater than chest width.

A drawing of a dog house is made on graph paper or plain paper, in which all the necessary measurements are recorded. Now it's time to select materials. The best solution would be to use wood coniferous trees– this building material is cheap, practical, and easy to work with even for a beginner.

List of building materials. Tools

It is better to prepare raw materials in advance. The tools we will need are self-tapping screws or nails, a hammer drill, hinges, and a stapler. Dry timber 10x5 and 10x10 cm, edged board 2.5 cm, eurolining, chipboard sheet, foam plastic, roofing felt, glassine, disinfecting impregnation: this is an approximate list of building materials.

For best result You can make your own list, indicating the exact quantity of each component. However, remember that any raw materials are taken with a reserve.

It is important to take care of the animal before work. Clean the boards to avoid splinters on the paws, and carry out impregnation only upon completion of construction, since unpleasant odors scare away animals, and the dog may not recognize the home as his own.

Shed roof

Your four-legged friend will appreciate the spacious area on top of his house, where he can bask in the sun to his heart's content. To do this, it is convenient to build pitched roofs, which, moreover, should be easily removed when you need to put things in order in the booth. You need to take care of the dog’s warmth already at this stage of design. The entrance to the house is placed in the corner on the side that is obviously wider, since with this arrangement the wind does not blow inside. The dog should be able to sleep in a place protected from the cold.

Stage 1. Assembling the bottom frame

A rectangular frame is made from 4x4 cm bars, the sides of which will be the length and width of the booth. Do this on a flat surface. Strengthen with self-tapping screws. Dog house frames large breeds assume the presence of 1-2 additional partitions. The stage is completed by covering the frame with boards.

Stage 2. Thermal insulation of the floor

The resulting structure is laid with the bars facing up. The glassine is attached inside with a stapler, and foam is placed on it between the bars. The last layer is another sheet of glassine laid on top of the insulation. Thickness thermal insulation material determined by the height of the bar. After these steps, the floor is filled with boards on which the dog will walk.

Stage 3. Construction of the kennel frame

We will need 4 load-bearing bars. To do this, use a 10x10cm beam. Of these, 2 are equal to the height of the kennel, and the remaining 2 are 8-11 cm longer than the first ones. These will be corner bars, so install them in the appropriate positions on the floor frame. Long bars are placed on one side and shorter bars on the other to form a roof slope in the future. With this design, additional bars will be needed in the center of each wall and on the sides of the exit.

Stage 4. Internal and external wall cladding

For plating outer surface booths use lining. Insulation from the inside is carried out according to the same principle as in stage 2. Only a plywood sheet or similar building material is attached to the top layer of glassine. When lining the interior, great care must be taken to ensure that there are no protruding nail heads to avoid wounds and injuries to the pet.

Stage 5. Shed roof

The first step is to build a frame from 4x4 cm bars, and put an OSB sheet on it. Then they put polystyrene foam, cover it with film, and fix it. In order to protect the walls of the booth from rain and form a kind of canopy over the exit, take a larger plywood sheet (about 15-20cm). You can use boards. Fasten the structure to the resulting frame. The roof is almost ready. Place the frame on the booth using hinges and perform fastenings. The surface is covered with a waterproof material; roofing felt is often used.

Stage 6. Exterior and interior decoration

The outside surface is treated with impregnation. Why this does not need to be done from the inside was discussed above. Ruberoid is strengthened at the bottom, its edges are bent slightly onto the walls. Then attach 2 bars, covering them with a primer mixture. The last step perform exit registration.

Final stage 7. Choosing a location for the booth

When installing a booth, choose an area from which the site is clearly visible. Your guard must keep a watchful eye on everything that happens. The place should be level, bright, preferably under a natural or artificial canopy. Choose a site close to your own home.

Gable roof

Many owners decorative dogs wondering: how to make a doghouse for a small dog. It is impractical to make a house for large breed dogs in this design, since cleaning becomes almost impossible, so this option is just suitable for small breeds.

Stage 1. Assembling the bottom frame and frame

They take 4 bars for the frame, drive another 4 bars into the corners according to the height of our booth. The frame is completed by connecting the vertical posts on top with four more bars. The supporting structure is reinforced with auxiliary commissures.

Stage 2. Construction of the roof

A gable roof requires the presence of a supporting system such as rafters. To better understand the complex design, be sure to look at the photo of the dog house at this stage of construction. By connecting two 5x5 cm bars at an angle of 40 °, we get the first rafter leg. One leg is attached to one end of the booth, the second, built according to the same principle, is attached to the other. The two gables are connected with a ridge girder (the beam should protrude 200mm on one side).

Stage 3. Sheathing

Similar to the booth with gable roof The outer cladding is carried out with clapboard, the bottom - with roofing felt. Use bars as supports if necessary.

Stage 4. Thermal insulation

Polystyrene foam is placed tightly on the first layer of glassine. Cover it with a second layer of glassine. The walls and floor of the house are covered with plywood sheets or chipboard.

Stage 5. Roof sheathing

To perform this work, the roof must be removed. The inside is traditionally covered with plywood, turned the opposite side, and glassine is attached on top of the plywood. Thermal insulation of the roof is carried out according to a familiar scheme. They decorate the roof ridge and drill holes for nails in the gables. Now the roof can be easily and quickly put back on and removed for cleaning.

Warm comfortable booth with vestibule

The design of such a house is represented by two components: the dog’s home itself and the vestibule - the part designed to isolate it from the wind. The kennel looks very decorative, and the dog has the opportunity to hide from the rain not only in its sleeping place, but also outside.

The main difference between building a kennel with a vestibule and a conventional one is the presence of a special partition between the vestibule and the kennel itself. The 4x4 cm bars are folded into a frame, the size of which corresponds to the internal height and width. Place a piece of plywood on the frame, insulate it, and cover it with a second plywood sheet. You can also make a structure from two slats that will allow you to easily remove the partition.

Kennel for a dog - photos of the best DIY ideas

The common phrase about a dog's life these days only applies to stray dogs. Watchdogs were never deprived of the attention of their owners. They are ready to spend a lot of money for their pets, providing them with comfortable housing.

Not everyone would agree to keep a short dog acting as a barking “alarm” to guard their home. Another thing is the Eastern European or German Shepherd. This is a strong and intelligent dog, well adapted by nature to life outside a warm room.

With just her appearance, she inspires respect and discourages the desire to invade someone else's territory.

Despite the warm undercoat and dense hairline, to the brave dog It is not easy to serve on frosty nights. Therefore, the most important task that its owner needs to solve is the construction of a warm booth.

Our article will help shepherd owners in this matter. In it we will look at successful examples of dog houses, and also give useful recommendations according to their size and arrangement.

Correct size - comfortable booth

When designing a “dog house”, you should consider anatomical features dog. A thoughtful approach is needed here so that the room does not turn out to be cramped or very large. In the first case, the dog will not be able to live in it. An overly spacious kennel will be cold in winter.

Optimal booth sizes for German Shepherd determined according to this scheme:

the depth should be equal to length animal body (L) + 10 cm;
the width is assumed to be equal to the height of the dog at the withers (h);
height equals the height of the dog (H) + 10 cm;
the hole is made 5 cm more than the width of the chest (a) and 5 cm below the height of the dog (H).

If the dog is still young and has not reached adult standards, then do not rush to take a tape measure and measure him according to the dimensions indicated above. It makes more sense to build a booth “for growth.”

For East European and German Shepherds, dog experts recommend the following internal dimensions:

Length – 115 cm.
Height – 90 cm.
Width – 65 cm.
Manhole (width and height) – 35x50 cm.

For adults Caucasian Shepherd dogs The dimensions of the home should be as follows:

Length – 135 cm.
Height – 100 cm.
Width – 75 cm.
Manhole – 40x60 cm.

The roof of the booth can be single-pitch or gable (tent). The second option looks better, but shepherd connoisseurs often choose the first. The fact is that the dog likes to lie on the roof, watching what is happening around it. In addition, the ability to jump on and off the roof is useful for physical fitness the dog who most kept on a leash for days.

The angle of inclination of the pitched roof is not very large (10-15 degrees). Cover it with non-slip material (slate, ondulin or euroroofing felt).

A gable roof should have a slope of 20 to 30 degrees. Metal or bitumen shingles can be used as a covering here.

An important nuance is the ability to lift or remove the roof for cleaning and sanitization dog's home.

If the booth is not interlocked with a covered vestibule, then the canopy of the roof over the manhole needs to be extended by 60-70 cm, making a protective canopy from rain and snow.

The floor inside the shepherd's kennel is made of tongue-and-groove boards or OSB boards. The walls of the booth are made double. To do this, a particle board is attached to the outside of a wooden frame, and the inside is lined with clapboard or plywood. Ecowool, mineral wool or polystyrene foam 5 cm thick is laid between the sheathing.

The floor and roof should also be insulated, making them double. Insulating the floor eliminates the need to use bedding. During severe frosts burlap or tarpaulin is hung over the entrance.

Examples of shepherd dog kennels

As they say, theory is good, but practice is better. Therefore, we invite you to consider several interesting options for kennels for keeping shepherd dogs.

By lengthening one of the roof slopes and extending the sheathing of the booth, we will get a vestibule open on both sides. In inclement weather it will protect the dog from rain, and on a hot sunny day it will protect it from the scorching sun.

In the next photo we see an example of a booth with a gable roof, forming a vestibule open on three sides. This configuration is not only convenient for the dog, but also easy to implement.

Good visibility and protection from the vagaries of weather are obvious advantages of this design. The outside of the kennel is lined with tongue and groove boards. OSB board was used for the internal cladding of the walls, floor and roof. Roofing material – soft tiles.

The functionality of a dog house is an important, but not the only issue that should be given attention. The appearance of the booth also has important. One of the original options is an imitation of human habitation.

Having built such “mansions” for your four-legged friend with a canopy and a fence, you can proudly say that your dog lives no worse than his owner.

It is better to build a warm booth taking into account the dimensions adult dog. Shepherds grow quickly. Before you know it, your teenage puppy won't be able to fit into his old kennel.

The photo below shows a booth with a combined roof. Above the sleeping area it is made of a pitched roof, and there is a canopy over the entrance. This solution allows you to do without a vestibule, provided that the width of the canopy is at least 70 cm.

Regarding the placement of the manhole, there is different opinions. Some shepherd owners claim that it is better to do it on the narrow side of the booth. Others believe that it is more comfortable for the dog when the entrance is located on a long wall. We think that this issue is not fundamental. It is much more important to make the kennel such that the dog does not freeze in it, can turn freely, stand up in full height and curl up for the night.

We have already said that the kennel should not be very large. Now let's look at the photo where the owner clearly overdid it with its size. If an area of 4 m2 is acceptable for a covered vestibule, then you should not make a huge shelter for overnight stays. The only exception is keeping a dog with puppies while they are growing up.

Few owners think about what height is best to place dog feeders. Practice has shown that placing them on the floor is not the best option. Therefore, today you can find booths equipped with stands for feeders.

To avoid direct contact with the ground, the floor of the booth and vestibule must be raised above the ground. A gap of 5-7 centimeters will be enough.

There should be no flat roof on the kennel. Water will always find a hole and wet your watchman.

The flat folding roof can only be used in an aviary. It is built when the house is frequently visited unfamiliar to the dog People.

To prevent the dog from spinning underfoot and interfering with cleaning, a piece of plywood is placed above the entrance to the kennel. It slides up and down along two guides.

How to make a warm home for a shepherd?

In order to build a shepherd doghouse with your own hands, you will need the following materials:

Planed timber with a cross-section of 5x5 cm for the base frame, racks and frame trim.
OSB board for floor, roof and external wall cladding.
Pine lining for interior decoration.
Polystyrene foam or mini-plya 5 cm thick for insulating walls, floors and roofs.
Steel corner for assembling the frame.
Self-tapping screws.
Roofing material (asbestos-cement slate, ondulin or metal tiles).

The first step is cutting the bars and assembling the base frame. You can use a whole sheet of OSB for the floor. Its dimensions of 1.25 x 2.5 meters fit perfectly into the recommended dimensions of a booth and vestibule for a German shepherd.

The width of the sleeping compartment outside will be 0.77 m. In this case, 0.65 m will remain inside (0.75 m - the thickness of the insulation is 0.1 m, the OSB board and lining is 0.02 m). Let's take the total length of the booth to be 125 cm, and its internal height to be 90 cm. There will be 2.5-1.25 = 1.25 meters left for the vestibule.

The floor in our version is made double. The cavity between the skin in the sleeping compartment is filled with insulation, and under the vestibule is left empty. To create a ventilated gap between the bottom of the base and the ground, four antiseptic bars are attached to the slab.

The next stage of work is the installation of the racks and the top trim of the frame. To do this, you need to cut the block according to the dimensions of the drawing and attach it to the base plate with steel corners. After this, the bars of the upper chord of the frame are fixed to the upper ends of the racks.

Having assembled the frame, they make the internal (lining) and external (OSB board) cladding of the booth. After this, insulation is placed in the space between the lining and the OSB.

To protect the vestibule from blowing on back frame, a particle board is attached, fixing it to the booth posts and the vestibule frame.

The vestibule is covered with an OSB board and ondulin or metal tiles are attached to it. The roof over the sleeping compartment is made double insulated and rotating. To make it, use a block and two pieces of OSB board. Having secured the timber frame to the slab, lay the insulation and cover it on top with a second piece of slab. After making sure that the lid fits evenly and tightly into place, attach two hinges to it and fix them with self-tapping screws to the upper belt of the frame.

The rotary cover is covered with the same material as the vestibule. Please note that the slate must be placed so that it covers the sheet located above the vestibule with its extreme wave. In this case, water will not get under the roof.

After completing the assembly, the booth sheathing and frame posts are varnished or painted with high-quality paint for exterior use.

A comfortable dog house means a pet’s quality of life and its devoted attitude towards loving owner. It’s possible to build and furnish a dog house with your own hands.

A comfortable dog kennel means a pet’s quality of life and its devotion to its loving owner.

Before starting work, you should understand what size is needed; it is important to know exactly what the dog house will look like. To do this, you need to examine the animal to clarify its dimensions. Dogs can be divided into 3 types:

Small ones.
Medium size.
Large ones.

It is clear that small dogs include Spitz dogs and individuals similar to them, medium-sized dogs include spaniels, and large dogs include mastiffs. According to this classification, booths can be of the following sizes:

70x55x60 cm.
120x75x80 cm.
140x100x95 cm.

Of course, the size numbers may be different, and the dog house must be built according to the dimensions of your own pet. The method for determining the size range of the future house looks like this:

To get the correct size of the doorway into the house, you need to measure the width of the animal’s chest and add about 8 cm to the resulting figure.
The correct height of the manhole is considered to be 5 cm less than the dog’s withers.
The height of the dog's housing should be 8 cm above the pet's withers.
The depth of the building is the same as the height, but there are exceptions.

As noted above, the size range of a dog house can be slightly adjusted with your own hands, but not downward, especially if the house is being built for a puppy. During the construction period, you should be aware of the following details:

The dog house must be of high quality, the pet must lie comfortably in it, and nothing should restrain it.
The entrance should be wide, the pet should freely enter and leave its house.
The inside of the booth must be insulated, so the dog will not freeze in winter period.
The walls and roof should not have gaps, the housing cannot be ventilated.
It is correct to create a dog house from wood. A wooden house is environmentally friendly and will not harm your health.
The booth must be positioned correctly; the area must be completely visible to the pet.
A dog house can have either a single-slope or a gable roof.
It is possible to build a small extension on a wooden house where toys, bowls and other pet things will be stored.
The hole must be built in the direction of the long wall.

For a large dog, the kennel should be correctly positioned in the enclosure. Once the numbers have been clarified and calculated, it is necessary to make a drawing of the future structure. Once the drawing is completed, you can begin to build.

Winter dog house (video)

Tools and materials for building a booth

In order to create a dog house with your own hands, use non-toxic building materials; it is best to take lumber (spruce, pine) for construction. For construction, lining is used, the thickness of which is 12.5 mm, as well as:

Plywood sheets.
Floor boards.

You also need to buy bars 100×100, 40×40 and 100×50 cm. To create corners with outside and decorate the building, use a wood corner. To make the apartment warm for your beloved animal, it is insulated with glassine, foam boards or mineral wool.

For the roof of the booth, it is better to take metal sheets or slate sheets. Bitumen tiles should not be used for these purposes, because dogs love to chew on something, and these building materials are unsafe for the health of the animal.

Required tools:

Shovel.
Hammer.
Saw.
Pencil.
Construction level.
Roulette.
Hacksaw.
Nails.
Dye.
Drying oil.
Antiseptic for wood.

It is imperative to choose good wood building materials without knots or defects, because a dog house is not built to last for more than one year.

Gallery: dog houses (25 photos)

Stages of making a dog house yourself

On initial stage you need to cut the board. If the roof of the house is pitched, the back wall should be short so that the water runs down behind the kennel. Next, you need to prepare wood blocks for the body of the future house. It is correct to take the length of the bars a little longer.

Next, you need to put together the frame of the house, checking the previously drawn drawing. Then the inside of the booth is covered with boards, and the roof must be made immediately. To prevent the pet from being injured, the building material must be sanded. You need to make a hole in the near wall, the ends of which also need to be sanded.

Then you need to start insulating the floor, walls and roof. Be sure to use foam sheets or mineral wool, on top of which a wooden wall is mounted. Next, you need to carry out the exterior finishing using selected building materials.

If there is no limit on money, then it is better to buy wood siding.

After this, it is necessary to seal the cracks and seams so that windy masses and rain and snow do not embarrass the occupant of the booth.

All kinds of slats and boards made of wood are perfect as a sealant.

After the walls and floor are sealed, the same must be done with the roof. To do this, it is best to use layers of slate. At the final stage, all that remains is to treat the built house for the dog with an antiseptic and arrange the housing on a brick base or pallet so that the floor surface does not rot or freeze in winter.

Everything is quite simple, and a dog house is created. All that remains is to carefully paint it and install it on the selected area. The dog will definitely be happy and live in his cottage.

Assembling a dog house with your own hands (video)

How to make your pet's home more comfortable

Designing an individual area for a dog is a manifestation of care and affection for a person’s friend. Even for a dog who lives in common house a home on the street or a personal home located in a corridor or hall will be a chic present, an element of obedience and education.

It is important to create a pet comfortable conditions, the dog should rest and feel comfortable.

We must take into account climatic conditions in the region. If the dog is not noisy by temperament and loves to lie down in a shady place, the terrace becomes a good element of the building and a favorite place for relaxation.

If a dog lives in a house in winter, then you can build a summer residence for it, equipping it with a rug and bedding. It's good to make a canopy. The booth can be built in a residential building by dedicating part of the storage room or hallway for it. Aesthetic design inside the booth and doors that can be closed to prevent tripping will help create better conditions.

The booth can become part of the interior, and then both the owner and the animal will be happy. The booth can be made into a cabinet, coffee table or coffee table. But there is always a real chance to modernize the booth with your own hands so that the house fits harmoniously into the decor or decoration of the garden plot.

If there are several dogs in the house, then you can create entire separate apartments or build a kennel combined with two rooms. It is important to understand that the dog does not need anything extra, the main thing is that there is enough space and a favorite soft bedding.

How to care for a dog house - insulation

We must remember that it is not enough to simply build a reliable structure; you must also take care of it in order to maximize its service life and delay the time of repair work. This is especially true for a dog house.

Cleaning must be done at least once every 30 days, preferably more often. It is very important to remove all scraps, parts of bones, clean out hair and anything unnecessary that the dog brought inside. It is necessary to carry out disinfection regularly. In winter, it is enough to clean once during the entire winter, from spring to autumn, but in summer time- monthly. The same applies to pest control.

It would be useful to treat dog housing using such means as:

Creolin.
Lysol.
Formalin.

While the walls treated with the solution are drying, it is better for the dog not to stay in his house until it is completely dry. To make it easier to care for the kennel, professionals recommend making the structure as collapsible as possible, since cleaning through a hole is very inconvenient; it would be good if the roof is removed or the walls are pulled out. This will make it possible not only to clean quickly and cleanly, but also to replace the components of the booth.

No less important thing than cleaning - proper insulation of a dog's house. But if the animal wears a thick fur coat, then you can do without an insulated booth.

Firstly, it is important to remember that you cannot build a house directly on the ground. Good idea- installation of lags - thick boards, logs or brickwork. Because of this, housing will rise and be isolated.
Next you need to put the house upside down. It is good to saturate the outside with an antiseptic, cover it with roofing felt, and fill the top with 100x50 cm bars, also treated with an antiseptic. Having put the house in place, you need to cover the bottom with parchment sheets, arrange mineral wool, re-lay the parchment and lay the floor.

The walls are insulated and finished with clapboard from the inside. This will create the effect of a thermos, which will keep the heat inside. If it is not possible to build the building on a hill, or the place is characterized by high humidity, it is necessary to provide the dog house with additional waterproofing. You should lay plastic film between the surface of the boards and the insulation when installing the floor, ceiling surface and walls.

An insulated kennel will last a year, and the dog will feel nice and warm there. It is important to think through every little detail, because a person’s friend must be in human conditions, this will be rewarded with kindness, love, and devotion.

Unusual doghouses have been a real trend for more than one season. Chopped timber can be used to build a house. If you try, you can put up a real miniature log house. A dog in such housing will feel comfortable and at ease.

If the owner and his pet are at the dacha only in summer period, then it is not necessary to insulate the house, it is possible to do easy option, finishing the booth with imitation timber. Like people, it is much more comfortable for an animal to be in a spacious apartment. Therefore, the larger the dog, the more spacious the dimensions of the cottage should be. However, I wouldn’t dare call an apartment with an attached terrace and a canopy a kennel. On the spacious area you can put a bowl, and under the canopy lie in the shade on a hot day.

A great idea is a booth with a porch. Finish also matters. A dog's home, decorated in the same style as the house, always looks stylish and exclusive, becoming not just a traditional boring building, but a real work of art, an element of decor.

An interesting idea for a summer booth is to arrange it directly in a wooden barrel. And for the winter, you can build a house out of snow, for example, a husky will feel more than comfortable there. The main thing is to make such a structure cozy and spacious inside.

In general, the decor of the booth decides a lot. For example, in the treehouse itself simplest design It is possible, with the help of brushes, dyes and imagination, to create decor options that vary in style and mood. These could be Russian folk patterns, Khokhloma, or maybe even hippie or ethno style designs.

A stylish and comfortable house will definitely please your dog

General requirements for a dog house

Some people prefer to buy ready-made options, while for others, a do-it-yourself dog house is a more acceptable option.

In both cases, it is necessary to adhere to certain requirements for this structure.

The location of the booth should not be lower general level the soil on which the estate, dacha, etc. is located. Having chosen the desired height, the booth must be installed at least 10 cm higher, as if on legs. This way, you will protect your dog from moisture and insects that can enter his house from the ground. If it is possible to raise the kennel 50 centimeters above the ground, then you will provide the dog with a place protected from the scorching summer sun rays.

Design with a gable roof and an open terrace

The entire yard should be clearly visible from the area chosen for the booth.

If you plan to keep your dog on a chain, make sure that there is no vegetation or objects near the kennel that the leash could catch on.

Make sure that your pet's home is protected from the wind as much as possible.

The dog house should not be located next to the abode of other pets; it could be a chicken coop, a barn or a cow barn. The fumes from their waste products can greatly undermine the dog’s health.

The kennel should be spacious enough for the dog to sleep comfortably in it. How to calculate the minimum housing size for a dog?

For height we take the height of the dog, plus 10 cm.
For depth - the distance from the tips of the paws to the withers when the dog is lying on the floor, plus 10-15 cm.
Width is the distance from the nose to the tailbone of the dog, add 10-15 cm here.
The width of the hole is equal to the width chest, plus 5-10 cm, height can be different, its smallest value is the height of the dog at the withers, minus 5-10 cm.

If you live in cold latitudes, it is advisable to not increase this minimum very much, otherwise it will be difficult for the dog to warm up in a spacious booth.

To calculate the size of housing for small puppies, you can take the parameters of their parents as a basis.

The insulation of the booth must be appropriate if you plan to make it a permanent home for your pet. When the dog lives in a house with its owners during the winter, you don’t have to focus too much on this point.
The material of the dog house must be harmless to their health. When building a kennel they use wooden boards and/or metal. The first is preferable because wood does not get so hot in summer. It is better to choose coniferous boards, they are reliable, and the substances they release repel harmful insects. Chipboard is absolutely unsuitable due to toxicity and low moisture resistance. The last characteristic is characteristic of plywood and fiberboard, so we exclude them too. Brick and foam blocks deteriorate over time and are also not suitable.

Small flower garden on the roof of a dog house

You can only paint the outside of the booth, since inside the dog can be poisoned by fumes from the coating.

Slate, boards or roofing iron work well for the roof.

As insulation - sawdust, mineral wool or polystyrene foam.

Types of dog houses

Home option

Dog house designs are striking in their diversity.

They are installed not only in the yard, but also directly in the house or apartment - for such pets as, and - this is an ideal option.

The home version is not so demanding in terms of location and, especially, insulation; dimensions remain relevant for it.

Such a booth can be located, for example, under the stairs or in a storage room with a separate entrance for the dog.

And instead of an ordinary curtain, you can install a beautiful door, or you don’t need to do anything at all.

Many people like home options for booths that look like coffee tables or chests of drawers.

Others, on the contrary, install a beautiful and original booth, similar to a Barbie house, placing emphasis on it in the design of a certain room.

Wooden house

However, most often a booth is necessary so that your pet can feel comfortable outside, in the yard.

Of course, it is preferable to buy or make dog houses from wood.

The classic version is a kind of miniature house with a pitched or gable roof.

This structure is most optimal for those latitudes where precipitation is frequent.

If the roof is not flat, then snow and water will not be able to linger on it, creating moisture.

Dog houses can be two-story, two-room or more if it is planned that more than one owner will live in them.

It is clear that the two-story structure is suitable for small and medium-sized dogs, such as, and.

You can often find booth models that have a terrace with a canopy, and in it there is a specially installed place for a couple of bowls.

Economy option - available materials

Some people are not particularly concerned with the question of how to make a doghouse. Instead of boards, they use what they have on the farm.

For example, wooden or plastic barrels.

The important point here is safety - what was stored in them, and whether there will be harmful fumes when heated by the sun's rays.

If these “models” are properly insulated, they will become a wonderful haven for your pet.

Some people collect plastic or glass bottles and use them to line the walls of the booth.

The roof is made of boards. However, if such a glass house is left in direct sunlight for a long time, the dog may “fry”.

A plastic kennel, with proper insulation, can even be good as a winter “apartment” for a dog.

High tech

Some companies offer advanced developments, for example, it could be a model buried in the ground with a built-in microclimate control system.

Of course, with a cost of around $400, not every dog can enjoy such a dog house.

Other manufacturers, without further ado, offer dog owners kennels that look no different from a classic miniature wooden house.

But these apartments are equipped with pre-installed temperature and humidity control systems.

Do it yourself!

So, you have measured your dog, decided on the dimensions of his house and found the most suitable place for him.

Now you need to make a drawing of a dog house, which should include all its elements, including decor.

Construction classic version booths:

The floor must be double. We take bars with a cross section of 10*10 cm, from which we make a floor frame. For a heavy dog, like or the floor, we additionally strengthen it with 4*4 cm bars across the frame. We nail the floor boards on both sides of the frame as tightly as possible so that there is no heat loss.
We also make the frame of the walls from 10*10 cm bars, for the manhole we use 4*4 cm bars. We nail the outer boards.
We process everything protective agent; For waterproofing, we turn it over and fasten the roofing material. Now you can insulate the floor inside: glassine/insulation/glassine nailed with a stapler. Next we lay the finished floor.
The insulation scheme for the walls is the same as for the floor. The inside of the booth can be lined with clapboard.
To make a flat roof, bars with a cross section of 4*4 cm are taken, from which the frame is made, and the lining is attached to it. We insulate it in the same way as the floor, then we nail the second layer of lining and fasten the roof.

For a single-pitched or gable roof, appropriate triangular elements are made, nailed to parallel wall slats and secured on top with a ridge.

Built-in kennel open type in the cabinet

If you have a suitable wooden barrel, this is a ready-made booth frame with outer walls.

To complete you need:

Come up with “legs”. This can be a rectangle of boards with the necessary cutouts if the barrel lies on its side. When it stands straight, you can use bricks.
If the barrel lies on its side, make and insulate a flat floor.
Insulate the walls and ceiling.
Cut a hole for the manhole, reinforce it with beams and cover it with a curtain.
Cover the booth with two layers of varnish; on top - roofing felt or other material suitable for the roof.

Dog bedside table is a combination of style and functionality

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Dog house: requirements, types, construction techniques

Some people prefer to buy ready-made options, while for others, a do-it-yourself dog house is a more acceptable option. In both cases, it is necessary to adhere to certain requirements for this structure.

A well-made dog house is evidence of the owner’s care for his pet. And it, just like a residential building, should be built with understanding of the matter, taking into account minimum requirements necessary for a comfortable stay for your pet.

The main argument for refusing to insulate a doghouse is that great amount stray dogs spend the winter without any roof over their heads, and can easily withstand even very severe frosts. At the same time, they forget that not everyone is. Such statistics are not kept in Russia. But cries for help during severe frosts from dog shelters are very audible. Dogs freeze in them, having no place to warm up, despite the fact that the amount of meat in their diet is increased and the smallest and smoothest ones are placed in at least a little bit insulated places.

In addition, stray dogs are not limited in their movement and can find a place to rest, or, at worst, find a free hatch in the heating main, while domestic dogs, even on a chain, are limited by the opportunities that you provide them.
If you do not transfer your animal to a heated room during periods of severe frost, definitely make the booth for it insulated. The dog itself will choose where it is more comfortable for it to be, but for some reason in cold weather it prefers the insulated part of the booth, if available, but we’ll talk about the design features of these structures a little later.
Dog kennels without insulation can be built in warm regions of the country where the temperature rarely drops below zero, but even in such cases it is advisable to provide easily removable external insulation. But in all cases, make the floor and roof insulated. This is useful not only for winter.

Determining the size of the dog house

The kennel must be built for a specific dog. Or vice versa, select an animal taking into account the dimensions of the existing booth. An option when a large-sized booth is made that is guaranteed to accommodate large dog, and a dachshund moves into it, is just as unacceptable as a small booth for a large dog.

In the first case, the dog will not be able to sufficiently heat its (even well-insulated) home, and in the second, the dog will be extremely uncomfortable and he will not be able to stay in such a booth for a long time. There is no complex circuit for calculating the optimal internal dimensions of the booth.

If you decide to make a booth from two rooms and insulate one of them, then the dimensions of the warm room cannot be less than the calculated ones, but the so-called vestibule can be slightly reduced. But not much.
In the case when you select a ready-made booth or choose an animal taking into account the dimensions of the existing one, take into account these average parameters:

small breeds of dogs – 600 x 600 x 800 with a gap of no more than 300 x 400;
medium dog breeds – 800 x 800 x 1100 with a gap of no more than 350 x 450;
large dog breeds – 1100 x 1100 x 1300 with a gap of no more than 400 x 500.

But, if you have time, not very expensive material and minimal skills in working with carpentry tools, make a dog house with your own hands. He will feel your care and will repay you handsomely.

Design features of a dog house

Now that we have sorted out the dimensions, we can consider the design features of the dog’s home.

As a matter of fact, this is 90% of all the options used. The remaining 10% remains for various types of manipulations with appearance, fitting into the landscape design and demonstrating either the skills, abilities and artistic taste, or the thickness of the owner’s wallet.
With all this, several conditions must be met:

the absence of elements in the inner lining that could injure or splinter your pet;
the ability of wall and floor coverings to withstand the effects of dog claws for a long time;
absence of cracks (especially in the floor) in which a dog’s claw can get stuck;
opportunity for free and light periodic access inside for sanitary and hygienic treatment;
resistance of the internal coating of the booth to the chemical components of disinfectant mixtures and solutions.

The possibility of easy access to the inside of the booth is most often achieved by installing an easily removable or folding roof, less often by opening (tilting back) one of its walls.

In the version with a gable roof and a single-volume room, you can reduce the height of the side walls. The main thing is that the dog has the opportunity to stand up to its full height in the kennel. But by making such a roof, you deprive your pet of one of the pleasures - lying on it, which all dogs love to do. Therefore, it is recommended to arrange a minimum slope on pitched roofs. If the booth is placed under a canopy or in an enclosure, then make its roof flat - without a slope at all.
By the way, if you are making an aviary, then keep in mind that its dimensions should not be smaller:

6 sq.m. – for dogs up to 50 cm high at the withers;
8 sq.m. – for dogs from 50 to 65 cm at the withers;
10 sq.m. – for dogs that are taller than 65 cm at the withers.

Its height should be sufficient for the full-length movement of people serving the enclosure, but not lower than the height of the booth + the height of your dog, in the case of building a booth with a flat roof.
It is possible to build a kennel with a deck under one roof or as a separate element, but only in the case of relatively free movement of the dog outside the structure.

But, the design shown in the third photo can be recommended exclusively for warm regions of our country; for the rest - with a heating system. After all, the booth not only has obviously larger dimensions than even such a large dog as a German shepherd can warm with its body, but all the warm air will accumulate under its roof. The animal will be cold in severe frosts.
The design of any booth should also include a device for quick and easy mounting in winter time above the hole there are curtains or curtains made of dense, coarse fabric such as burlap or felt. And above it you should drill from one to three holes for air access with a total area of 20 - 30 mm.
There are no special requirements for this unit, except:

maximum tight fit to the hole;
the ability to return to its original position after the animal passes;
minimal airflow;
ease of disinfection.

To accomplish the second point, sometimes a small oblong container with sand is sewn into fairly light fabrics at the bottom of the curtain.

Selecting booth materials for a German Shepherd

It would seem, what to talk about materials for some kind of booth? We use what we have. But as mentioned above, some rules must be followed. For example, one craftsman lined the inside of the booth with thick felt for warmth—it wasn’t enough for one season. In addition, such material is an excellent breeding ground for all kinds of evil spirits.
Therefore, among the materials used for the frame and external enclosing structures in the construction of a shepherd dog house, we can first of all recommend coniferous wood treated with some kind of biostop or impregnation with a coloring effect containing antiseptic materials.

It is not recommended to use metal, including for covering the roof, if the booth is not located in an enclosure or under a canopy. Heating up in the sun, it will create unbearable (even for a dog) conditions inside the structure and make a potential rookery unusable.
It is best to use polystyrene foam as insulation.
Firstly, he more effective than any cotton wool one and a half times.
Secondly, it does not require hydro- and vapor barrier.
Thirdly, it does not sag in the structure.
Fourthly, it has the best price-quality ratio
of all modern insulation materials.

If you use any wool as insulation, we recommend using a grade of at least 45 density and limiting the access of moisture to it on both sides with thick polyethylene film. As mentioned above, a dog mainly heats its home with temperature own body. At the same time, although the dogs do not sweat much, their breath makes the environment inside the booth quite humid. If cotton wool, being a very hydrophilic material, is saturated with this moisture, then the insulation can become a conductor of cold, which neither we nor, especially, our dog need.

For the inner layer of our sandwich, we recommend using either very dry, tightly fitted (or better yet tongue and groove) boards, which must be carefully sanded and covered with paint or varnish that prevents the appearance of splinters, or moisture-resistant plywood or OSB. And, for God's sake, do not be afraid that the glue holding the plywood veneer or chips in the OSB will harm the health of your pet. Phenol begins to be released at temperatures above 32°C, which, with the correct construction of the roof, is impossible even in summer, and even more so in winter. But, to be more sure, cover their surface with some durable moisture-resistant varnish and then periodically renew the coating as it wears out. It is best to use wood screws as fasteners.

But the correct roof arrangement requires 100 mm. insulation, even if you place the dog’s home not in the sun, which, by the way, is a prerequisite. In addition, its coating itself should not only be waterproof, but also, if possible, heat-insulating. Several layers of roofing material cope well with this task, the top of which will have to be changed every 7 - 8 years, flexible (bitumen) tiles, which will need to be periodically washed from dirty traces of the owner, or a newfangled geomembrane, thickness and density sufficient to successfully resist the impact his claws.

We assemble a booth for a German shepherd, according to the size of the dog

The German Shepherd is considered a medium-sized dog. The breed standard defines the following dimensions:

height at withers 60-65 cm for males and 55 – 60 for females;
The length of the body is 10 - 17% greater than the height at the withers.

Based on this, the internal dimensions of the booth, or its main compartment, 1000 x 700 x 650, will be optimal.

Dogs of these breeds, when kept outdoors, are usually housed in enclosures, so we will describe the process of assembling a kennel with a flat roof that does not require a slope or roofing.

We cut 50 x 50 bars in the quantity and size shown in the images above. We will need:

1700 – 8 pcs;
700 – 15 pcs;
650 – 14 pcs;
450 – 2 pcs;
400 – 4 pcs.

We connect them, as shown in the photographs, using wood screws 92 or 102 mm long, having previously drilled the fastening points with a drill with a diameter of 3 mm. I would like to note that the dimensions of the parts are given without taking into account the thickness of the sheathing material. This must be taken into account when assembling the side walls and partition of your booth, reducing their width by double the thickness of the skin.
Advice: When using such long fasteners, we recommend using thread lubricant for the screws. Place a small container at the assembly site for machine oil and before screwing in the screw, dip its threaded part into it. You can also replace the oil with a bar of soap, which you use to lather the screw thread before screwing it in.
Of course, you can replace self-tapping screws with 120 - 150 mm nails, but self-tapping screws are more reliable and will not split a not very thick block when connecting.
Connect all the resulting elements, except the roof, placing the internal partition with the opening of the manhole towards back wall so that the dog does not squirm in a small vestibule.
Cover the interior with sheets of OSB or plywood, attaching them to wood screws 40–45 mm long, with the heads slightly recessed. To prevent your dog from getting hurt, treat the surface with sandpaper.
If you decide that only the main room should be warm, then sheathe the inside only.
Fill the outside of the cavity of the shepherd dog kennel or its main compartment and the partition between the bars with polystyrene foam PSB-S-15 50 mm thick, preferably using polyurethane foam, and cover the outside with the same OSB, plywood or tongue-and-groove wooden moldings (boards, clapboard, etc. ).
Make the roof of the booth a single sandwich panel filled with the same polystyrene foam. Cover everything with two or three layers of exterior varnish or paint suitable for such purposes.
Attach the lid to strong hinges so that it does not move when a dog jumps on it, but front side install a couple of latches.

All that remains is to glue two rows of self-adhesive door insulation on the upper beams under the roof and you can invite your dog to a housewarming party. The support for the roof, used to fix it in the open position during cleaning and disinfection, can be made at your discretion.

A little about booth heating

And yet, especially for particularly cold regions of our country, it is worth thinking about inexpensive, easy to maintain and install, heating the booth. Today these are infrared film electric heaters - PLENs, mounted on a reflective heat insulator of the Alufom type. Warming not air, but objects, they can be, without any additional preparation, screwed to the ceiling of the booth and heat the animal itself during its stay in it, or the floor when the dog is away.

Dear readers, if you have any questions, please ask them using the form below. We will be glad to communicate with you;)