Building a comfy shelter for
your dog/puppy shows your responsibility as a dog-owner.
How to Build a Dog House
Building a proper house for your
dog shows your deepest concern as a dog-owner. Sometimes you might feel
that a doghouse is unnecessary, as your pet shares your house and,
often, your bed. But, dogs should have their own outdoor kennels
(especially large dogs), which can be acclimatized with the changing
weather conditions. You should also see that you don't allow your dog to
stay indoors, once you have built a shelter for him. This creates
problems with his immune system and he might get sick when cooped
outdoors during harsh weathers. Read this article to know how to
build/make a dog house.
Building a Dog House
Follow this step-by-step procedure to learn the art of building a
doghouse.
- Decide about various factors like the size of the dog, location
of the house, climate of the location and your budget, before you
start building the dog house.
- Select a size that comfortably houses your dog, without making
him claustrophobic. The house should be large enough to provide a
comfortable shelter and recreational space for the dog.
- Next, decide on the material that you want to build the house
with. Generally wood is ideal for building a dog house.
- You can use 2" x 4" pieces of pressure-treated lumber
to make the floor. Cut them to pieces, depending on the size of the
floor, and include joists (support) whenever necessary.
- If you are planning to build a large dog house, the joints in the
lumber must be included after every 16 inches.
- Next, cover the framework of the floor with sufficient plywood.
You can use ½ "thick plywood if your dog is very large.
Otherwise a thickness of ¼" will suffice.
- Make sure that the floor is built a few inches above the ground.
This will help water easily pass through and also provide airiness
to the house.
- Slant the floor a little towards the doorway. This way, rainwater
will automatically drain out and not get accumulated inside the
house. .
- Use 2" x 2" pieces of lumber to make the sidewalls and
the back wall of the house. You can either make a rectangular or a
square shaped house with these pieces. Include joists as required.
- Cut a few small holes in the side walls of the house. This will
provide adequate ventilation to the house and also deter pests from
nesting inside.
- You can also add a partial lumber wall inside the house. The dog
can use either the front room or the inner chamber depending on the
weather.
- Finally you can decide about building the front structure of the
house. You can use 2" x 2" lumber pieces. Place a
horizontal piece atop two vertical pieces to make the front porch or
simply use a side wall as an entrance.
- Use wood screws, nails and L-brackets to assemble the entire
structure. See that you don't leave any loose ends. Carefully fix
the entire structure to the floor of the house.
- Lastly, consider the roof. Make it a bit slanted towards the
front. See that it sits firmly on top of the walls. You can use
plywood of 3/8" thickness to make the roof.
- Once you are through with the construction, you can paint the
house with a desired color. See that the color doesn't have any
toxic elements that might be harmful for your dog.
Tips
- Add comfortable and clean bedding inside the house.
- Always keep the dog house clean.
- Don't use pressure-treated lumber on areas that the dog might
reach or areas that are not covered with untreated lumber. It might
be very harmful if the dog tries chewing the wood of
pressure-treated lumber.
- It is always better not to paint the interior of the house for
safety reasons.
- Make sure you use thin carpeting on top of the walls and also
between the frame and roof to seal away drafts.
- Paint the house white during summers and go for a darker shade
(like black or navy blue) for the winters.
- See that the roof is not too heavy and can be easily lifted and
adjusted.
So, grab your tools and follow
these tips to gift your doggie with his unique personalized space this
summer.
