Ideas for the outdoor dog's 'house'

[hunterjumper999]

one of our dogs hangs out outside-we got him from an outdoor kennel facility , took him inside for the first few months we had him but he had a urinary problem and we had to let him 'grow' into his parts so he could controll his urine flow ( ok- its way more technical than that but its late and im tired)needless to say he got to do his growing outside... but now he just doesnt like inside and he cries and cries to go back outside.

he's got a super barrel dog house that he loves, he actually rolls around IN it in the kennel and has so much fun- its really amusing!

however, he's killed every bed we give him- I don't want to do straw because he will eat it and we most recently tried shavings but he tosses them out when he goes rolling.


Will the plain barrel be enough to keep him warm in the georgia winter? OR do we need to do something else. I tied the barrel to the kennel wall every day for a week and he ate through the tie each time- it was varying sizes of rope and even a leather leash.

He has toys and all sort of fun stuff in there, but he just likes to roll around z

 

[Judy]

I'd just let him have his plain old barrel. If he's out all the time he will have the coat to deal with the cold.

 

[hunterjumper999]

thats what im thinking- i mean he's under a carport for goodness sakes so at least he's dry!

 

[scrambledmess]

What kind of dog is he?

We had two GSDs that were outside. I went on vacation while DH stayed home. I remember him calling me wondering if he should bring the dogs in as it was only 5 degrees outside. They did have insulated dog houses, but he was still worried. I told him to look out the window to see where the dogs were. They were both spread out as if sun bathing under the carport.... Thus they weren't cold. If they were cold, they would have been in their dog houses or at least huddled up shivering and not stretched all out asleep. If it is a coated dog that has shelter from the wind, it should be okay. If it isn't coated or there is no wind block, perhaps you should get it an insulated dog house for when the barrel isn't warm enough. They aren't that expensive and you can often find them on craigslist even cheaper.

 

[jbowyer01]

Hi hunterjumper999 you live near me

I have a friend who is a breeder in Box Springs and she has a couple of her dogs as outside dogs. She pretty much just makes sure theres a windbreak and that they have a dog house to sleep in. She said if it gets really cold (like one of our famous ice storms) then she uses hay in the houses to keep them warm.

 

[hunterjumper999]

hey! PM me who your friend is and what she breeds- I have a BIG breeder near my house and Ive been trying to find out who she is for a while!


He's a pit bull ( the one in my avatar) but he's got a wiry/dense coat already. I will check out those dog houses, he only really plays in the barrel so i know he's not cold!

 

[jerseygirl1]

What a little doll he is!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hunterjumper999]

 

[lasergrl]

http://www.houndheater.com/index_hound_heater.php

I just got one of these. Our winters get to the zeros.

 

[Whispering Winds]

One thing I read about dogs and their houses is not to make it too large for the size of dog. They don't need a great big house, they need something that is able to contain their body heat without crowding them. Don't use blankets as liners because if they get wet or even damp, hypothermia can set in. Straw is good, but I used it one time on my Boxer and he got a parasite from it, but that is the first and only time I ever heard of it and it cleared up in 3 days after he went to the doctor.