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Best Dog House
Dear Dr. Berg,
What is the best kind of doghouse for our new dog? I’ve seen some plastic ones at the store that
look like little igloos, but they seem very small. My husband wants to make a nice big one
himself and put carpet in it.
E. E., Wilmington
Dear E. E.,
“The best kind of dog house is the one that has people in
it.” This is one of my favorite sayings
and we have it framed on the wall at the animal hospital. Dogs are pack animals by nature and they are
happiest along side the other members within their pack (you and your
family). It remains a puzzle to me why
in the world anyone would buy a dog with the intention of keeping it in the
back yard, tied to a tree or in a pen.
The care of such a dog rapidly becomes a chore to the rest of the family,
the dog is emotionally deprived from healthy pack interactions that help him to
become properly socialized, and will tend to exhibit bursts of behavior that
may not be appreciated by the family, such as barking or jumping or wild
running. Sadly, the family will be
missing out on one of the truly wonderful experiences in this world…sharing
your life with a dog.
Dogs and cats are put on this earth to be loved and enjoyed,
and that means being an integral part of your life, which in turn means living in
the house with you. It is perfectly fine
to designate certain areas within the house where the dog is not allowed, and
it may even be best to confining some dogs, especially puppies, to a
comfortable kennel within the house for the protection of both your dog and the
home.
A doghouse in the back yard as a temporary shelter is just
fine, and if your husband is intending to build a doghouse, there are a few
general principles that I would recommend in its construction.
First, be sure that the dog house is not too BIG, or else it
will be impossible for the dog’s own body heat to adequately warm the house in
cold weather. The idea size is
approximately large enough so that your dog can stand up comfortably and turn a
tight circle, as if getting ready to lie down.
The door of the doghouse should be constructed with either a
baffle or flap to help keep the cold winds and rain out, and the bottom of the
house should be covered with DRY bedding.
A hinged top to the doghouse can greatly aid in proper inspection and
cleaning of its interior to be sure things are cozy. Just ask yourself, how comfortable would YOU
be lying on what you have selected for your dog, and you may even want to try
it out! A closed-cell foam exercise mat
makes a soft and easy to clean cushion, but note that pieces of foam can cause
intestinal blockage if your dog tends to chew on such items. Wood chips, old
comforter or sleeping bag, or blankets are also often used as soft and warm
bedding. If your husband wants to put
carpeting in, tell him to cut several mats that fit perfectly but don’t staple
them down so that you can easily clean or replace them should they become
soiled or wet.
Make sure that you set the doghouse up off the ground; this
will help to keep the bedding dry and also avoid transfer of heat to the cold
earth below the house. Create a skirt
around the base using bricks or house trailer skirting so that cold winds don’t
blow beneath and other creatures won’t decide to live below.
Make certain that if you leave your dog outside for any
length of time that he has adequate shade and plenty of cool water to help keep
him comfortable. It is usually be to
place both his water bowel and doghouse in the shade, just as you try to park your
car in the shade on hot days. If an
outdoor faucet is handy, considering mouthing an automatic watering dish or
valve so that an unlimited supply of cool water is always present, and be sure
that it stays free of bugs or grass clippings (think about if you’d like to
drink out of it or not).
If you must leave your dog unattended, triple check all
possible escape routes; it can mean the difference of life and death for your
dog. Check along the bottom of the
entire perimeter, making sure there are no places where, during times of
boredom, an escape hole can be dug. Bury
concrete blocks or chicken wire just below the surface of the soil to help
discourage such activity. Pay close
attention to any gates, and secure the doors with both a latch and a
chain.
Some of my clients use “electronic fences”, where a small
receiver is mounted on a dog’s collar that will give him a warning signal if he
comes too close, and a shock if he decides to try to go over a buried
wire. This can work well with most dogs,
but remember that such a set-up will NOT prevent other creatures from coming in
your yard, so that potential hazards still exists. While I think they can be wonderful to
exercise your dogs while you are present, I do NOT recommend that you leave a
dog in such an enclose unattended.
I think it’s wonderful that you want to make the doghouse
extra nice for your dog. I have heard of
some owners putting fans and even air conditioners in the houses that they have
constructed for their pets. You dog will
be happiest, however, in whatever enclosure you decide to live in, whether it
has air conditioning or not. You and
your dog will both be missing out on one of life’s truly wonderful experiences
if you settle for anything less.
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