First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘housing your dog’

Dog breeds all differ, just as people differ. Housing your dog depends on many factors, such as your lifestyle, your dog breed and the amount of room you have to spare.

We can start by looking at which dog you have. Housing your dog largely depends on its needs to stay safe warm and dry. Toy breeds by the virtue of their small size, make perfect house pets. Many owners of pet breeds such as terriers, shitzu or maltese are happy all the time provided they are trained well! These little breeds respond well to the home environment, providing they know their place! You’ll find a matt or a dog bed around the size of a cat bed will do for these small breeds. Keeping your dog in a garage or laundry may be ideal provided that your dog feels secure and it feels like it has a small area of its own. Dogs are known for being territorial after all. As for bigger dogs, such as medum sized pointers, boxers and terriers, you will learn that keeping them inside becomes tedious or irritating. Not only for you as owner, but for your dog too. They require the space that outdoor freedom offers them. In addition, you need to think about the size and space you have for housing your dog. If your garage is well aired, cosy and there is not to much clutter, it might be a great place for your dog to live, if however its full of gear and your dog has to live in a corner where it cannot make its own space, it will quickly become fustrated. For those of us that live in areas like apartments and duplex houses (or attatched units) you should be very wary of how your dog will be exposed to the neighours. Many dogs dont take to kindly to being housed where people can annoy them and interrupt them. Youve also got to consider what sort of breed requires what sort of housing to live in. Your breeder will have sussed you out before selling a dog, to see if your lifestyle suits that breed, however people often come across dogs in other circumstances. Be sure to do plenty of research into what your dogs living habits are. A lazy bulldog will surely be happy with a corner of the yard and not much room, but try and keep an active variety or breed like a pointer in a small yard, and you’ll drive the poor dog insane. Working and active breeds must have spacious runs, roomy kennels and should never be kept in tight quarters. If your in this situation, and have a yard space for your dog to be housed and run around in, at all costs ensure that the fence you put up or have, is in good order and is very secure. Consider your dog must not get out, but also consider if anything else can get in. Cats, other dogs & children are known for getting into places where they shouldnt be, and this can lead to trouble! Housing a dog can also have situational requirements. Think about your climate and where you are going to site the kennel. will your pet be cold? Windy? Directly sunny? Consider these factors when moving a kennel in your yard or chosen area. Kennel insulation will be required if the area is prone to frosts or snowfall. Obviously, in this scenario a wolfhound will be happier than a pointer, so apply common sense about the breed your dealing with. Think about hot areas, that can affect a dog really quick. Black paint on that kennel might suit you, but will it be to hot for your dog….? As far as buying a kennel goes nowadays there are great off the shelf items that suit many homes. Moulded polythene ones are popular but watch out if your dog is a chewer! Avoid fibreglass kennels like the plague, as the glass can lead to pain and discomfort for your pet. Wood is ever popular, and looks good and is very dog friendly. If your budget allows, go for a wood kennel!
My best dog housing tips, and some great examples of kennels and enclosure designs can be found at my dog resource page on housing your dog. Check it out, and the rest of my site www.dog-hobbyist.com