Hi

I am going to be moving to a smaller house soon and am out of necessity going to be kenneling the boerboels outside during the day, there is a basic summerhouse/shed type building in the garden which will be plenty big enough for three compartments or three crates, my question is, what should I use by way of flooring, lining the walls etc so it is cool in the summer and warm in the winter, our seasons are pretty predictable in the uk, though last winter was unusually cold, and while the breed does well housed outside, they are short coated, can anyone tell me please the best materials to use?

Thanks and regards
Tracey

I saw a really cool 'solar' dog house. It was basically constructed of insulated wood, with that green house corregated plastic on the top (at an angle) and on the sides with a heavy flap for the door. It was good looking (believe it or not). My kennel is on the north side of the house. It's cool in the summer (today will be around 100 degrees F), but super cold in winter (snow never melts). I have a presa canario, so same deal with the short coat. So I have to put something up for her, and I think that's what I'm going to do. If there were a hinge on the roof, you could prop that open for circulation, and change out the lid for the summer to keep it cool. In the winter just close it up and angle it so it gets the most sun - I know, I know - What sun in the UK? haha

That sounds uber cool, will google it, bet it's pricey?! You are right about the sun shine here, summer lasts from July to August, then it's just oppressive heat and heavy cloud, as I type the heavens have opened and it is chucking it down! The yellow boerboels are definately dealing better with the heat than the black/brindle, he really struggles to keep cool, luckily he is sensible about staying inside during the day, but needs the fan on his crate at night, I have got to get this kennel thing right, am going to look at the solar dog house, but bracing myself for the price!

Regards
Tracey

The best thing you can do is make sure that the building is well insulated and that it has good ventilation. If there are no windows, I would be sure to install some, double paned. If the walls were constructed as typical residential walls (exterior, studs and and interior surface) check to see if there is insulation in the walls. If not, I would do so, even though it may not be cheap... There are ways to blow insulation into walls through a small hole, and it may be cheaper than pulling the interior walls down to stuff them and then re-walling. If there is not a current interior wall (just studs) I would take the time to insulate and wall it up. That alone will go a LONG way to keeping the dogs comfortable.

For the summer, you can set up large box fans for circulation. My TD has them in opposite windows, one to blow air in, and one to suck air out, depending on the need, but on the floors just to circulate works great too. If the windows are south facing then an awning to block the sun from shining directly into the room would be a great idea. Especially if it is retractable to let in any winter sun that may pop up. Also for a heat intolerant dog (I have them too) a 2 liter plastic bottle full of frozen water is a great (and cheap!) ice pack. They can be left in the crate if the dog in not destructive (wrapped in a blanket...) or placed along one side of the crate for the dog to lie against when desired. If a fan is blowing over the ice packs it will increase the cooling effect. Just be careful it is not too cool...

For the winter, you can purchase heavy, insulating drapes to cover the windows as needed and keep some heat in the room. If you have access to a small space heater with a thermostat, that can be used, but use extreme caution... Your best bet is to raise the crates up off the ground (a few inches) and insulate bellow and inside the crate heavily with straw. If the room is on a raised foundation, packing that area with straw can help too. Blanket are not the greatest because they can trap wetness and cause more issues.

For flooring, I highly recommend the use of vinyl or linoleum sheeted flooring and covering the walls up to at least the height of the dogs. It is generally VERY cheap, and very easy to clean and disinfect. It will be cool in the summer and with a few throw rugs (if desired) fine for the winter.

It wasn't expensive, actually. It was home made, so materials and effort is all.

All those ideas have given me a lot to think about, I read somewhere that you can buy whole plaster boards that have been lined with reflectable lining with fibreflass, and can be nailed onto the frame work of the shed, and putting a bitumen corregated on top,anyone else ever used these materilas and how satisfactory they were whith the out come?

Thanks and kind regards
Tracey