The weather is beginning to change around here (southern Utah)and I could use some advice on a reasonably priced dog house, and where I could find it.

I have a good sized female Malinois and a Red Nosed Pit. Currently the Malinois is in her kennel (tarped), but as it is getting colder I need to get something in it to add additional shelter. The Pit is free to roam my fenced in back yard, and there are a few places where he can find shelter, but since his fur is so short he tends to lose a lot of body heat, and shivers easily.

Both dogs spend there nights in my garage, but it gets pretty chilly in there also....so I need to put something in there as well as outside. When I go to let the dogs out in the morning they are usually huddled together which tells me it is time to invest in something.

Ed has mentioned a dog house that the RCMP use and that he has used with success. It looks pretty good. Does anyone have an idea of roughly how much materials cost to build this type house......any other suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

The materials cost will vary greatly depending on where you live. Either way, building one yourself will be cheaper than buying a prefab one. You would spend as much or more on a dogloo and the one ED describes is much better in winter(the 'hall' entrance cuts the drafts out).

The only bonus to the dogloo style is that they are very easy to clean.

This link has a pattern to a really easy to build doghouse. http://www.home.gci.net/~kasilof/doghouse/doghouse.html My whole dogyard(16) has variations on this doghouse and they are easy and not too pricey to build as they only take 1 sheet of plywood. I made them with a removeable roof as it is easy to clean out the house and replace the straw bedding. I also paint mine because I think they look and last better painted but I dont paint the frame around the door as that is the most likely place to get chewed. The raised door(and the legs) keeps it above the snow(if you got snow) and keeps the bedding from getting dragged out. Those dogloo things aren't very good in a cold climate because you can't get a nice deep bedding in them and they sit flat on the ground. They also have a roof that the dog can't get up on and most dogs seem to like a doghouse they can sit on top of. The flat roof is a nice spot to use for a grooming table, too. The vestibule type are really nice but take more plywood - so it depends on how many you have to build and the deepness of your pockets!

Drew,
You mentioned fenced in yard and garage - are they connected??? To where you could put a doggy door into the side of the garage and they can come into the garage right into a dog house or a small pen area with straw and/or wood chips?

Spend the money to built one of the dog houses - the cost difference will be well worth it - I have 3 of them. In 40 below wind chill, they are protected.

Lynn, the house you mentioned.....it would fit the PitBull and the Malinois okay(not together but seperately)?

I will probably do something like Ed's version.....only when the funds allow....lumber is pretty cheap around here though, this time of year especially (little demand) so I'll have to price materials for both styles.....I'll go this course for now and see how it goes.

Drew,

Having been raised in Logan, I know a little about the weather up there. My recomendation for a dog house would be to build one like the plans shown with the addition of a baffle on the inside so that the dog goes in the main door and then around the baffle to the sleeping area. I used a 2x4 top and bottom to nail the baffle to. It reduced the snow getting in on the floor to keep the sleeping area dry and reduce the size of the entrance. I also used straw for bedding.

My other recomendation would be to have the roof slant slightly away from the entrance so the sleeping area is smaller than the entrance side. It will also keep the sleeping area smaller and warmer. The smaller the sleeping area the better because it means the dog has less area to warm up with body heat to stay warm. You also want a small vent area in the top so that moisture can escape from the dogs beathing. A couple of small holes a 1/8" to 1/16" gap at the roof line on one side is enough. It should also be raised off the ground. Again I used 2x4 to raise it up (2" side down.

I went out side to check the warmth level in the dog house at 40 below and climbed in so that my upper body was in the sleeping area for my Chessie. I took my coat off as was very comfortable when the space warmed with my body heat. If you are really ambitious you could build a box in a box and use insulation between them. I might do that for the Pit so that it will stay warmer in side for the short haired dog and take less to warm it up.

Most of my dogs are around 45-65 lbs but I have one that is a tall leggy 70 lbs plus and even he fits in nicely. You want just enough room for the dog to stand up and turn around - if the house is too big it is too hard for them to keep warm with their body heat. A couple of my alaskan huskies are not very heavily coated and they do fine in these houses - I DO use lots of straw bedding and replace it frequently. Your pit or a very short coated dog(dobe) might need extra insulation in a dog house - some people sandwich foam insulation board in between the walls and the floor - you just have to make sure it is covered so the dogs don't chew it. I like the vestibule type of house - but I have dogs that would have that vestibule out of there - as they will chew any exposed edge of plywood! A big plastic barrel makes a good dog house in a pinch - (make sure you get one that hasn't had anything toxic in it). They are easy to clean and
light and portable, you can add a floor board and a stand pretty easy - they don't look too fancy though.

Drew - I have a good blueprint of a vestiblule type doghouse that you can have that shows all the dimensions(like Ed's and the one Richard describe). PM me your address and I will mail it off. I don't have any use for it and it is just lying around here catching dust(and doghair <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ).

I built a dog house this summer for my dog and it was not too expensive...but I also had some leftover supplies. used two 2x4s for a raised platform and two sheets of plywood for the walls and roof, had some left over material even. I used some wood shingles I found in the woodpile from a few years ago taht were good and used 1x1s for in between the frame to sturdy it up. I was thinking that someday my dog my sit on top of his house cause its a flat roof style. It has an offset door and I have never actually seen my dog use it but, one day I found his blanky in it so I guess he does. It also has a foam pad in there for comfort and the roof is hinged for easy opening and cleaning.

They have heated pads you can put in the houses for dogs as well...and I am not sure where to get them, I would be afraid of the dog chewing the cord.

Our dogs sleep in the garage too but they sleep in an eclosed area with beds on platforms so that the cold floor doesnt' take away heat.

Good luck.