Tips for Building a Dog Kennel
Get Inspired
A dog kennel in a securely fenced area lets you relax, knowing your furry friend is safe and comfortable when you’re not there.
Building a kennel is not that difficult and means you can add your own individual touches. With a bit of imagination, Fido’s palace could even become a talking point!
Plan ahead for success
Before you start work, draw up a rough plan to ensure you’ve got all the materials you need. You’ll also need to think about tools.
You want something relatively snug but not so snug that your dog can’t turn around. That means it should be almost as wide as your dog is long, and deep enough so your dog can retreat in bad weather. Keep the entrance smallish to provide extra protection.
A verandah or courtyard is the ideal location, ensuring your dog feels connected to the household. If that’s not possible, look for a sheltered location out of the prevailing wind, ideally a spot that’s sunny in winter and shaded in the summer.
You’ll need space for a water and food bowl. You’ll also need to think about where your dog can relieve themselves.
If you’re building on the verandah, the base can go directly on the verandah boards. If it’s free standing, you’ll need to raise the base off the ground, which means putting in some stumps. A small post hole digger makes the job easy, and will also come in handy if you’re planning to fence off a yard around the doghouse.
Materials to use
There’s no need to spend a lot on materials for Fido’s kennel. This is the time to use up odds and ends of timber, cladding and roofing iron you’ve got stored in the shed or under the house.
Pallets are another good option. The light pine timber is untreated, which makes it ideal for a doghouse. The other good thing is that pallets are free! The big box stores often leave pallets out on the nature strip for anyone to pick up.
If you can’t locate any pallets, exterior plywood makes a cheap cladding material. You’ll need to seal it with a varnish or exterior paint to keep the doghouse dry. Colorbond or corrugated iron is another good option, for walls as well as the roof.
If your doghouse is in the open, it needs a pitched roof, sloping away from the entrance, of course. If it’s protected, a flat roof is fine. Allow an overhang for shade in summer and protection from the rain.
Hinging the roof will make it easier to get in to clean out the doghouse and to change the bedding.
Building your dog house
When it comes to cutting timber for the frame, a circular saw will save you lots of time. Always wear eye and ear protection when you’re using the saw.
Drilling and screwing the timber rather than nailing makes it easy to undo mistakes, demolish, renovate or extend.
If you’ve ever tried cutting Colorbond with tin snips, you’ll know it’s a dog of a job. A cordless nibbler enables you to cut clean, precise lines in any direction. Sand the cut to ensure there are no sharp edges that could injure your dog.
Finally, a wire netting fence will keep your dog secure and give you priceless peace of mind when you’re away from home.
Talk to the experts
Talk to the experienced team at your local branch of Kennards Hire for expert advice and the right tools. Kennards Hire offers contactless delivery and all our equipment is cleaned before each hire.
