For those of you that have outdoor kennels, what do you have for footing?
We are getting an outdoor pen that will only be used when the weather is nice and we are going to be gone for longer than a couple of hours. The dog is in the house when we are home.
The pen we are getting is 10 x 10 with a cover and will have a dog house in it.
We were thinking about putting gravel in part and leaving the other part grass.
I’ve usually seen them with concrete, maybe gravel. The grass part will probably get torn up pretty quickly. There are also rubber mats for kennels that might work.
We did concrete with an old rubber stall mat over a portion so the dogs have a place to lay down. Also have a cover and dog house. I tried pea gravel for several years – the dogs would dig in it and make mud, plus it was impossible to clean and the dogs ended up smelling like old pee. Concrete can be hosed/pressure washed and disinfected in the case of sickness. Grass is a non-starter.
I’d go the stall mat or concrete route. Anything else they’re likely to tear up and make into a mess.
Didn’t you worry about the dog learning he can “go” in gravel? Like in the driveway? I’m not super worried about this, but it was a thought. Also, I’m a little worried because he will only “go” in the weeds…I guess he likes his privacy. I figured in an emergency he would go in the grass.
My DH suggested stall mats, but the aisle in the barn is matted and I don’t want him to think he can just go on a mat…
I wouldn’t worry too much about him ‘seeking out’ the stall mats in the aisle to go on, at least for pee. Too much splash back. And typically dogs prefer a more private spot for pooping too,… I don’t know, I’d be surprised if he sought out the barn aisles after being in a pen with mats. Gravel, yeah we have some dogs (fosters) that seem to prefer Gravel, but I don’t know if they’ve been kenneled previously or what.
Pea gravel will probably encourage digging more than larger stones would. Grass won’t stay grass for long, especially if it’s already in a shaded area (at least that’s my experience with our yard-the shaded areas have trouble keeping grass, and that’s where all the dogs hang out as well… Perma-dirt.
Probably what I’d do is make the area around the dog house/shelter raised/crowned a bit to make sure it stays dry, and put something over it like a stall mat. I’d keep the grass/dirt area for the rest of the pen. Mats over the whole area might be too warm if it gets hot and sunny in summer, but having a section matted might be nice/warmer/dryer than the dirt on those chilly spring mornings, you know?
I’d also put his water buckets in a raised /well drained corner, maybe over matting too, if he’s a water hound (we have a few that just LOVE making mud pits with the water bowls!).
if it’s only for a few hours a day, leave it grass.
I knew a breeder of GSD who had the individual kennels done in concrete, the center left open and filled with sand. Easy to clean. All opened to a grassy section, basically a big play area for all, but these dogs were kenneled 24/7 aside from play/training time.
I had made a big kennel for my Dalmatian when we had to go to work. only the grass by the door suffered (plus she spend most of her time, working on busting out, and man, she found a lot of different ways, including tearing her way through a thin plywood door, after the yanked the welded wire covering away…)
It is only for a few hours a day…and not every day at that. I’m very lucky that I have a seasonal business and DH works construction, so when I’m off he’s working and vice versa so someone is usually home.
I just wanted him to have a place outside on nice days, so he didn’t have to be in the garage in his x pen when we aren’t here. That way, if we wanted to be gone longer he doesn’t have to “hold” it so long. Which is kinda dumb…I mean he holds it all night, but still I feel kinda guilty.
I’m with you-- although I keep the dogs crated inside when it’s 100 degrees and humid, I think they prefer to be outside whenever possible so they can be in the thick of things! My three GSDs are in the kennel (20x20) together during the day when DH is working the horses. Otherwise they like to ‘help’ and get underfoot. I haven’t noticed them fixating on any new surfaces for doing their business or spontaneously deciding that because they have mats in there that the stall mats are the place to go. Ditto concrete. Mostly they hold it until we let them out for a romp. The 4 month old puppy will occasionally poop in the corner of the pen, but he’s still a baby. However if someone is sick the concrete is great. We had… something run through the pack (literally) a few months ago and being able to splash quat and hose off the concrete was great. Felt like I was stomping on each germ personally. 
I do love the suggestion about the sand in the middle. Will keep that one in mind for future iterations.
We have river rock in the runs, and it works quite well, they don’t track it in like the pea gravel and it is a little harder to dig in. I don’t care for concrete, some say it flattens the feet. Some people use pavers embedded in rock.
You might want to put a Kuranda or other type of bed in the run so the dog can lie down and look around, they often prefer that to a doghouse. It will stay cooler than a stall mat.
Mine would probably not eliminate in a ten by ten area unless they really had to, too small. But some dogs would.
[QUOTE=Houndhill;7678707]
We have river rock in the runs, and it works quite well, they don’t track it in like the pea gravel and it is a little harder to dig in. I don’t care for concrete, some say it flattens the feet. Some people use pavers embedded in rock.
You might want to put a Kuranda or other type of bed in the run so the dog can lie down and look around, they often prefer that to a doghouse. It will stay cooler than a stall mat.
Mine would probably not eliminate in a ten by ten area unless they really had to, too small. But some dogs would.[/QUOTE]
Hmmm…we have a bunch of river rock still for landscaping. I like that idea better than regular gravel I think.
I don’t really have high hopes he’ll go in there…I see him peeing, but not pooping…but at least he’ll have the option, and I don’t have to feel bad!
[QUOTE=asb2517;7678764]
Hmmm…we have a bunch of river rock still for landscaping. I like that idea better than regular gravel I think.
I don’t really have high hopes he’ll go in there…I see him peeing, but not pooping…but at least he’ll have the option, and I don’t have to feel bad![/QUOTE]
Right! He might vastly prefer being outdoors, I know mine would, but some dogs might prefer being inside. I think it’s great that you are giving him the option, you will see which he prefers. And, if he really has to go, I’m sure he will.
We have a small kennel that was extant when we bought this house. It originally had wood chip footing over dirt. That didn’t last long with our two. After a couple of experiments, we ended up with stall mats over the dirt (removed the wood chips and leveled the ground) with cedar shavings on top. Gives the dogs a place to pee, and keeps the fleas off at the same time.
I’d love a kennel for just the same reason; I am home most days but when I can’t be home, it would be nice to have a secure place. If I were going to build a kennel - it would be bigger than 10x10 just to make sure they will use it for eliminating. And I’d probably use small, round gravel as the footing. My dog’s breeder had a huge yard/kennel of the same, and she had lots of choices in her 30 years - she feels it’s the best. Concrete can be very hard, and hard on their feet if they run; and if you’re not diligent about their nails, can result in them being “down in pastern” if kenneled a lot (which you won’t do, but for people that have dogs living in kennels, it’s a problem).
She used to have raised “beds” made of wood, in varying sizes…the dogs just loved to climb on them and they were warmer when it was cool out. I’d also put a sunshade over part of it if I could.
Gravel the entire thing. Any grass you leave will soon be worn away into mud anyhow.
[QUOTE=asb2517;7678553]
Didn’t you worry about the dog learning he can “go” in gravel? Like in the driveway?[/QUOTE]
I’ve never had a dog make this transition.
For some it took a bit for them to know it’s okay to go even in the kennel. It’s like a giant crate maybe, so they prefer to go outside it, but again, they got used to it.
I also have one of these in both kennels: http://www.amazon.com/Coolaroo-Large-Steel-Framed-Brunswick-Green/dp/B000P7JKD6
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