The Dog House

When built properly, dog kennels and dog houses serve a multitude of purposes. They provide shelter from weather as well as a place of solace that dogs can know as their own. A dog house is also an alert to would be trespassers that their is a dog on the property. Whether your dog is an indoor dog or an outdoor dog, having a dog house or some form of dog kennel is a great idea. Here are a few basic guidelines for selecting or building a house for your dog.

Size is very important. You want your dog to actually use the house so it should be comfortable. Dogs obviously don’t care about the name brand of products or even aesthetic details however if there is not enough room for your dog to move around comfortably, it will be undesirable or of no use at all.

• The roof should be 25% to 50% higher than the top of the dogs head.
• The door should be .75% (three quarters) the height of the dogs shoulders.
• The inside should be 25% longer than the dog in all directions.

It doesn’t need to much bigger than that as you want the dog to feel enclosed, private, yet still be comfortable. Depending on the size of your dog and thus the size of its house, you may want to consider air flow. A bigger dog house may need a ventilation window in the rear to allow for a flow of fresh air.

If you are in a place that has extreme weather, cold or hot, you will need to take extra care to be sure there is a clean water supply at all times. You will also need to be sure the water is at a suitable temperature for drinking. For cold weather there are stainless steel water dispensers that will keep the water a good temperature even in the most extreme conditions.

Not all dog houses are for outside use. The benefits of having a place the dog can call his or her own can be just as effective indoors as well. A dog cage with enough room will suffice for an indoor dog house. The indoor dog cage can also act as a “time out” area where you send the dog when its behavior becomes an issue. Training your dog with a dog cage is a great way to avoid violent reprimand.

Dog houses are very useful for both the dog as well as the owner. Whether your dog is an inside or an outside pet, providing a dog house is a great way of letting your dog know you care.

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Dog Training

We are all familiar with the kid who was bad in class and was sent to the chair in the corner of the room. Training a dog with a cage or a dog kennel can be used in a similar manner.

Two things are common knowledge, dogs love people especially their owners, and dogs can be trained. The success of dog training is closely related to their feelings for the trainer. If it is someone they trust the training process tend to be much more successful and take less time. Something else that is common knowledge is that if a dog is trained using fear and bullying, the result is usually a much meaner, distrusting dog. However if the dog is trained with love and affection the result will be a happier dog who thrives on pleasing its master.

Using a dog kennel or dog cage as a place for a “time out” is a much more more humane method of training when compared to hitting the animal. The time-out method works. The dog is isolated from people and without dog toys or any other distractions in order to ponder on the misbehavior it has committed. Whether a dog has the attention span to actually ponder one of its actions is up to the owner to decide however, if the punishment is done immediately after the crime is committed chances of it working are much better.

When dog kennels, dog crates or dog pens are used for time outs, they should have plenty of water but no dog treats or toys. You do not want the dog to be afraid. You do want the dog to know that he or she is being punished therefore isolating the dog for a little while with some water will let him or her know that even though they are still a loved member of the family, the previous behavior is not acceptable. After a 10 minute period or so the dog is let out and all is well.

I know of several dogs who were trained with this method and it does work. In fact, I saw one of these dogs put himself into the dog cage after knocking a glass of water of a table. The dog knew it did a no-no and proceeded to go ahead and admit its mistake and live up to his punishment. The owner simply said “good dog” in a non-playful tone as affirmation. 10 minutes later he comes back, tail wagging (away from any glasses on the table) and all was well.

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