cold weather for my dogs
Just make sure to insulate whatever doghouse you are making, especially for dogs like Pits who have shitty coats. A sheet of styrafoam costs $8, a cheap addition to the $50 it costs to make a good doghouse. Basically, ya cut a hole big enough for the dog to get through, but not so big he can roll out of it. Put a piece of burlap or carpet over the door, and the doghouse will stay 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.
Replies (8)
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so its starting to get pretty cold and this is our first winter here. it doesnt snow but it does get below freezing, there will be a thin layer of ice on my dogs bowls in the morning. They have dog houses, one is a dogloo with lots of sawdust inside, and the other is basically a box made out of 4x4 plywood with a small door and lots of sawdust inside. Think this will be good enough for them in this cold weather? pits dont have very thick coats.
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Doesn't get too cold here but I'm still inclined to staple a flap of cloth to hang over the door hole on my dog houses. Usually from a ruined dog bed, just have it hanging over the door hole and it keeps the dog's body heat in there. Like I said it doesn't get too cold here but I reckon this would work well in really cold weather too. It quickly heats up to being pretty toasty, there's not much space for the dog's body to heat up. A lot of dog houses out there seem like a complete waste that wouldn't keep anything warm. Might as well just stand under a gazebo as have a cube dog house with a giant hole on the front. If you're talking about the dog's surviving you're probably fine with what you have, but doesn't hurt to make their house warmer. Just cause they can endure it doesn't mean it's not really unpleasantly cold. (this attitude I have is why I'd never make a good breeder btw, lol).
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Most dogs are suprisingly resiliant but any extra comfort you can afford them to cope with the cold is good practice. Like you say pits have short hair coat so don't have much natural protection compared to a longer/thicker coat. I would definitely go for the flap of cloth over the front of the dog house. Most will see this as too much but i have built in some covered loft insulation into my dog house. Its been getting down to -10c in winter in the uk for the past few years and my dogs have coped fine with the extra insulation. When its really cold i do let them sleep in the kitchen just in case. If your dogs are over 7 years old i would bring them in but thats just me.
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Just make sure to insulate whatever doghouse you are making, especially for dogs like Pits who have shitty coats. A sheet of styrafoam costs $8, a cheap addition to the $50 it costs to make a good doghouse. Basically, ya cut a hole big enough for the dog to get through, but not so big he can roll out of it. Put a piece of burlap or carpet over the door, and the doghouse will stay 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. -
The above and... Use straw too, make it so that the dogs can burrow into it. Replace it a few times over the winter as well.
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Make a flap, stuff the box with straw, and point the door away from prevailing winds. It is also good to make the box air tight; drafts suck out heat. The smaller the box, the better. You are using the dog's body heat to keep the box warm, so the smaller the space, the warmer it can be. Also, get the dog up off of the ground. Use either a waterproof pad or elevate the floor. Cold ground draws away heat.
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What we used in rescue to bring the outdoor dog houses up was pallets. Generally you can grab one for free and then just nail the house to the pallet.
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i tried the carpet or what not to cover the door, doesnt work cause they always end up tearing it down and chewing it. i made a door swinging door with a hinge, but when i put it there my dog is scared to go inside because when i first put it, it didnt work right and it only went one way so he got inside but couldnt get out...lol. i have a good 6 inch depth of sawdust for them, and dog house is elevated with some 2x4's off the ground. I was thinking of making a smaller dog house but putting together the 4x4 plywood sheets is pretty easy. especially with all the moving i have been doing. i take these things apart and putem back together all the time. im thinking that L4xW4 is good, but the height should probably not be 4' as well. would probably make a better dog house if it was shorter. i cut up and old sweater to fit him right...lol
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