How to keep your dogs safe?

I wanted to know for all the people that keep their pitbulls in kennels outside how do all you manage to keep your dogs warm during winter if you don't keep them in the house?

From my personal experience I have a big shed where I keep them during winter with heaters. My shed is actually inside my kennel.

 

My dogs dont stay outside when im not home. I only have one pit and she has turned out not to be game. Oh well. I am getting 2 more pits in a few weeks and the male is going to be an outside dog. He is supposively game. I have a mixed dog with a rare blood disorder that cant be bitten because it can kill him.

The dog will have a dog house filled with straw. He will be fed a high fat food during the winter to help keep him warmer and he will also be on a chain so he can get plenty of excercise. Thats about all i really have to do for him in South Carolina. Now if i was still in NH that would be a different story.

 

Well Both Mine Are Outside. Both Dog Houses Have Clear Plastic Flap On The Entrance And Straw Inside Them And I Check There Houses Daily.

 

i've got a 25 by 25 foot dog pen thats connected to a storage building and it has a doggy door so they can go in and out and i have a heater that has a thermostat so they can stay warm

 

Make sure the dog house isnt too large, you want it small to keep their body heat in. Flap on the door that closes after entrnance. Fill with what you choose, I use old blankets and replace them after short periods of time. Also I stack bails of straw (about 5) around all sides of the dog house except the front entrance. Some people use a light bulb inside, but I have never tried this. Just make sure to keep the dog house up off the ground

 

I like straws but I'm just afraid that a fire could start from some heaters or heat lamps. I usually just put blankets. Do you guys think that maybe this year I should try to to cover the shed with a tarp?

Only reason why I posted this thread is one of our ASS neighbors reported saying that our dogs are not being treated properly during the winter and that we let them freeze.

 

thats another thing I forgot to mention.....I try to get a windbreak on as many sides as possible everywhere there is a dog. For the kennels, they are wrapped in big waterproof tarps on all sides excluding the front, and the top is also wrapped. The wind and blowing snow is the worst IMO, cutting down on that will do the most good for your dogs health.

 

All weather doghouse is the way to go...

http://www.dunkelkennels.com/doghouse.html

 

i use a short electric heater with a thermostat,,when its cold they won,t mess with it, the only trouble i've ever had is my bitch chewed the cord in half

 

That is a good design, and no doubt great if you have multiple dogs and need to build a couple cheap quick houses without sacrafice! Only complaint I have with it....the pallets underneath, I found them to break fairly easy and also the dogs love to chew on them. Still an A plus design.

 

I have used dog houses similar to this but with the offset door to act as wind break also. Mine seem to fair very well with it.

 

Radiant heaters inside the kennels and for those not in the kennels they get heat lamps and lots of hay.