Above ground kennel thoughts

Curious to see if anyone uses these as permanent housing for their animals. I know many folks use them on a temporary basis (for pups or when they are isolating a pregnant or dog in keep. )I have a bunch of wood leftover from a home project, enough to to make a few kennels the size of my standard galvanized kennels (5x10).

 

I always prefer above ground! For no other reason than be able to insulate easy in the winter, and cool in the summer. Where mine are now when snow falls and the temp drops there off the ground and then staple insulation and heat lamp if needed. It helps to make the attached house with an access door, for easy cleaning.

 

i seee very popular abroad Thailand,Russia, keeps the dogs off the ground but does something for them mentally cause they dont feel so short(laugh if you want)but one guy i was talking too said everytime he put his animals thats were on a keep.He would put in kennels higher that the others it would boost them.Hey Man you want the edge you go look for things espically like countries where fight what you know.You do all to be good at.Yeah trot lets them pics cause i want one too great idea

 

...good post jacob,,,a keep had a huge part in the way they feel...

...good post as well Trot,,, a great way to control the temp for sure and ideal in colder enviroments,,,
I seen a really raised kennel set up that looked ideal for extreme conditions...
it was basically a heated tuff shed that was used for the sleeping quarters of six dogs with six individual
dog house built inside,,, eith a smal metal door or gate that allows for you to take the dog in and out and clean it easily but also lets the heated shed to warm in the sleeping quarters...
the quartes is split into two with a wind break and sometype of doorflap in the wind break that led out to about a 4x8 foot raised diamond grated floor kennel that allows the piss to flow through and the sides of the kennel panels are raised slightly to remove feces with a stick,,, three kennels on eachside of the shed and hangovers on both sides that looked like a carport covering the top of the kennels from the debris...
he also had some nice removal panels/ privacey fence that he used around the shed in the winter,,,
but removed in the summer for better air flow and to let the sun in to break down the winters accumilation...
lime salt and borax are used to sanitize the soil and every so often the grate floor gets bleached...

raised kennels ae great for whelping mothers,,, pups,,, dogs in keep and old INACTIVE dogs,,,
but for a permanent solution I would consider how much the dog gets out to exercise as keeping them in cramped
conditions has no benefit and I would be reluctant to raise a pup in one with out alot of playtime as I dont know if they would properly grow,,, mentally and physiacally...
some dogs thrive in these conditions and like their own space while others cant stand being cooped up,,,
ideally a long cable run is the best way to kennel a dog,,, the smaller the setup the less things they have to do and the get a lesser daily self exercise...

a member on here that goes by seniordragon and runs island brothers kennels has one of the nicest raised
and regular kennels Ive seen also and my only advice to that type set up would be,,,
again the smaller the living quarters,,, the more they should get out for extra curricular activities...

Kennel and Dog House set up - Page 12

 

thats super nice setups

 

beautiful indeed,,, didnt notice in the video the raised kennels he has also,,,
but its on this page,,, a very clean set up indeed...

Kennel and Dog House set up - Page 10

I dont prefer cement as its hard on the joints,,,
but if you can exercise them enough,,,
the kennel makes for a nice nest to rest...

 

Tdk has the best above ground pens I've seen. I know in July when I move I'll build at least 2 above ground pens before I move my 3 dogs and sink chains. To me they're a necessity. Keeps pups off the ground and safe, keeps in heat females safe and off the ground where they can get accidently bred, great for sick/injured dogs, dogs in keep. As you can tell they're really useful and multi purpose.

 

I agree as TDKs yard should be a standard for new comers,,,
he runs his own regisrty on the garage door witha sharpie in true colby fasion,,,
to bad he dont make informative videos to help lead the blind,,, lol...

THOMPSONS KNOWLEDGE IS POWER PT2 - YouTube

not the worse but not worth giving advice,,, imo...
this guys need some tips here,,,
dual snaps and a shit ton hardware for his dogs to sleep on,,,
his above kennel looks more of a chicken coop,,,
it looks like he went dumpster diving and scrapped it together,,,
which isnt bad to recycle if it wasnt so flimsy,,,
looks like an accident waiting to happend...

a big thing to me is the floor of these above ground pins,,,
his is framed in so you cant wash it out properly,,,
but wood isnt the best as it leaches urine and feces into it,,,
so bleaching or dissinfecting it often is a must,,,
the green wood and other treated woods are full of harmful chemicals,,,
I like the new composite lumber made out of recyeled plastic but might also make for a chewtoy,,,
AGK had some nice aluminum scaffold platforms that looked ideal,,,
HH had a nice aluminum above ground kennel that as very sanitary,,,
alot of materials to choose as a floor,,, I also seen a piece of cement board
used on top of the decking that was saeled and seemed okay,,,
so choose and build wisely...

 

When I get back home I'll post some pics. of the off ground kennels I've made. There pretty typical of whats used through the South, really easy to build! In fact a lot of the 2X4 were scavenged from A couple of construction sites. There pretty easy to clean, in fact I still need to dig A trench to hose every thing away plus A cable run in front of all but the bigger whelping pen!

 

These are the ones EP had mentioned that I had. Just to clarify, these are not mine they are BBD's. I just own the dog in it. Lol

They are very nice though. I do agree that TDK has the best ones I've ever seen. I don't use above ground pens myself. Never have. Nothing wrong with them but I have 2 indoor whelping areas in my basement along with 3 overhead chain set ups and currently in the process of building a 4 space cage set up that is anchored to my basement wall. Will go flush underneath the stairs as to not be in the way. Should work nice for me. The last thing we will do hopefully later this summer is install a ventilation system down there so my forced air furnace don't pump out the smell of dog and pups in my basement through the rest of my house. I had my basement floor done in 16x16" ceramic tile so it's very easy to keep clean. The windows have been replaced with glass block, making for plenty of sunshine down there without allowing folks to see through them. It seems I only have litters in the winter months so ventilation is an issue I fight with yearly. Most have seen my chain spots and if you think those are clean I'm 100x worse in my house with my OCD. I'm very particular in my home and whether I have 1 or 10 dogs in my house at one time, you would never know or smell that I have any. That's just how I like it. Lol.

I prefer to do things inside rather than outside simply because I don't want to take care of pups in the winter outside here with how bad our winters are. I hate the cold just as much as they do and don't want to be out in it any more than I absolutely have to be. Bitches in heat come in and go on an overhead chain. Sick, injured or geriatric dogs are crate and rotated. I'd eventually like to build a above ground or 2 but really I just don't have a need for them so it's not high on my priority list.

I don't even keep Bitches that other kennels send me to breed outside ever. I don't want to risk anything with someone else's dogs like a yard accident, getting stolen etc so my indoor set ups are mainly for those situations and when I have litters.

 

I would've used hog panels instead of that fencing. They're way stronger and priced around $20-30 for a 16' long 3' tall section. (Not meaning that to sound like I know better or to down grade that fine pen. I really like the flooring idea.) The openings may be a little wide for pups but work great with adult dogs.

Sounds like an interesting set up AGK. I may have to high jack that idea. I'm looking for a different place but may not quite get the country paradise like treez. I have to say for being in an urban setting you have one of best yards I've seen. Would you mind possibly posting pics of your basement set up? (if you dnt want to for security reasons or just being lazy I understand lol). I also wouldn't mind picking your brain on space and set ups if you're willing to help out.

 

I will snap a few pics when I get home later. I work 10 hour 3rds so I'll upload them after I wake up this afternoon sometime. Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it. I take the care and husbandry of my animals very seriously, even more so when the animals are not mine. I'm not known to do things half assed. Most people I deal with regularly know this about me and have no problems sending their bitches to me to be bred without having to worry about their care. Many would also send a stud for me to use here as well if I needed it. They know their dogs are in good hands here.

Feel free to PM me or post here, whichever you prefer with any questions I may be able to help you with. I don't know it all but I've been around the block a time or 2.

 

I also agree about the hog panels. If those were mine I would have use goat panals, same as hog panels just smaller grid. Think they are either 2x2" or 3x3".

I've had a few that would eat right through that fencing on the pens. BBD though has never had an issue with one getting out of those.

 

One of my older indoor whelping areas. Was looking through my photobucket account and came across it. I'll post the other pictures when I take them.

 

Sweat Treez! That's exactly how I make mine even the flooring! Very popular design through the areas I live. One thing I need to do is cut A trench under the floor and make A way of just washing every thing from the pens down to one area. I found A receptical that breaks everything down and it leaches back into the ground. I have A huge problem with deer flies, if I don't stay on top of it!

 

...very nice treez,,, when I retire I hope to live like you buddy and have a bit of paradise as you have shared,,,
an example back and forth on a nice set up and good husbandry,,,
you should make an infromative video to share as all the thompsons are faking the front and misleading...

...agk,,, is that a rocking chair,,, how do beat that husbandry???
do you rock the pups to bed??? I havnt sen better care taking in both agk and treez set ups...

...thanks for sharing a rarity that should come standard,,, great husbandry!!!...

... I like bbds old set up but agree about using hog panels instead of the small gauge wire mesh...

 

Thanks, yes that is a rocker. Lmao and yes it gets used. I don't want to stand while I'm down there spending time with the pups. I always had to remove it once them turds could get out of the box. They'd chew it to shit. Rocked both my children in that there chair as babies too. In there rooms not the pen lmao.