Dog pen

[DannyD]

OK we now are the proud parents of a 7 year old lab....see photo.

My question is this, how big a pen should this dog have. He is walked and spent time with each day.

I have found at HD, these fence panels, 6' high and they can be tandemed together to make a pen any size. He will most likely have the back of my small barn for his "house" and the pen will attach to it. I can see a 12' wide by 20 foot long pen with nothing much to do but put it up.

any help or ideas would be great.

 

[GabeTX]

I'm a big fan of keeping dogs in the house; but it's not for everyone (or every dog...). That said:

As long as he's getting good excercise (free runs and play) several times a week and daily mental stimulation (interaction with people, training, etc.) the size of the kennel doesn't really matter too much. 12 x 20 should be fine, so long as he has a sheltered area available.

Some thoughts:
<ul type="square">[*]Think about putting a doghouse inside the barn. Dogs like having a sheltered, confined, den-like area available.
[*]Is your barn heated? If it gets cold where you live, you'll need to make sure it doesn't freeze.
[*]Dogs can climb better then you might think--I've seen a trained one climb a 7' chain link fence. If the fence panels are climbable, you might want to put something along the top to prevent climbing (maybe some of the short welded wire, angled inwards towards the pen?)
[*]Dogs also dig--you may want to bury the fence panels a bit.
[*]Think about the groundcover. If it's grass, it's gonna die. If it's dirt, you're gonna have a very muddy dog when it rains. If it's absorbent, it's gonna get pretty foul with urine and feces. Consider pea gravel or concrete.
[*]Rotate toys through daily (like loaded Kongs!) to keep it from getting bored.
[/list]

 

[tenacrewoods]

Hey Danny
I've seen pics that you've posted of your place and that pen
size would great but don't put it in the barn were you gona put the "Bota" it would just take up too much room. My bro has one of those pens and he put a dog house in the corner,bought extra fencing pipe,same size as fence panel.Cut 1 pipe in 2pcs. 2ft long & 2pcs from another 1ft long ea.Put longer pcs.1 on each side about 8ft or so from rear then run long fence pipe across pen tying the 2ft pcs. together,Put the 1ft pcs.on the back corners and tie them together with long pipe. Buy a good heavy tarp. and strap it across the middle pipe than stretch it across back pipe and down back a couple ft. Basicly your furing in a roof with fence piping and tarp.
It's lasted my Bro. 5yrs. so far and keeps dog nice and dry.
Good Luck

 

[DannyD]

thanks Guys.

I beleive we have decided to put the fence up with the barn back being one of the sides. We will cut a doggy door in the barn that leads intto the sheltered area of the barn. His dog house will be under the workbench so to say, with straw and all the goodies. This is NOT my big barn, it is the small one I have had for a bunch of years. It is used for storage ONLY now..........and it does have electric etc. I will put down 1/8 inch sheeting to protect the real floor and when it gets torn up, replace it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hi Danny,

My brother is a field trial judge. He always has a bunch of dogs, plus training some for other people. His kennels always have concrete floors. No dirt for them. EVER.

Concrete is easy to clean, sanitary and cuts way down on flees and ticks. Dog houses are just square boxs. The dogs seem to like lying on top of them.

Water is automatic so there's always plenty for them. Food is dry.

Dimensions seem to vary with the different people from what I've seen. 8x20 would be in the average range. But these guys are all really serious about their dogs and have huge pads poured with cylcone fencing set into the concrete.

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but thought it might be interesting.

Eddie

 

[GabeTX]

Instead of straw for bedding, you might look into getting a simple covered foam pad or some other pad designed for kennel use. Straw sometimes leads to problems: skin allergies, a habitat for fleas, ticks, and other bugs, mold and respiratory problems, etc.

Some people use it without any problems... But I'd avoid it.

 

[wushaw]

I have the same fence panels in a 18' X 18' size, one dog house, a 4X8 wood deck with nylon shade also 4' horse panel buried 2 - 3" deep to keep from digging out.
I also have steel fence post at every panel connection wired to fence to keep wind from moving pen.

I only put my dogs in the kennel when I'm away at work or elsewhere otherwise they have 9 acres to play on and a nice king size bed to sleep in... /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[DannyD]

I am thinking 12x18 or something like that. He will have a section of my barn for his house. The fencing will be held down with the rebar and I have some older fence for the no dig area. I am seriously thinking about the concrete pad, but may wait till I do the big barn floor and do it all at the same time.

 

[KubotaSteve]

I use the cedar bedding from TSC as it says it keeps ticks and fleas away and provides a nice aroma. Are there any problems to using that?
I keep my lab in a 10' X 10' kennel complete with a doghouse and cover. I do try to let him out to run and play a couple times a week. I'm hoping in a year he will be settled down enough to roam the entire fenced back yard (over 4 acres), but if he isn't I'll increase his kennel size. Those labs love to chew things up. I've tried everything from changing toys, chew bones, etc. but he still chews the kids toys to pieces as well as the picnic table, trampoline padding, etc.

 

[EddieWalker]

KubotaSteve,

I think your kennel is too small for your dog. Not enough room for him and it's causing him to misbehave when he does get out. Chewing in adult dogs is a classic sign that he's having issues. You also said you hope he'll settle down in time.

Labs are the best breed out there for their temperment, loyalty and intelegence. Chewing isn't something they are known for, nor is it common in their breed.

Daily exersize and mental stimulation is extremely important for all dogs, but especially in the hunting breeds. He needs room to run and he needs activity to stimulate his brain.

Basically, I think he's bored and frustrated.

Eddie

 

[Freds]

I have to agree with Eddie on your dog feeling a bit frustrated, which kind of comes across from what you are saying.
I'm not sure what you mean by you are hoping in a year he'll settle down enough to let out to roam the fenced, 4 acre yard... How old is your dog now and why does he need to settle down to run 4 acres of fenced in property?
I know I must be misunderstanding something here and that's why I'm asking. Didn't mean to get too far off topic.

 

[KubotaSteve]

Eddie,
Thanks for the advice, but I've tried just about everything with that dog. I let him have the run of the back yard (about 4 acres or so that is fenced in) before I put him in the kennel. Like I said before, he destroyed the kids toys, picnic table, trampoline padding, etc. I had him different chew toys which I switched out. I would take him on walks around the yard in the evenings and play with him. I could only afford so much damage before I had to put him in the kennel. I'll probably increase the size of the kennel this year.

 

[EddieWalker]

I understand and hope you don't think I was critisizing. The chewing is a sign of something being wrong. The trick, like everything else, is figuring out what it is. Just like kids. Too much free time and they get destructive. Keep a kid busy and they stay out of trouble. hahahaha

Some dogs are just more work than others!!

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[TC18guy]

I assume you were planning on burying the older fence to control the digging? Digging has always been a major issue with my 2 labs and my german shepard. They just do not like to be contained I don't care how much room you give them. The one thing I've learned is I have a few minutes here and there to build/repair their kennel. They have all day to figure out how to get out. Don't underestimate them.

 

[dooleysm]

My beagles dig as well. Huge holes that they can disappear in. They never dig to get out though, as their holes are randomly spaced in their kennels. It was a problem when I had them in the back yard. Now that I've built kennels off the side of my barn, they can dig their way to China for all I care.

They do like to lay in the holes in the summer to try to stay cool.

Like others have said, dogs dig when they're bored. I have to run my beagles for 2 or 3 days in a row, for many hours per day, before they get tired enough to just lay in their kennels the following day. They can go out and chase a rabbit for 4 hours and still be up all night howling and digging.

 

[wushaw]

KubotaSteve,
I hear Labs usually get out of the destroying everything stage after age two.
With four acres to run in do you have a pond for him to swim in and practice his retreving skills in?

 

[DannyD]

Well I got the fencing materials Sunday. Heres the scoop, TSC had their 10x10x6 on sale, 203.68. Lowes had the same thing, 238.00, so I comped them.........they met the price, then gave me a second "damaged" one at half the comp price, 300.00 and change I got 2 10x10's. I am going to have a 10x20 fenced area with part of the barn as his house. I also now have 2 panels to put screen wire on to use as a cover for my pond this fall.

photos soon as I start digging the pen

 

[DannyD]

I would love it right now, and will probably fix it that way when I concrete the barn floor.

Hows the house and pond coming?

 

[EddieWalker]

Danny,

Good job on finding the fence panels. I alway love a good deal. The other day I was at Cabela's in Ft. Worth and found a $200 deer feeder for $70. The box was opened and it said it was missing the hardware. Everything else was there. So for a few bolts and a little time on my part, I got one heck of a feeder for dirt cheap. I just love it when that happens.

Take some pics of the kennel,
Eddie

 

[DannyD]

Well it has been a while but I finally got some seat time and got the project back on the track to finish it out. First was to move the tank of propane. The gas company came out moved it and got it hooked back up, after I dug a REAL trench for the gas line. I started digging to level out the area with the floor of the barn that will be his house.