Need insulated doghouse help

[studor]

Why not run wire and put in a doghouse heating pad? That way you are sure the dog will be OK and condensation will not be a factor.

 

[davitk]

I agree with Eddie, don't vent it and for crying out loud stop over-thinking it!! Seems to be a problem on this site

 

[sixdogs]

Wow...thank you all for the info I was looking for. As far as info goes, i get the best advice on this site.
KHNEWMAN hit it right on and had the actual experience. I had seen the plans he linked to and used it as my base. I asked a beagle guy/nut that HAS 50 BEAGLES! and he helped me pick a proper small sleeping size. As mentioned, I built a house within a house so they can get out of the winter

cold but also have an uninsulated buffer. Here is the 3 ft X 5 ft house mostly complete. The main sleeping room is insulated and is on the right. For a top to this room there will be a piece of OSB that fits on top at a 20" height followed by a thick piece of foam and another piece of OSB. They are removable so dogs can be checked and bedding changed. I don't want to overthink this but moisture in winter is a killer and I am trying to help, not hurt, these little beagles,
The base is a sandwich of of PT ply with foam inside and an OSB top for the dog's area.
Remember, this is a pro bono free (but not for me) project for my neghbor's dogs and not my own. Mine are Springer Spaniels, are well-behaved and are inside.
Tonight I'll do the siding and lift-up roof and should be good to go. I'll post more photos as I try to recall how to post a jpeg. I forgot.
Eddie--how are you doing on all of those listed projects? Seems like you are, or should be pretty busy.
Thak you all.

 

[gemini5362]

I didnt have the time to build my dog a house ( I temporarily inherited because my son had to get him out of where he is living) I just bit the bullet and bought a insulated igloo style dog house. The weather here has hit high 20s a few times and it is a doberman with short hair. I am not sure how warm the doghouse will keep him. He has never went in it yet and everytime I look he is laying on the ground no matter what the temperature. I would get a cardboard box and see if the beagles will use it before I built a good dog house. Considering what the doghouse I bought cost I am not a happy camper that the dog is not useing it. I am in the process now of putting feed into the dog house for him, to try and coax him into it.

 

[davitk]

I didnt have the time to build my dog a house ( I temporarily inherited because my son had to get him out of where he is living) I just bit the bullet and bought a insulated igloo style dog house. The weather here has hit high 20s a few times and it is a doberman with short hair. I am not sure how warm the doghouse will keep him. He has never went in it yet and everytime I look he is laying on the ground no matter what the temperature. I would get a cardboard box and see if the beagles will use it before I built a good dog house. Considering what the doghouse I bought cost I am not a happy camper that the dog is not useing it. I am in the process now of putting feed into the dog house for him, to try and coax him into it.

Best of luck, we had a doberman/shepherd mix who passed this spring at 13, stubborn dog. He used his igloo to lift his leg on - he hit the opening most times but never went inside himself. SWMBO kept him in the house (he peed there, too).

 

[KHNewman]

gemini - beagles are denning dogs so they love their doghouses. Breeds like dobermans don't tend to den as readily, my labs wouldn't go in a doghouse if I built a castle for them.

I don't believe he is overthinking it, I would say keeping my dogs alive or a neighbors dogs alive deserves some thought especially if you don't have experience or someone to ask. The poor dogs need to stay alive and comfortable in some rough Ohio winter weather and they deserve a properly built shelter. It is not a one size fits all answer.

Thanks for posting the pics, the design looks like what we used to build. Removeable roof is definitely important and I left that out of my original post.

Definitely post pics of the finished doghouse.

 

[sixdogs]

Kevin--I see you are from Long Island. Anwhere near Montauk?
It's a long story.

 

[KHNewman]

No I'm in Huntington on the north shore about 1/2 way out on the Nassau / Suffolk line...we are about 2-3 hours from Montauk depending on traffic.

 

[MarkV]

The dog house looks great to me. I also would not vent. There will be enough natural air flow to take care of any problems. The only thing I would change is add insulation to the entry chamber. It isn’t much and would help keep the sleeping chamber warmer.

Pretty nice in my book to do that much work for the neighbors dogs.

MarkV

 

[2manyrocks]

I have had the same issue with the igloo type doghouse of some of my dogs absolutely refusing to go in it. They have no problems going in the barn shaped plastic dog house, but a couple of them refuse to set foot in the igloo.

Suggest you put some skids on the wooden doghouse--will make it easier to move in the future. Looks like it is going to be heavy.