DIY Dog House

How to Make a DIY Dog House

As dog owners, we want to give the best to our pets. We always see to it that they are well-fed, well-groomed, happy, and comfortable. Many of us want to provide a dog house for our canine best friend, and those who have the right set of skills make wonderful new homes for them built through love, hard work, and determination.

Now the challenge is that not all of us are gifted with such skills, and many do not even know the proper way to build dog houses, and for these reasons, we often buy ready-to-occupy homes for our pets. There is nothing wrong with it except that we can save a significant amount of money if we do it ourselves. How?

The answer to that question may not necessarily be as difficult as you might think. But first, let us get to the basics. There are two types of DIY dog houses which you can choose from: dog house kits and start-from-scratch. If you want the easy route, take the first one, but if you want something which you can work on as a 'labor of love' kind of thing, you can always build a dog house from scratch.

For dog house kits, you can find these at pet stores both online and offline. These usually include panels made of wood, PVC, or plastic; screws; roof; and some flooring. You just need to assemble them, and voila! You get a ready to occupy dog house in only a couple of hours, or less.

DIY Dog House

Here are the basic steps to follow when building the house yourself:

1. When building a dog house from scratch, you will need to have a very good dog kennel plan. You can purchase this online, or you can seek the help of a carpenter in making the plans.

2. Next, check on the measurements and make sure they are accurate. Once you have double-checked on this, cut the pieces of wood accordingly and join each panel. You will need boards, plywood, insulation materials, screws, gloves, safety glasses, nails, hammer, drill, measuring tape, and a saw.

3. Secure your dog's safety by screwing each panel tightly. Type of material used should be chew-proof and nontoxic.

4. Roof can either be A-shaped or flat. Build it in such a way that it is screwed securely to the structure but also removable so the dog house will be easy to clean and maintain. You can also opt to leave gaps at the bottom and sides so that there will be sufficient ventilation.

5. Paint the dog kennel with light colors to keep it cool.

DIY dog house plans are pretty easy to get your hands on if you know where to look. There are literally hundreds of websites on the internet that allow you to download high quality schematics in seconds. This article gives you a few tips on choosing the right guide for you.

Sizing The House To The Dog

Building the right sized dog house is highly important. There is nothing worse that spending a day building a new kennel, and your dog doesn't even use it because it's too scared to go inside! It certainly pays off to measure your dog before starting construction.

There are 3 typical dog house sizes:

- A mid-sized kennel for small dog breeds, such as Jack Russells and Dachshunds.

- A large kennel for big dogs like Golden Retrievers and Dobermans.

- A duplex-style kennel, for when you've got more than one dog. A duplex style kennel can include a removable wall, so your dogs can snuggle up to each other if they like.