A dog kennel can become a place of comfort for your dog.
Having a dog entails a lot of responsibility. Sometimes a kennel is a safe place to keep a dog if you can't watch it. Whether you are going on a day-long road trip, having a formal dinner party or simply want to keep your dog outside you should consider building your own doghouse and kennel. Using the correct materials and following all the necessary steps can allow you to build a solid kennel and doghouse that will last for years.
Instructions
Building the Kennel
1. Shovel a piece of ground to make it level. Choose a spot with some shade. Consider where the sun shines throughout the day so you can determine where the best shade is during the hottest hours of the afternoon. Check the ground with a level periodically as you shovel.
2. Connect two of the 8-foot-long 2- by 4-inch boards on each side of the kennel area and one on each end of the kennel area with nails to create an 8- by 16-foot wood frame to contain the wet concrete for the kennel floor.
3. Mix the 72 bags of concrete as indicated on the bags and pour it into the 16- by 8-foot wood frame in the kennel area.
4. Level the concrete with a trowel and check this by placing your level on top of a piece of 2- by 4-inch scrap wood on top of the wet concrete.
5. Allow the concrete to dry for several days until it is hardened before ripping away the wood frame with the claw on the hammer. Different environments allow concrete to dry at different rates, so be sure the concrete is fully hardened.
6. Dig four post holes 3 feet deep at the corners of the kennel area with the post hole digger. Make sure the post holes are as close to the concrete kennel floor as possible.
7. Place four metal posts into the post holes and use the level to ensure that they are perfectly level. Mix 12 bags of fast-setting concrete. Pour the concrete into the four post holes until they are filled, and allow it to dry completely.
8. Unroll the fencing around the four posts and pull it tight so it stands up against the posts before cutting away the extra fencing on the roll with wire cutters.
9. Attach the roll of aluminum fencing to the four posts with the fencing ties and plyers by hooking the fence ties through the fencing and around a post before bending the ends of the ties around the fencing again. Use at least three fencing ties on each post.
10. Install the aluminum fence gate between two of the posts that are eight feet apart using the supplied male and female hinges. Bolt the hinges to the fence posts using supplied carriage bolts.
11. Bolt the fork latch onto the fence gate using the supplied bolts.
Building the Doghouse
12. Cut one plywood board in half so that you have two 4- by 4-foot pieces of plywood to use as the front and back walls.
13. Cut six inches off the top of one of the 4- by 4-foot boards to make the back wall lower than the front wall so rain will run off.
14. Cut a hole in the other 4- by 4-foot board just large enough for your dog to get through. Don't make the hole too big, or the wind will get inside the doghouse more easily.
15. Cut the two remaining 2- by 4-inch boards in half to make four 4-foot boards. Cut 6 inches off of two of the boards to support the lower walls and roof.
16. Draw a line on the two remaining 4- by 8-foot plywood boards from the top of one corner to 6 inches below the opposite corner. Cut a diagonal slope on each board with the saw, following the line.
17.Place one of the shorter 2- by 4-inch boards at the shorter edge of one of the 4- by 8-foot pieces of plywood and nail the plywood to it from the outside using three evenly spaced nails.
18. Place the 4- by 3 1/2-foot plywood board against the short side of the 4- by 8-foot plywood piece to form a corner, and nail the plywood board to the 2- by 4-inch board from the outside using three evenly spaced nails. At this point, the corner of the doghouse should stand on its own with the 2- by 4-inch board connecting the first two walls of the doghouse.
19. Nail the other shorter 2- by 4-inch board to the opposite edge of the 4- by 3 1/2-foot plywood board using three evenly spaced nails.
20. Attach the short end of the other 4- by 8-foot plywood board to the corner of the 4- by 3 1/2-foot plywood board, forming the third wall of the dog house by hammering three evenly spaced nails through the plywood wall into the 2- by 4-inch board supporting the corner.
21. Nail the two remaining 2- by 4-inch boards to the remaining sides of the plywood walls, using three evenly spaced nails in each.
22. Nail the 4- by 4-foot plywood board with the dog hole cut in it to the 2- by 4-inch boards on each remaining corner using six evenly spaced nails. This will form the fourth and final wall of your 4- by 8-foot doghouse.
23. Place the remaining 4- by 8-foot plywood board on top of the doghouse and nail it securely into the top of the four 2- by 4-inch boards connecting the corners of the doghouse using two nails on each corner. The roof should slope down toward the rear.
Related posts
Build an attractive dog kennel with wood.You want to keep your dog safe when it is outside, but the idea of putting a metal pen in your yard is not very appealing. You can build a dog kennel with...
When building a multi-dog kennel you must consider two priorities: safety and containment. The animals must be afforded safe, clean housing without being able to escape. Many building supply store...
A cab kennel is a necessity for hunters using tracking dogs.If you are a game hunter who uses tracking dogs, a dog kennel may be a useful addition to place in the back of your truck. This project...
If you plan on breeding your dogs in a kennel, there are a few important considerations. The kennel must be large enough to house two dogs so that they have room to exercise. At the same time, it...
Though your kennel will largely depend on the size of your dog, as well as his temperament, there are also different ways to floor a kennel. Concrete and wood are two of the most popular choices....
