Kennel Design Project

When I decided to become a breeder of White Shepherds, I admittedly had not thought through all issues involved with such a serious hobby. As I come to each stage in the process of developing of a breeding program, I like to believe that I thoroughly research each subject and make above average decisions. My hope is that the culmination of all my decisions will result in a kennel full of beautiful, healthy, conforming, and intelligent White Shepherds with great temperaments and all the instincts that could be expected of dogs with such noble history.

My most significant recent project was the design and construction of a four-stall kennel. It cannot be disputed that the environment in which a dog lives its life will have a tremendous impact upon its health and disposition, and it is especially important that brood bitches be kept healthy and unstressed.

I spent months studying books, quizzing others, browsing the web, visiting other kennels, and sketching plans before I spent the first dollar towards construction. The final design is very simple compared to my initial vision of a row of geo-thermal, passive-solar canine condos. I hope that the following summary of design concerns will help you to provide a safe and healthy outdoor home, and also to avoid some of the mistakes I admit to.

My goal is to protect and care for, but not coddle. A kennel must protect a dog from heat, cold, wind, and other animals, and it ought to be easily cleaned.

There are two basic kennel designs – fenced pens, or a partitioned structure with either interior or exterior runs. Space does not permit complete coverage, so I will only outline here the concerns I considered, and how and why I made the decisions I did. I believe that this project is both small and large enough to relevantly assist any dog-owner.

The very first decisions to be made were where to put the kennels, and how to provide the most protection possible from the weather. It is almost impossible to design a kennel that is an asset to the beauty of a landscape, so a location somewhat removed from view is preferable. The location should be shaded from the mid-day summer sun, and wind-shielded on the North and West sides if you are located in areas with cold winter winds, but should still allow enough air circulation for cooling in the summer heat. My selected location is under a line of Norway Spruce trees for shade, with an adjacent privacy fence providing a wind block.

Other factors in selecting this location were: 1. Very near the mudroom entrance. 2. Visible from windows I am frequently near. 3. Ready sources of water and electricity.

There are a wide variety of materials that can be used for the floor of a kennel run. White Shepherds are unconcerned with the cleanliness of their coat, and would be more than happy to have a dirt surface, which does have the advantage that it is soft for their feet. Additionally, they can dig to cool themselves, dig to bury things, or dig just for the sake of digging. Digging is also a means to escape or for other animals to enter. This is a crucial factor to consider, and especially so with intact bitches.

To avoid digging, I discarded as options all loose materials such as gravel or wood chips, despite their attractive upfront cost. Loose materials also fall short with respect to cleaning as "sanitation" isn’t remotely possible, nor is removal of all waste. Any loose material surface will also require replenishment as it degrades, is removed with waste, or tracked out of the run.

Hard surface options include, concrete, masonry pavers, wood, tile and others. The main drawback to hard surfaces is joint strain and splaying of the toes. Cost and appearance are early factors driving surface selection decisions, but most important are ease of cleaning and porosity. A porous surface can be sealed to prevent it from becoming a breeding medium for all sorts of nasty germs and also from becoming saturated with urine.

Also important, a rough masonry surface can quickly wear through even the toughest foot pads, especially when the surface is wet. Since concrete can be smoothed enough before it cures to prevent an abrasive surface, and easily sealed to prevent absorption of urine and germs, it is my material of choice. If time and money ever permit, I’d love to lay tile over it just for looks. I’d use an epoxy grout, as it is completely non-porous, and then seal the tile surface.

The layout of a kennel is as complex as that of your home. Some questions to answer in the design are:

I’ll limit my discussion on this subject to the size and shape of the pens. The most important factor here is exercise. White Shepherds need to run! If your dogs will be not have daily opportunity to exercise outside of the kennel, then they need a narrow kennel at least twenty feet long. In my case, my dogs get many hours exercise of exercise running free in the yard each day, so a smaller, square design works for me.

The most common kennels are pre-fabricated chain link panels sold specifically as dog kennels. I chose not to use these panels for a number of reasons, first of which is they are ugly. Secondly, though fairly cost effective for a single kennel ($200 for an 8’ x 10’ x 6’ pen), they are less of a value when you need four. Thirdly, they do not allow much room for custom kennel dimensions, they are only 6’ tall, and they prefer to rest on a level surface. Lastly, the panels must rest on a horizontal bar, which does not allow flushing debris or waste underneath. Their only redeeming feature to me is portability

I opted to set 4"x 4" posts in the concrete pad, finishing the pad with an arched surface such that liquids will not pool on it. I chose 6’ "No Climb Horse Fence" over chain link, mainly for the cost benefits. It sells for around $110 for a 100’ roll, and I figured if it’s strong enough for horses, it should easily hold White Shepherds. It is galvanized 12.5 gauge steel wire in a 2" by 4" mesh, knotted rather than welded, with 10 gauge wire at the top and bottom. I set the bottom about 2 inches off the concrete, which allows debris to be flushed underneath.

There is an important additional disadvantage to both of these fence materials. It is very possible for a dog to get it’s paw caught when jumping, and I am aware of instances which have required amputation of the limb. I plan to remedy this danger with fine mesh hardware cloth at the level the front paws contact the fence around each stall.

My initial plan was to cover the kennels with translucent corrugated plastic panels, but cost encouraged me to reconsider. I am not only concerned with keeping out the elements, but also tree-litter. After experimenting with various tarps to my displeasure, I have concluded that a rigid, sloped roof is necessary and will construct one in the spring as originally planned.

The old fashioned doghouse with a hole in the end has surely housed many a dog, but the design has a great deal to be desired. When I thought about how I wanted a doghouse to work, I knew I didn’t want to have to get on my knees and reach through a little hole when cleaning, or to pull out a stubborn animal. A hinged lid was a must. It seems that there are surprisingly few manufacturers of such doghouse though, and all whom I found make their living providing custom "boxes" to the hunting dog community.

I chose to order 4 boxes from a one-man outfit in Ohio’s Amish country, which I found on the internet at www.regaldogboxes.com. I feel no remorse in plugging this small business as he delivers an almost unheard of level of service. Since most of his customers are hunters, and hunting dogs are rather diminutive when compared to a White Shepherd, I required custom dimensions. I also requested some special design features that he accommodated at an extremely very fair cost. When I picked up the boxes from his home-based shop, his wife insisted I enjoy some of her freshly baked pastries.

Regal Dog Boxes are foam insulated on 5 sides and aluminum sided with a hinged roof. They are available with or without a door, and with or without adjustable vents. I chose not to get the door, but may at a later date. To the standard design I added floor insulation and a divider between the entrance and the bed such that any wind coming in would have to round a corner to reach the dog.

Dimensions are the most critical aspect in the design of a doghouse, and the box must not be too large, as the dog’s body heat is all that warms the air inside. The rules for sizing a crate work fine, but it is better to err on the small side. The dimensions of my boxes are 46" wide by 32" deep by 32.5" high, with a divider separating the "foyer" from the "living quarters" such that the interior dimensions of the bed are 30" deep by 29" wide and the foyer about 15" wide.  The holes in the removable divider and entrance are 12" wide by 16" high.

A bedding material like straw or Cedar shavings is very important in the cold. Even on very cold and windy days, my dogs are obviously warm when they come out of their boxes. Cedar bedding has the added benefit of repelling insects in warm weather. In areas which reach temperatures significantly below zero Fahrenheit, I would recommend adding an electric heat mat like those available for whelping boxes.

Water

Constant availability water is so important that it cannot be over-emphasized, especially in summer. I can think of no other form of neglect that could endanger a dog more quickly than isolation without water!

My solution to this concern is to use automatic horse waterers, except in winter, in order to reduce the possibility of bowls going empty. Cold weather reduces the urgency and amount of water needed, but a frozen bowl of water is no better than an empty one. My solution was electric, insulated bowls found at Tractor Supply Company. When warm weather returns, I will either run lines to each bowl from my automatic drip irrigation system, or switch back to the automatic waterers.

I routinely visit and feed my dogs at night, and consider good lighting to be invaluable. In order to avoid code issues and expensive hardware needed to install 110 volt AC outdoors, I simply installed a set of low voltage deck lights – the metal half-dome type by Malibu - and replaced the standard 7 watt with 11 watt bulbs. Two fixtures per kennel provide plenty of light for safe navigation and inspection in the darkest of nights.

Kennels cannot be cleaned too frequently! I keep a bucket and scooper kennel-side at all times, and it only takes a minute or two to dispose of solid wastes at each visit. I spray out the runs with a hose frequently except in the coldest weather, and periodically I fill a garden sprayer with a mixture very soapy water and permethrin (the same active ingredient as most flea treatments), coat everything, scrub, and then rinse with the hose.

Runoff must also be considered. Several dogs can easily produce more waste than the average family, but while building codes require a septic or sewer system for human waste, most areas do not require the same of small kennels. If odor or insects become a problem, you can bet that the law will find you.

A thick layer of limestone gravel will go a long way toward neutralizing urine, and this is the setup I presently use along the backside where I direct hose runoff to flow. The best solution I have seen for handling both feces and urine is a gutter draining to an underground container not unlike a "Doggy Dooly." It will work just like a septic tank provided it cannot be flooded by rain, and is properly sized for the number of dogs and rate of drainage your soils can handle. (Ie. Clay soils need a bigger tank)