Winter dog house – taking care of the warmth of your pet

When the frost grows stronger on the street and snow falls, you just need to take care of the pets living outside the door of the house. If your dog hibernates in a booth, you need to do everything to keep it warm. Our tips site will tell you what an ideal booth should be, designed for use in the cold.

The portal has already written and showed with examples how original booths and houses for dogs can be. However, in winter, beauty fades into the background, the main thing is that the pet is warm and comfortable..

First, let’s decide on the size. Remember that the dog will heat the booth with his breath. And the smaller the kennel, the easier it is to warm it. But at the same time, of course, the dog must freely enter and fit there! For clarity, the optimal sizes of winter kennels for dogs are given in the form of tables..

The width of the entrance (manhole) to the booth	Equal to the width of the dog’s chest, but add 5-8 centimeters
Manhole height	The height of the dog itself at the withers, here, on the contrary, needs to be subtracted about 5 centimeters. The animal will be able to slightly tilt its head, climbing into the kennel
Booth width	Equal to the length of the dog, measure from nose to tail
Booth height	Equal to the height of the dog while sitting, plus a small margin so that it does not rest against the ceiling
Booth depth	Take the length of a lying dog with paws extended forward

Important! The dimensions indicated by us can be increased slightly, by 5-10 centimeters. Suddenly the animal gains weight eventually. You can’t reduce it, the dog will be cramped.

Booth dimensions for small dogs such as dachshund	Height 60 centimeters, length 70, and width 55 centimeters
House sizes for medium sized dogs such as Rottweiler or Shar Pei	Height 80 centimeters, length 120 centimeters, width 75 centimeters
Booth sizes for large dogs such as German Shepherds, Alabaevs, Caucasians	Height 95 centimeters, length 140, and width 100 centimeters

Now let’s give the rest of the requirements for winter doghouses:

• The booth must be on the platform! This will avoid the risk of flooding when the snow begins to melt in spring. In addition, it will be colder in a booth that is just on the ground or asphalt. Therefore, a wooden platform, a brick or concrete foundation is simply necessary.
• It is best to set up the kennel on a raised platform so that the dog can easily view the surroundings. In this case, the kennel must be protected from the wind, so you should take care of the presence of a shed, fence, and other structures nearby, covering the yard guard.
• The easiest way to make the roof is to make a pitched roof, reliable, so that it can withstand the weight of the snow. It’s great if the roof is removable so that it is convenient to clean inside.
• We advise you to equip the laz not in the center, but a little from the side, so that it shines less inside.
• They insulate the booth reliably, as for themselves! You can sheathe the kennel with penoplex, siding, make the roof soft or slate.

Important! The ideal and easiest way to insulate the booth is to use felt. It can be simply nailed to the walls and roof with nails; you do not need to cover it with siding or clapboard on top, as is the case with mineral wool or foam. Felt is a natural material that “breathes”, it will be dry and warm in the kennel.

Even in a high-quality insulated booth in winter, you need to put hay or straw. This is the best dog litter ever. The sawdust damp too quickly and will have to be changed frequently. Don’t spare the straw! Put more. The superfluous dog will throw out of the kennel itself, having arranged a warm nest for itself. Add hay or straw about once a week.

In addition, in winter, the access door to the booth must be covered. Tarpaulin, plastic wrap, an old blanket … Anything to keep the warmth inside better, and the pet can independently choose and enter the kennel. Yes, many dogs love to play with the curtain, pull it away from the booth. Most likely, you will have to change the curtain at the entrance to the kennel a couple of times during the winter season, but without it the dog can be cold. You can buy ready-made silicone curtains for the dog’s access. They cost about 500 rubles.

In addition to insulating the booth, take care of the dog’s nutrition. In winter, they usually eat more, serving food outside, you need to warm it up a little so that it does not freeze right away. In an insulated booth, behind a curtain and on a soft mat, your protector will calmly survive the winter, continuing to faithfully serve the owners.