Need help building a kennel

[Jonsoutdoors]

Hey Everyone,
I am in the process of building new kennels for my dogs. I have 2 dogs now and will probably get one more in a year of so. I went into the search here on the website and got ideas but they were all over the place with ideas. I don't have acreage so I can't let them run. I like the idea of putting the dogs together for companionship and warmth in the winter but what about feeding time. I have one dog that eats as fast as she can and the other will nibble on her food. I am thinking of a 6' X 10' per dog, is that big enough? I have one dog that is a digger so I have to pour a part slab and a shallow footer around the kennel and then put hog wire down with rock on top of that. Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to dive in and build this only to find that there was a better way. Thanks Jon

[pegleg]

6x10 is kinda small if they spend much time in there. 2"x4" x6' horse fence or chainlink works fine and normally a hot wire around the bottom ten inches from the fence stops diggers. but you really have to look at your situation and go from there

[FullCryHounds]

Feeding time isn't an issue for me. Feeding five male dogs, just put the bowl on the ground and if you think you'll have a problem just wait around and teach them that eating out of another dogs bowl isn't acceptable. It doesn't take any time at all, hounds can be trained like any other dog. I had kennels 15 years ago and went to a one acre run with all dogs together. You'll have much healthier, quieter and much better socially adjusted dogs. I'll never go back to a small kennel. A few months after you finish your kennel, youre next post will be what to do about your dogs that are barking all the time because they are bored out of their minds, then what to do about their sore feet because that is another problem with keeping your dogs in a small run that wont keep their feet conditioned. the list goes on. Keep them together in the largest area you can make for them. My one acre run has a five foot field fence buried on the inside of the run and attached to the six foot tall field fence around the perimiter. i have one 8' long insulated dog box that all the dogs sleep in. You'll never have an escape with this type of setup. When building a setup for you're dogs, think about what's best for them, not what's most conveinent or best for you. Your dogs will pay you back hundreds of times over.

[blackpaws]

I took Dean's advice 2 years ago and built a bigger kennel.
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i started working on a new kennel for my dogs. i have decided to go with the big kennel route where all the dogs are in one big kennel together. the shed that i am building is 10ftx12ft. i am going to have 3 doors on each side and 2 on the back of the shed so if i ever have 8 dogs there will be enough. right now 6 is plenty for me. each house inside will be roughly 3ftx4ft. there will be a 4ft walkway in the shed to store my straw and dog food instead of keeping it in my garage. i plan on fencing in from both front corners of the shed for a total of 75ftx75ft. i am going to try to put pee gravel in the whole thing eventually if i have the money for it but that may have to wait.






Here is an update on my project and why i am building this to make a better spot for my dogs. every time it rains or in the spring melt, it turns in to a mud hole. the last straw was when i went down to feed my dogs, i slipped in this muddy crap and landed on my ass in the mud. i finished feeding the dogs, got clean clothes on and went to Menards. here is my progress.



there will be 4 houses on each side of the shed.


the reason for this project




Here is an update on my kennel project. I decided to go with heavy duty hog panels. way easier and way better quality.

I buried 17 inches of hog panel all the way around the shed and back filled with reject sand/gravel.



Here is what the fence looks like. 50ftx50ft around the shed.





Ok here are some more pics of the kennel. i am real close to being done. just have a few minor details to do but good enough to get the dogs in there.

Here is what it looks like on both sides inside the shed. i have 8 individual house in there.


I copied Catdog's feeding system in his new kennel set up. i love this idea because now i can just have my Daughter go feed the dogs and not have to worry about her getting wrapped up in chains or any dogs getting out of the kennel.


I have 2 buckets hanging on each side of the shed for water. i am going to run some plastic tubing inside to each bucket so all i have to do is turn on a valve inside the shed to fill up the buckets. not sure how that will work but going to try it.


Here is the end result of a day of running around in the kennel.

[Jonsoutdoors]

Thanks for the input. That is why I wanted to write a post and ask about this. FullCry, I am not trying to do what is better for me. That is why I asked but maybe this isn't a safe site to ask questions for help and advise. I have written before that there has been a lot of changes in the hound hunting since I was in it g 30 years ago and it is like I am relearning a lot of it and I am okay with that. In 5-10 years I should be getting pretty good at it but in the mean time I want to enjoy it no matter what level I am. Back then, we put our dogs on chains and a dog house, you didn't hear so much about the fancy kennels, you didn't hear so much about the specialized breeding as it is going on today, back then other hunters seem to want to help each other much more than today and the list goes on. Elmer Blankenship was the one that helped me get into hound hunting and he was one of the best I ever knew and he certainly did things differnet back then than he probably would have today. I am just asking so I become better. The arrogance I keep hearing has no room in this hunting we love. Thanks, I will do my best.

[pegleg]

i've never met Dean "fullcry" but the information he gave you was very complete and good info on top of that. the one thing you need to realize is this site can be difficult after several years just like anything else. but heres what happens. guys get on here because they like and enjoy hounds and hunting, everyone is in a different "level" with their hound experience and that makes it difficult to have the conversation you would like on here. now most of the guys who have been running hounds for a long time and learned from it are very willing to share . however sometimes they are short on time or something else is going on.the result is they either give you a short partial answer like mine last night very late. or they give you a full course on the matter but in a brisk step by step fashion. that means that either way your getting the very input you asked for. it might help to also remember that every year the same questions are asked several times and answered. everyone on here for very long can remember "that really great thread" about nearly any subject or question that is common to houndsmen where everyone had the time and inclination to discuss and debate the matter indepth. thats why we need new hunters to keep coming in and breathing new life and freshen up everyones perspective and desire to hunt. however you look at dean stated the basics to happy hounds, hunters, and neighbors. theres always some variation in everyones method but the similarities far out number them.

[al baldwin]

To each his own, however here in coast range Oregon I have found a 7 by 12 individual concrete slab works well for me and only one dog per kennel. Important to have the slab slopped enough for good drainage, also I pour the outside edges of the slap least six inches thick to keep then above ground level. Mine were poured when I was younger & able to haul clean river run sand & gravel in my pickup, did not think much about hand mixing concrete at that time, and cement was not 16.00 dollars a bag. Wife actually enjoyed helping me mix &pour. Be sure the kennel has good shade in the summer& I have the dog house outside the kennel with a metal roof covering the house and about half of the slab, of coarse a hole is cut in the wire allowing the dog freedom to enter and exit their house. Also important to have house secured a ways above the slab which keeps the dog high & dry. The metal roof also extends well beyond the back of the house keeping out all rain and giving me a dry place to store cleaning tools & etc. The top is designed to lift off the house for cleaning and adding new bedding. For years have had free white cedar shavings for the bedding. However, looks like that source has ended. I have found I prefer to use pressure treated lumber and attach woven wire fencing, rather than the metal frame kennels, makes it easier to construct this type kennel. Poor mans kennel that works very well. Just this past summer I heard that a fellow hound hunter lost his best female to a fight between two females that had hunted together and been kenneled in the same kennel for years. Over the years this has happened to hunters who never thought such could ever happen. In my opinion an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Just my honest opinion. Al

[Tbblue]

Here's some I built for a buddy last year. Next 1s I build will have 2' concrete wall between every run n then fence on top.

[newby]

Al, the kennel you described sounds very much like what I have in mind. Would it be possible for you to post some pictures of it? Would appreciate it. Thanks, Darin

[al baldwin]

Sorry Darin I do not know how to post pictures. Assure you my kennels are not pretty, one I have is actually a good 40 years old. I moved it from a previous home I had before I bought this place, coarse had to pour a new slab, but just loaded the kennel, WITH HELP SLIDE IT OFF ON THE NEW SLAB. It is actually still in very serviceable condition. Al

[not color blind]

http://coondawgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=75840

[blackpaws]

Jonsoutdoors- don't take deans advice the wrong way. he is not that kind of guy to start flinging crap the wrong way. his method of keeping hounds together has been questioned numerous times on this site. some don't think it is possible to house dogs together and have pretty much said it doesn't work and i am sure he has run out of nice politically correct ways to state his situation and opinions on keeping dogs.

i pm'd dean a few times about his set up and the pros and cons of it. i decided it would fit my dogs well and i had the space to do it. it does take some getting use to for you and the dogs. some dogs will not adjust well especially older dogs that are use to their own space come feed time. your pups that bounce around need to be taught they eat out of their own bowl until the others are finished. my dogs have learned that if they walk away from their bowl it is up for grabs. one thing i noticed right away is that when it started getting cold out, i would go down to load up to go for a hunt and 3 dogs would pile out of one house. all sleeping together keeping each other warm.

for pups, i think it is important for them to get to run the first year of their life instead of being tied on a 6ft chain or in a 6x12 kennel. their feet firm up nice, the legs are muscled up nice and they just basically all get along good together even with the older dogs. the older dogs have and will continue to put the pups in their place at times but that is the pecking order. those pups have to learn that they will be hunting and learning from those older dogs and they need to respect them.

one thing i also did was planted a swath of clover around my kennel. i have deer that come right up to the fence to eat the clover. pups will bark at them the first few times but after tri tronics and just getting use to them being around, they are conditioned to the deer. i have had 1 deer chase since i built this kennel and it was a young pup. i am not saying it will break your dogs but the dogs don't care about deer any more.

my advice is to build as big of a kennel as you have space for. give each dog as much square footage to run as possible or that you can afford. a shed is not needed. you can just use plain old dog houses but letting them have the ability to run is the key thing.

Joe

[al baldwin]

Please let me state one kennel set up is not meant for everyone, sure did not mean to offend anyone. My kennel idea is offered for those who are looking to keep a sanitary kennel in the rainy season on the Oregon coast. I am blessed to live where my dogs were allowed to exercise on my property most every day. However my experience has allowed me to realize what can happen when dogs are kenneled in group enclosures. Sure hope no one ever has a bad experience with the group kennels, however can tell you for sure have known of more than one houndsman who has lost dogs in the group kennels. Kennel your dogs has you please. Those kennels shown are something to be proud of and shows that the owners care a lot about their hounds. Very good to see the effort and have a great day. Thanks Al

[mike martell]

Hope my photo shows up here. I agree with you Mr. Al Baldwin. Here in the rainy N.W. It never quits raining and keeping your dogs on chains doesn't get it....I have a play pen and like it during the dry months. I would rather have a dog broken down a year or two earlier than normal and be healthy, parasite and disease free. I rough finished my kennel concrete floor and have no feet issues. I turn them out in the play pen but really consider it another security buffer between the kennel and the fast highway that lies right behind my property. Hunting a dog on a regular basis is necessary and the most important thing to remember....Anyone ever see a race horse sitting for a few months? Hounds are no different, you get out exactly what you put into them....Jon, good luck in Wyoming and I look forward to meeting you soon...Please keep in touch!

Mike

[Unreal_tk]

Well after this thread coming up I just fixed a cow pasture up to be dog proof without a hot wire. Blackpaws you ever have a dog challenge that fence ?