Any owner will not allow his dog to live on bare ground. It is much more important for street pets to have a shelter that will protect them from the sweltering heat and piercing wind. But domestic dogs will not give up their own house, where they can take a break from noise or games. The booth can be purchased ready-made, or you can build or make it yourself.
Types of booths
Booths can be very diverse, it depends on the financial condition and imagination of the owner. However, it is customary to divide the types of housing according to some criteria:
- The material from which the house is made;
- Type of insulation;
- Roof shape;
- Size;
- House format.
There are small, medium and large booths, this criterion is variable, it depends on the size of the pet. It can also be a house with a flat, gable or shed roof. The first option is the simplest, but does not ensure proper drainage of rainwater. The second type allows you to use the formed attic space, expands the volume of the booth. The third could be an interesting option if the roof opens up. The house can be easily washed and ventilated.
The insulation of the booth depends directly on the climate. Some owners equip several dwellings so that the pet does not freeze in winter and does not overheat in summer. There are booths without insulation (summer), with insulation (winter) and with electric heating.
The format distinguishes a kennel with a simple structure, consisting of four load-bearing walls with a passage (manhole) and a roof. And complex booths with a hallway and a separate bed. They tend to be larger and more comfortable. Another option is an aviary booth. This is a typical enclosure with one solid wood or brick wall and a protective roof.
In addition, the main typification is characterized by the material of manufacture. Houses can be made from almost any material. The most popular are brick and wood. You can construct a booth from straw, plywood, drywall and other improvised means. But the most wrong decision will be the choice of metal. It does not hold heat and heats up quickly. Often materials are combined.
From wood (boards or timber)
Wood is the most common and correct material for building a house for dogs. It holds heat well, has been preserved for a long time, with proper processing and protection it does not damp and does not deteriorate. Needles are considered the best – boards or logs, dried up to 10%, without cracks, knots and pronounced irregularities.
When building you can use plywood and sawdust, but it is better not to make the main load-bearing walls out of themch material is rapidly relaxed, does not serve long. For the skin of a wooden booth, you can choose a wooden or plastic lining, block house. The floor should be laid with whole boards without holes.
From stone or brick
A brick booth always looks more expensive than wooden. She is thorough, she cannot be transferred. Therefore, the choice of a place for such a house should be justified and one hundred percent. The construction of such a kennel can take more time, but the brick covers from the cold no worse than a treech a structure will not be blown by drafts.
Photo selection of beautiful and unusual booths
From wood
From brick
Choosing the best place to install
A place for a pet must be chosen, adhering to certain rules. It is important to remember that the most wrong option would be the content of the dog in a dark shed. The animal will not see the territory and people, it will irritate the sounds of mice or insects, electric lighting spoils the vision of the dog, the warmth of the body of the pet is not enough to heat the large room.
Criteria for choosing the best place for the booth:
- Elevation, not a pit; It is impossible to allow the booth to stand in a pool, otherwise the floor will be drew, and the dog is freezing;
- The best option would be to build a booth near strong structures (fences, sheds, houses), they will be additional protection from wind and rain;
- It is important to choose a place with a natural solid coating so that in the dirty seasonal gaps and the pet, and the owner can easily reach the house, concrete and asphalt can negatively affect the formation of the dog's paws;
- The remote location from the central passage to the house, the pets do not like when people constantly scurry past them, this brings discomfort and irritation;
- One of the most important points is a good review, the dog should freely view all the corners of the courtyard, follow the coming and leaving family members and strangers.
Wooden booth manufacturing process
The manufacturing process of an elementary booth cannot be called laborious and long. It is important to choose the right materials, know the basics of design and the rules for using tools. First of all, a drawing is built. It can be simple or designer. Of course, if a beginner is involved in the construction, then it is better to abandon all non-standard solutions.
After determining the dimensions and constructing the drawing, you need to select materials and calculate their quantity. This is easy to do, knowing the basic proportions of the future house. Then you just need to follow the instructions, use the advice of professionals or resort to their help.
We draw up a drawing of the booth
The drawing is the basis of any structure. It helps to determine the measurements, calculate the amount of materials needed. To begin with, proportions are calculated using formulas. After that, a graphic design and a three-dimensional schematic drawing are drawn up in scale reduction. The last step will be the application of a dimensional grid.
How to Build a Dog House
Do not come up with an intricate form. Extra partitions, stairs and columns will prevent the animal from moving. It is better to opt for the classic version – a cube with a ledge-veranda.
How to find out what size booth is right for your pet
It is impossible to save materials on the size of the kennel. The pet will have to spend most of his time in it, and in a cramped uncomfortable house, the animal will earn stress and problems with the support system (spinal deformity, for example).
You need to calculate the size using formulas, despite the fact that there are ready-made approximate proportions:
- For small dogs (Fox Terrier, Dachshund): not less than 60 cm high, 70 cm long and 55 cm wide; manhole: width – 30 cm, height – 40 cm;
- For medium dogs (Shar Pei, Boxer): height – 80 cm, length – 120 cm, width – 75-80 cm; manhole: width – 35 cm, height – 50 cm;
- Large pets (Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Great Danes): height – 95 cm, length – 100 cm, width – 135 cm; manhole: 40 by 60 cm.
Usually, the parameters of the future house are determined by formulas. The height of the booth is equal to the height of the dog at the withers + 20-25 cm. The length is determined by the length of the pet from the end of the tail to the claws of the front extended paws (+10-12 cm). The ideal shape is considered a cube, that is, the base should be square, in case the pet wants to lie across the house.
The hole can be oval, round or square. Its size is also calculated. Height – the size of the pet at the withers + 10-12 cm, width – the chest of the animal + 10 cm.
Do not build too much conuer. The dog warms the dwelling with its breath and warmth of the body, too large the “house” will be hard to “heat”.
What tools and materials will be needed for work
The set of tools and materials directly depends on the wishes and capabilities of the owner, planned design and the size of the future cone. If the owner already has any building materials, then you can use them by avoiding some materials:
- Plastics, varnishes, coatings releasing unpleasant odors and toxins, especially under the sun's rays;
- Slate sheets (they are harmful to humans, do not benefit for animals);
- Metal (as the main or lining material);
- Foamed polystyrene and compressed cotton wools as insulation are not suitable, they can cause allergies and reducing the olfactory ability of pets;
- Furniture wooden slabs (due to low moisture resistant).
For any construction, an elementary set of tools is useful: a hammer, saw, several types of screwdrivers, a hacksaw, nails, a chisel.
Of the main materials, it is worth preparing in advance:
- Wooden cut boards, beams;
- Lining for sheathing;
- DSP sheet, drywall;
- Brusochki;
- Styrofoam;
- Roofing material;
- Fleece or other soft warm fabric.
If a special design is planned, then the materials are selected individually. Similarly, in the case of building a brick booth (we need cement for the foundation). Also, the roof can be blocked by tiles.
Building a booth with a single-sided roof (video)
This is the best option for the boothch a cone is easy to design, convenient for a pet. In addition, many dogs like to lie on the roof. Be sure to be a slope, but not towards the laza. It is needed to drain rainwater. It is best to make the roof opening, this will simplify the cleaning of the house and the ventilation.
Step-by-step construction instructions:
- Bars are marked for subsequent cutting (the size depends on the parameters of the dog);
- The bottom frame is made (a rectangle connected by self-tapping screws; for large dogs, the frame must be strengthened with additional partitions);
- The frame is sheathed with wooden boards, foam leaves or other insulation material are laid between the bars, the structure is covered with another board on top;
- The legs or bars are attached to the outside of the frame to raise the future house above the ground;
- A long beam is sawn into 4 segments: 2 of them should be equal to the height of the booth, another 2 – 10 cm longer; The resulting blocks must be fixed in vertically at the corners of the finished bottom;
- In the middle of the walls, additional bars are also vertically installed; Two short timber forms in the front of the cone (in the highest part);
- On the outside, the frame is blocked by lining, mineral wool is laid between the bars and the resulting wall and fix it with a stapler; insulation is blocked from the inside with perconia and clogged with plywood slabs;
- For the manufacture of the roof, you need to knock down the frame from the bars along the inner perimeter of the finished frame; Foam is laid between the bars and is covered with a film; The board is installed on top so that its lower edge (by inclination) protrudes 15 cm behind the frame, and on all other sides – by 10 cm;
It is important to treat the booth on top with impregnation or antiseptic.
Gable roof (video)
This construction option is convenient for small booths, which will simply be lifted, transferred and wiped during cleaning. The principle of construction is the same – the manufacture of the bottom, frame, carrying walls and roofs.
The bars are sawn and fastened in a horizontal position so that a rectangle or square is formed. The board is nailed from the outwardly side, the insulation is laid between the bars and is overlapped from the inside of another board. Vertical bars are installed in the corners of the resulting pallet equal to the height of the future booth. In the manufacture of the frame, it is important to understand where the hole will be located, to limit it to equal bars. On top, vertical rods are connected horizontal, until the parallelepiped is completely closed.
The load-bearing walls are strengthened by additional partitions, linked out on the outside, insulated with foam between the bars and closed with plywood from the inside. It is important that the front and back walls are installed only after the roof is placed.
Roof manufacture:
- 2 bar, equal in length, is fixed at an angle of 40 ° (or large, if it requires the size of the booth);
- Make a similar workpiece and install parallel to the first (on the back of the frame), fixed with nails;
- Cut the beam equal to the length (or larger by 10 cm) and install it between the resulting blanks, the roof frame folds.
A blank for the outer wall is cut out of the lining, which in shape resembles a rectangle with a triangular prefix from above, from above, where there will be a hole, a hole is cut out. The second such workpiece should be whole. Install the skin on the failed areas of the booth.
Further actions are aimed at insulation, improvement of design and improvement of cones.
We make a booth with a vestibule (video)
A booth with a vestibule can be both with a single-shoe and a gable roof. This is an improved version of a single-chamber booth. The vestibule involves additional protection against the cold.
The construction of such a booth is standard and does not differ from previous options. But another wall-town wall is added. It turns out that the main frame will be larger than the sleeping place, which is fenced with additional bars and the main front-loading wall with a hole.
Construction of brick cones
The material necessary for construction:
- Brick or natural stone;
- Roof;
- Thread and a special level with a plumb line;
- Cement mixture, water and sand;
- Tool for construction;
- Wooden bars.
Stages of building a brick booth:
- Fill the foundation in the shape and size of the future sex, this can be done using pouring cement or gravel;
- Wooden boards are laid on top;
- Then the walls are built using level and construction plumb line (to avoid distortions); Bricks can be laid both with an edge and flat, a construction faster is laid between them;
- From the inside, the walls will be extended with felt tissue, strengthened by lining;
- The roof is formed according to the principle of the frame system (as for a wooden booth), the base can be made of bars or metal strips, it is recommended to block it with boards, but the tile option is allowed.
Insulation of a dog booth for the winter
Board insulation is especially important for countries with cold climate. Some breeds are used to sleeping in the snow, while others freeze even at room temperature. The type of insulation and its strengthening is selected individually.
Warming of the walls of the booth (video)
The above instructions propose options for building already insulated booths (foam in the frame). The summer version is done without internal casing, so a barnial frame remains from the inside, which must be lounged by thermal insulation material. Mineral wool, foam rubber are suitable for this. Do not forget about the bottom that is insulated in this way.
It is important to hang a windproof curtain on the manhole. It is best to cut it out of felt or other dense material. Sandbags are attached to the ends of the curtains so that the booth does not open in strong winds.
Insulation of the floor and roof (video)
To insulate the floor, you need to cover the outer side of the bottom with roofing material and treat it with substances that protect against damage. Inside, the floor is strengthened with a waterproofing film or roofing material; this is done using a construction stapler. Then the insulation itself (polystyrene, cotton wool) is laid and clogged with plywood or board.
The roof is insulated like a floor – both from the inside and outside, however, for the surface overlap of one roofing material will not be enough. It is better to use the same scheme by which the internal insulation of the substrate was installed.
Infrared film
This is a material that is often used to insulate booths. It is especially effective for electric heating. The film is laid between the bars during construction and in cold weather, when the underfloor heating function is turned on, the material is able to heat the booth up to 60-70 ° C. However, not all dogs need such a temperature inside the home.
Electric heating
An effective way to heat the booth is considered to be thin electrical panels that heat up to 50 °, which means that the pet will not get burned. Therefore, it makes no sense to insert them into a complex sheathing, but simply lay them under a sunbed or put them near the walls.
Building a booth can be an interesting process when the owner is ready to experiment and can cope with his builder skills. It makes no sense to buy an expensive ready-made kennel¸ when it is easy to construct it yourself.
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