Kennel ideas (Would you have freestanding Kennel or attach to shop?)

[KsHusker]

Hi all - I'm getting closer to having all the dominos fall in place finally on building a new house/shop on roughly 80 acres we bought.


Looking for some suggestions or input or ideas from folks ---


Here's some things about my situation:

• Presently 2 Setters - at max Id likely never have more than 4 -
• Now both are males - I used to just have females but may keep males around going forward - I dunno
• One just runs loose like a farm dog - I dont see that changing - I haven't owned him since a puppy - got him when he was about 3 and got tired of him being a fricking houdini at our present house/land which is right beside the 80 acres we bought - he's much happier being lose and just lives in the garage and comes/goes when he wants and just stays on our property, swims and lays in our creek when it's hot etc - took him getting thumped by a car (I think based on him coming up lame one morning and being scared shxtless of cars going down the road later on) and getting lost one time in the neighbors corn field and he's never left since. He's a lot happier - if you're a PETA person that sleeps with your dog and sets a place at the dinner table please reserve judgement and I'll withhold mine on yours - we shall see if he's more loyal to me and hunts more for me this fall - he's been a project but he's DAMN smart. Smartest dog I've ever had and man I became attached and loyal to all the others I've raised since puppies - but he's got some brains.
  ***The geography of our land is only one main blacktop road in front of us - traffic is nill in the evening/night - one dead end dirt road on the other side with next to no traffic - also we are completely fenced if they respect that w natural barriers to keep them in - so not like I'm in the middle of town or beside a highway - and if you haven't been around farm dogs or hunting dogs running lose you haven't explored or lived enough. All my dogs growing up were that way until I had to live in town after college.
• The other is in the kennel and I got him last year - but he's to the point where I can let him loose and go inside and he sticks around - I dont 100% trust him like the other one yet - when we move I'll either get underground fence or just let him run loose too once he earns my trust 100% -- he's like an adult puppy and we all love him
• -- I dont have house dogs anymore - used to - but dont think I'll ever go back to that.

I DO NOT want them living in my new garage - the dog now tracks in too much dirt and hair - thinking if I let them come in and out of a 40 or 50 x 90-100' shop I plan on building they'll just trash it too.

So contemplating building separate kennel where they can come and go and I can lock them up when I want or adding a kennel to the shop

Any of you have any thoughts or suggestions on what you've done/what works for you? Keep in mind I've got a blank slate and lots of room to work with - guessing adding kennel to shop I want to build will be more economical - but looking for pros/cons of having males in a kennel setup next to a metal building - Dont want them peeing all the time on metal building I'll have 100k in and rusting it prematurely in their area.

 

[akp]

We built our house and my shop back in 2008. Built a 30x40 shop with a 16’ lean to with concrete. Have two 10x10 kennels under it. Had 3 at one time but only two now. Easily hose it off twice a week or so. Has worked really well for me. Had chain link at one time but replaced with panels from Atwood’s since. Can’t remember the brand… if I ever get out of hunting I can have the kennels gone in half an hour and still have my lean to So free standing is the way to go in my opinion. Can add another section for more dogs if necessary or totally do away with them. Think the panels were around 1000 for enough to make two 10X10 kennels. sturdier than chain link.

ill try to get a pic posted this week

 

[akp]

Bad angle but you should be able to get the idea. Rinse away from the building and have a slight drop in the slab. Could move the boat for another kennel if I needed to.

 

[V-John]

"if you're a PETA person that sleeps with your dog and sets a place at the dinner table please reserve judgement and I'll withhold mine on yours"

Lol. What if you aren't a PETA person but does sleep in bed with a dog? I guess I haven't lived enough or explored enough.

One of the nicer kennel set ups I've seen was here locally. Separate outbuilding, with long kennel runs attached off of the building and a dog door that would lead them into the building into their own kennel runs. Pea gravel in the runs (about ten or so yards long) for easier clean up and so they wouldn't constantly step in and sling shit. Building has metal siding, though. Building has enough room for indoor kennel portions of dog houses, etc as well as storage for food, etc.

 

[KsHusker]

"if you're a PETA person that sleeps with your dog and sets a place at the dinner table please reserve judgement and I'll withhold mine on yours"

Lol. What if you aren't a PETA person but does sleep in bed with a dog? I guess I haven't lived enough or explored enough.

.

Call me gunshy I guess - I've removed myself from 2 or 3 hunting dog groups due to asking for tips and advice on a dog medical issue or even giving away what I considered a rescue dog instead of putting it to sleep. FB warriors are pretty harsh and the dog people can be even more nuts than horse people. The mention that I let one of my dogs free run and he was likely hit by a car at some point would send some into orbit. It was the only way he was going to learn and I'd had it with the houdini stuff - my wife even commented the other day how much happier he is - he was pretty depressed being kenneled no matter if he got out every day or not.

I just try to be easy going and try to withhold judgement and ask for the same.

The kennel idea you posted about sounds nice -- I think I'd want the dog kennel to be separate - since I'm starting from scratch and with a clean slate on everything I dont think it'd cost too much more to construct it other than materials - I'll have some economy of scale.

I like AKP's photo too - I think if I was further south I'd do it - having the polar freeze and some pretty cold spells the previous 2 winters has changed my mind on the more open concept...ha - I'm still surprised at what I believe is the weather difference in summer/winter of Topeka vs Wichita which is 2 hrs south. Just that little bit of distance definitely makes a difference IMO.

 

[akp]

That is a good point. There has been maybe three cold spells over the years when I’ve brought them in (I'm 40 miles south of the KS/OK line). Around Tulsa.

 

[V-John]

A friend of mine from rescue sent me this. I really like the concept, and hopefully someday I'll get the scratch together to build something like this. We live on 4 acres, so it should be feasible. I'd love to have them outside during the day while at work and bring them inside when I get home. (Unless they earn the right to be loose in the house, but I digress...)

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Let me know if you can't see it and I'll figure out a better way of getting the pictures up. The set up I had described above was similar to this, but on steroids with a long run for each dog.

 

[KsHusker]

A friend of mine from rescue sent me this. I really like the concept, and hopefully someday I'll get the scratch together to build something like this. We live on 4 acres, so it should be feasible. I'd love to have them outside during the day while at work and bring them inside when I get home. (Unless they earn the right to be loose in the house, but I digress...)

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Let me know if you can't see it and I'll figure out a better way of getting the pictures up. The set up I had described above was similar to this, but on steroids with a long run for each dog.

Ah those look awesome - Cokely farms N of Topeka has a setup like that - had forgotten about his until you posted the picture.

 

[Hunthemup]

My only 2 cents is-think about having a couple of more runs that you may need- Added reserved room for future dogs, or guests with their dogs on your 80 acres to train with you etc. As far as a separate BLDG that may be the way to go- much cleaner and you have the space. Although properly designed the combination of shop and dog kennels may also have benefits. A chain link fence run the long side of each separate kennel inside the shop to keep them from entering the shop portion area but having them come & go may help keep track of them when you are working in the shop.
Good luck and Congrats on your new property endeavors

 

[birdhunter6]

6' x 10' rubs
TE Scott doors
Inside 4' x 4' houses
2 x 4 insulated walls
Heat lamp in ceiling
Inside access door with clear plexiglass
Shingle roof
Carpeted floors
Outside during the day
Inside at night

 

[Goosemaster]

Thumbs down on kennel. Mo

 

[ckirsch]

I built my kennels off the back side of my insulated garage and enjoy being able to feed and water without going outside. The dogs don't have the run of the garage; they have individual interior kennels beneath a workbench countertop, with dog doors providing access to their exterior runs. This setup is also convenient when I want to let one or the other into our mud room. Mine don't get any farther than that into the house, but allowing them there provides some interaction which they seem to enjoy. I'm also able to have some contact with them each time I pull our vehicles in or out of the garage. The interior of my garage is only heated when I'm processing deer or involved in some other project, but even without heat it very rarely drops below 45 degrees, even when it's sub-zero outside (Western South Dakota). The interior portions of their kennels have insulated boxes so they stay pretty comfortable

The only drawback for me is that some hair finds it's way onto the garage floor - I have pointers and they seem to shed a lot.

 

[KsHusker]

I built my kennels off the back side of my insulated garage and enjoy being able to feed and water without going outside. The dogs don't have the run of the garage; they have individual interior kennels beneath a workbench countertop, with dog doors providing access to their exterior runs. This setup is also convenient when I want to let one or the other into our mud room. Mine don't get any farther than that into the house, but allowing them there provides some interaction which they seem to enjoy. I'm also able to have some contact with them each time I pull our vehicles in or out of the garage. The interior of my garage is only heated when I'm processing deer or involved in some other project, but even without heat it very rarely drops below 45 degrees, even when it's sub-zero outside (Western South Dakota). The interior portions of their kennels have insulated boxes so they stay pretty comfortable

The only drawback for me is that some hair finds it's way onto the garage floor - I have pointers and they seem to shed a lot.

I was really debating this but afraid of the urine smell on the concrete outside -- of course it'd get hosed off etc - I think I may make a free standing structure 20-30 yards from the garage - Just not certain yet. I like the garage convenience.

 

[ckirsch]

My lot is on a fairly steep grade leading down from the back of the house, so I put in a 2 inch drainline about forty yards down the hill. When i had the kennels poured, I had it graded toward the center of the pad, and put the drain in there. Every other day I toss some Mr. Clean in a five gallon bucket, fill it with water, and wash off the concrete, so the smell hasn't been an issue for me. Had I not had the drop on the back of the lot, I'd not have been able to run the drain, and things would probably be different.

 

[reddog]

We just moved into our 45x69 shop and this is what I did. Porta kennel storage above and room for chargers, collars,whistles etc. Double spring loaded aluminum doors from Deer Creeek go outside to kennel run. Dogs have free roam of shop, but prefer being in their kennel.