So in preparation for winter months

D

duckn66

Well-known member
Sounds funny to think about winter right now with some of the warmest temps of the year upon us but I hate to put things off. So, yesterday I ordered 3 Hound Heaters from the Hound Heater company in MN.

Anyway, while talking with the owner on the phone I asked how warm these would keep my dog houses. He stated they will keep them very warm well below 0 degrees.

I mentioned to him how I despise (sp) the mess that prairie hay makes in the kennels and he told me what he does. He gets 2 carpet pads, cuts them to the size of the box floor, then purchases non-fray carpet and cuts it to size. He lays down the padding then the carpet over it and screws down 1x1 boards around the boarder to hold it securely in place. He says that even in the cold MN winters, with the hound heaters his dogs stay very warm. Provides a nice soft cushion for the dog to lay on and he vacuums it out once every couple of weeks to rid it of dog hair. Says his dogs absolutely love it.

I'm going to try it out this winter and may even put a twist on his idea and carpet the walls and roof for added warmth. 3 of my houses are the pro-built brand and two are the circle dens. So far I am way more impressed with the pro-built houses than the circle dens. The Pro-built have way more door options and in my opinion better doors period.

Once I get this carpet project completed this weekend I will report back after I give it some time to let you guys know how it works out. One of my pointers will give it the ultimate test! And if it passes it should be good for about any dog.

Anyway, something to think about for you guys with outdoor dogs who also hate the mess of hay.
 
duckn66 said:
Sounds funny to think about winter right now with some of the warmest temps of the year upon us but I hate to put things off. So, yesterday I ordered 3 Hound Heaters from the Hound Heater company in MN.

Anyway, while talking with the owner on the phone I asked how warm these would keep my dog houses. He stated they will keep them very warm well below 0 degrees.

I mentioned to him how I despise (sp) the mess that prairie hay makes in the kennels and he told me what he does. He gets 2 carpet pads, cuts them to the size of the box floor, then purchases non-fray carpet and cuts it to size. He lays down the padding then the carpet over it and screws down 1x1 boards around the boarder to hold it securely in place. He says that even in the cold MN winters, with the hound heaters his dogs stay very warm. Provides a nice soft cushion for the dog to lay on and he vacuums it out once every couple of weeks to rid it of dog hair. Says his dogs absolutely love it.

I'm going to try it out this winter and may even put a twist on his idea and carpet the walls and roof for added warmth. 3 of my houses are the pro-built brand and two are the circle dens. So far I am way more impressed with the pro-built houses than the circle dens. The Pro-built have way more door options and in my opinion better doors period.

Once I get this carpet project completed this weekend I will report back after I give it some time to let you guys know how it works out. One of my pointers will give it the ultimate test! And if it passes it should be good for about any dog.

Anyway, something to think about for you guys with outdoor dogs who also hate the mess of hay.
Click to expand...

I tried that for chewy nervous bitch who made a mess of the bedding. After she chewed the " no fray carpet", and ingested it, ( of course it doesn't deteriorate, in or out of the dog!) 1000 dollars and surgery got me back to where I could give her away! I now use long cedar shavings, smell good, usually they don't eat them, but they get rank, smell when wet. So the dogs live inside with me, in my bed, or on the couch. They still stink a little here and there, so my wife and kids say, doesn't bother me:D.
 
The eating of the carpet would be my fear also, no matter how well you tack it down. Hay and wood chips might be messy, but at least they'll pass.
 
I have two of the hound heaters and they work very good. Coldest winter in a long time last year and dog houses were nice and warm. I use hay. I tried carpet lasted about five seconds before they started to rip it up so I took it out.
 
Guess it all depends on the individual dog. Right now I have 1/2 horse stall mats in the houses. They don't bother them at all.

I've tried the long cedar shavings and they just don't intertwine like prairie hay does allowing the dog to nest down into it. My experience with it was the same as straw, just pushed off to the side fairly quickly. Wood chips are even worse.

I change my hay out every weekend. I train my retrievers year round and water work as well, as long as the water is not froze. If I don't put them away wet the hay will last a week, at least that's the time frame I put on my hay.
 
Have not tried carpet, but tried hay, straw and redwood shavings.

Problem: carpeting gets wet and stays wet or freezes. My dog house has no bedding and stays dry and can dry out if the dog has wet feet or fur.

If you live in California or semi-arid climate the carpeting may work - not good here in MN.
 
That's a problem I foresee is damp/wet carpet. No way to change that out. I may just stay with the rubber horse stall mats all winter now with the hound heaters installed. I'm hoping they will keep the houses at a nice balmy 50 degrees on the cold nights.

By the way they arrived yesterday. Planned on installing them this weekend but looks like I will be hand digging up my basement wall in a couple of places by the garage now. Water coming in near concrete ties. It never ends does it......
 
I too have used the rubber stall mats for the dogs. Problem is I got white dogs and they get blackened from laying on the mats. Anyone else have this problem?
 
Nope no problems at all with the ones I have. Never had a white dog turn black or smell like old tires. I get it off the bulk rack at the farm and home supply.

Mine came from Tarwaters Farm and Home here in Topeka. If you got the big one piece mats from say TSC, then yes, those do have an odor to them. Was going to use those one time long ago until I smelled them. They smelled like a goodyear tire.

Hate having to have make shift stuff for my dogs. I wish I coiuld afford a full on indoor/outdoor kennel like my dad had when he trained retrievers back in the day. But, I just can't justify that doing only what I do with them.
 
For the crate in my Yukon, I use rugs with a rubber back and usually turn them to the rubber side. Fur doesn't stick to the rubber, no smell and the rubber has a cushion effect and seems cooler. And easier to clean than the fabric side.

I don't use them in the dog house, however...
 
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