Outdoor Kennels & Runs

[Stacy_R]

I remember we had a conversation about antlers just recently...
Someone (Lisa, I think??) posted a hardness scale...
was it softest to hardest: deer, elk, moose??
Thanks.

[Dances With Empties]

Well after advice about the gravel in the kennel & not leaving him to rest on it. I went & got him a horse paddock mat, made of 3/4" thick vulcanized rubber which lays across the length of the the kennel with the patio stone on the end. Thinking it should also be easier to clean & is water impregnable. There's not a hope of him digging under it or ripping it up, as the edges are under & outside of the kennel. Figure the cushion provide by the mat to be better than a cement base.

[Karin]

Wow. Great idea. I may have to look into that.

[LyonsFamily]

I'm doing my entire training facility wall to wall in the 3/4" horse stall mats. It's great stuff. Tractor supply has them for a great price too.

[johninny]

DSs love that stuff. they can be fast and agile and athletic without dangerously losing traction. it is so funny that they realize its potential for them in seconds and react accordingly: ''LET"S PLAY !!''
it was great late night energy burn-off for TraceDog in his city life.

[Asha]

I have a couple of questions. First about antlers. We found a bunch of deer antlers hanging around our garage when we moved into our house, they're probably quite old, possibly 30 yrs. Would it be ok to use those as chew toys?
Also, I can probably guess the answer to this question, but does everyone on the forum crate their dogs? Asha is pretty spoiled and has a little bed in our non-working fireplace. When we leave she is left on a line and has a little dog house to hangout in, this is only occasionally and she usually comes with us everywhere and just rides in the car up front or in the back between our girls. Also (I'm sure you guys are gonna go wild on this one, I'm afraid to even type this!) she sleeps in bed with us. When we found her she was so scared and cold and little, I swear she still had a blue hue to her eyes. I gave her a bath and let her snuggle up with me while I read in bed and she passed right out, and now it's kind of our little nightly routine/snuggle time. Is everyone out there shaking their heads and scowling?!!! I just can't help myself, she's so sweet!

[LyonsFamily]

I don't crate all the time, but I do crate train. My dogs are allowed on the bed and furniture as long as they get off when I ask. Odin has free run of the house. Elli's working on it but our tiny place right now can't be dog proofed completely and if there's something to get into, she will. She's only crated when we leave and it's a big crate. I do teach them to enjoy being in a crate in case of emergencies or if they need be confined at my work or a dog show. I think it's a useful thing to teach, but I don't keep them locked in crates most of the time. They have separate dog beds too and Odin has an xpen for when people come over. He's not a party dog.

I also find crates great for rotating new and foster dogs around until they learn how the house works and I learn everyone's behavior and play styles.

I won't leave my dogs outdoors for a few reasons. One Odin will bite someone he doesn't know that enters the yard. He can't tell that a mail man, UPS driver, meter reader, neighbor cutting through, etc is any different than a burgler. I don't need the liability of that. Secondly, there are a lot of weirdos in the world that might try to take them for whatever reason. We're in the country now, so there aren't too many criminals looking for fighting and bait dogs like when we lived on the Southside of Chicago, but there are many people that see a dog tied up or kenneled and will set them free or take them home to "rescue" the dog. I just read a post on ABMCR's facebook page mentioning that 8 GSDs were stolen in one town from various yards all within a week of each other.

The goal of mine is always to have happy dogs with clear knowledge of the rules so we can coexist peacefully. The rules are for their well being. I want to offer them as much freedom as possible, but have the duty to protect them. I won't put them in a crate bubble, but will crate if the risks are great enough.

[johninny]

as usual I agree with Stephanie. I never even owned a crate until I fostered a dog for NADSR that needed a crate to protect himself from throwing himself through glass doors/windows if I had to go outside the house without him for even a moment. [ but then he mangled the heavy wire crate the one time I left the house/property in the car; he had bent it up enough to get out momentarily if I had been gone for 35 minutes rather than 30 ! and with blood from his mouth splattered all about. ] anyway, I digress. so i now had a crate a little worse for the wear after some really tiresome repair work. when i got Sakima, he loved to go in there as a private place. the new pup also goes in there for serious rest. and all the dogs are taught to at least tolerate the crate as something that is not explicitly punishment, tho the ones that do not take to it as a safe place clearly have their suspicions. and it has come in handy for emergencies of various sorts and now the pup gets locked in if i am leaving the house for awhile [ as he is a terror like TD ], but he goes in the moment i say ''in crate''. does not seem to mind the crate, but does mind that i leave. i hope this will not be necessary long, but i really do not know at this point.
in the general NY area, a new criminal sport is stealing dogs [ in the city, dogs tied up outside a shop for a moment; outside the city, dogs loose or tied in yards ] and holding them reward or, failing that, resale. in richer areas it is almost certain that you will lose your dog this way if left unattended. last week i think someone was in the process of trying to get my dogs when, after prolonged commotion, i poked my head up from inside my jungle-like garden to see what was going on. people on foot, on bikes, in cars, in trucks are constantly stopping to gawk at them, but they also want to ask questions if they see me; this guy ran to his beat-up, old white station wagon - unusual in itself - and made a quick departure. i have never left any dog outside if i leave the house, but now i worry about being distracted or just unaware inside while they are out!

when 6-month old Tracedog showed up in my life over 13 years ago, he was a force to be reckoned with - a real terror the likes of which i have not seen in any dog until perhaps this new puppy -Tracer. tracedog had at least 2 dog beds in every room with great variety available. Still he wanted to sleep in my bed - something i was not able to deal with on a regular basis because of my EXTREME dog allergies. but when i wanted to reward or comfort him, i would put a cover/ sheet, etc. over the bed linens and invite him to occupy that space. i did the same with chairs, sofas. he knew if a new covering was being applied, he may be invited to partake of forbidden territory. he would get so excited. he would still wait for permission just to make sure he was right. then if the covering - usually a sheet - was removed he knew his pass had expired. [ BTW, some of his ''dog'' beds were real sofas, beds, etc. that were exclusively his domain, but his desire for forbidden domains remained unabated.]

[johninny]

Emily, on the old antler question, i do not really know, but i imagine they might have gone from just the right combo of hard/soft/moist to dry and brittle with the all-important enticement in the middle being not so enticing.
maybe someone here knows for sure, but i personally would be afraid to experiment with old antlers without real knowledge of how aging affects them.

[Asha]

I like the idea about the sheet, that definitely establishes boundaries. I think I'll try that. What I really like, in fact prefer, about her being in the bed is the fact that she's hesitant to jump down so she'll sleep there all night, totally through the night, then in the early a.m. she wakes me up to let her out. So no nighttime accidents, and I get snuggle time as well as morning kisses from the pup, I say she's the one that is spoiled, but in reality....

[Stacy_R]

I agree with Stephanie 100% on crate training. You never know when you will have a need to have your dog confined and furthermore, every dog should have a place (whether crate or xpen) where he/she can go to feel safe, or to just relax and get away. Make sure you introduce them to their crate positively and appropriately so you don't end up with torn up crates and/or dogs. I always start by feeding meals in their crates. And I never force them in. It is a process. Some dogs accept them right away, with others it takes time and conditioning.

[Christie M]

Overall, I think the kennel looks very nice and is a great way to keep your pup confined so he doesn't destroy everything and kill himself. I'm sure he is much happier in there than in a crate, although I do both with my kids.

I love the use of stall mats and I think it is a great addition. Also, check out Kuranda dog beds (www.kuranda.com). They have no edges and are "virtually" indestructible. We raise working police K9 and all of the dogs - from pup to adolescent green dogs - have a Kuranda. They like the elevated surface and it really helps avoid the elbow calluses that they get from laying on concrete, plastic crate trays or even rubber all of the time.

As a form of mental stimulation while confined, keep in mind that your pup really doesn't need a food bowl. All of his meals can come through interactive toys or resources that will expend energy even while you are away. If every night when you crate him, you give him a stuffed Kong with part of his evening meal, it will occupy his interest until he falls asleep. Initially he may refuse to eat out of stress of confinement and social isolation, but I have known very few Dutch Shepherds who would starve themselves...ever. So stuff a bunch of Kongs, makes huge frozen ice cubes with kibble (like mixing bowl sized), buy a buster cube and other interactive toys and let his meals become a "job" like they would be if he had to hunt them down.