Dog House

[Kemal Can]

Ladies and gents,

I have a beautiful male Tatra Sheepdog. When I took the boy, I bought a dog house with insulation (wasnt experienced with this kinda stuff) as the nights can really go cold out here up to -10 celsius, sometimes even worse. We do not let him inside, so he stays only outside in the fenced garden all the time. If the weather goes sour, then he will sleep in the garage from time to time.

I didnt pay so much for the dog house so I was not expecting super quality stuff but I was not expecting it to be like below photos after half year. Last month when I checked it was good but when I looked today after cold 4 weeks, it seemed like attached photos.

Would that be something expected after extreme (maybe not so extreme) cold or it is about the baaaaaad quality? How would you comment and what would you suggest?

 

[Hemlock]

I don't know about quality, but if you put a really thick newspaper base under the cloth bedding, it is good insulation. And it is easy to dispose of, and replace when needed.

 

[Kemal Can]

I don't know about quality, but if you put a really thick newspaper base under the cloth bedding, it is good insulation. And it is easy to dispose of, and replace when needed.

I have tried some cardboard and other stuff on the floor but my monster loves to chew this kind of things, I ended up with some plastic board on the floor. But I see that the side which is on the photo is wet, that is kind of weird. I can see that everything was screwed properly and I painted the external parts with waterproofing paint. Maybe it was not just enough.

 

[JudyN]

I can't comment on the construction, but wonder if there's a possible that the damp may lead to unhealthy spores? If so, you'll want to try to replace/repair this as soon as possible.

 

[Kemal Can]

spores

That is my main concern, dont want little one to get sick out of it. I just tried to go in and check but i cant see any crack or nothing but the walls are little wet. I cleaned them with soapy water and dried but it ll come back again.

I will contact the guy from whom i bought the dog house and ask him, if we wont be able to deal with it, gotta buy a proper one though.

 

[Alec Littlejohn]

That is my main concern, dont want little one to get sick out of it. I just tried to go in and check but i cant see any crack or nothing but the walls are little wet. I cleaned them with soapy water and dried but it ll come back again.

I will contact the guy from whom i bought the dog house and ask him, if we wont be able to deal with it, gotta buy a proper one though.

Ya It definitely seems like improper construction if that is happening already. I was looking at a few houses for my dog as well, let me know if you end up getting a new one. Would like to see what you find.

 

[Kemal Can]

The guy who sold it, he told me that this is because of montaging error ( he means i did something wrong when I put em all together) We painted all except for roof, a few time. There were no mistakes, I mean all seemed to be put together well and there were no holes between parts.

I also bought thick PVC to the roof of the doghouse to keep the rain/snow away from house which costed me 1/3 of the price of it. So the guy says he can send me a new doghouse for halfprice but i rejected it. If it is the same same quality, it wont end up for another year.

I was looking at this one:

ECO Kennel Hendry - New products - ECO Kennel Hendry - Pet - Albert Kerbl GmbH

Quite pricey though, around 270 GBP. In Poland, I found that they sell it cheaper now for around 200 GBP so I am thinking about it.

If it goes for long years, I am for it. it is pushing my budget so I am still in search but this is the best i was able to find. And below is the answer to my questions which I sent to this company:

My question:

"I live in South part of Poland and we have breeze at nights during winter, it can go down to -10/-15 C degrees.

Is it insulated enough to keep the dog safe in this kind of cold weather? Will the dog house be affected from the frost and deteriorate? I have problems with wooden doghouse as it gets wet after frost inside and we have lots of mold.

And the next question is, will it handle a dog with 50 kg?"

Their answer:

"The Eco-Kennel Hendry should withstand the -15 degrees, without harming your dog.
The Kannel can handle the 50 kg of your dog."

I still keep looking, if i find something else will inform you

 

[JudyN]

I'm not sure that there's anyone on this forum who keeps their dog outside in a kennel, particularly in such cold temperatures. I'm wondering if it would be worth looking for an online community of Tatra owners and asking them for their thoughts? Hopefully you'll find someone who has long experience of dog kennels in cold climates.

 

[Kemal Can]

I'm not sure that there's anyone on this forum who keeps their dog outside in a kennel, particularly in such cold temperatures. I'm wondering if it would be worth looking for an online community of Tatra owners and asking them for their thoughts? Hopefully you'll find someone who has long experience of dog kennels in cold climates.

Yeah i tried that. Mostly people go for the cheap options, they just check if it s got insulation or not.

My dog's fur keeps him from the worst weather conditions but of course after - 7 - 8 i cannot let him stay out. I ll take him to the garage in next few nights, it ll be around - 20! Its been crazily snowing since tuesday.

The thing about the kennel, it will still be outside even if the dog is in the garage as it is heavy plus we dont have space for it. That is why it should stand low temps and still should noy get any water, condensation inside.

I keep checking, thanks for the recommendation