Wood-Dog Houses

Cedar is usually believed to be the best among woods used in building dog houses. Hence, customers looking for small, medium, or large cedar houses would find plenty of attractive designs in companies such as seeFido, Cedar Chalet Dog House, Pet Street Mall, House of Hammock, B4UBuild, Angelical Cat House, Wal-Mart, and Spirit Elements. These dog houses come in different, fascinating designs. Barns, bungalows, stables, A-shaped houses, and houses with porches are some designs made of cedar wood. Igloo-type and portable dog houses, especially suited for small dogs are available at Petmate, Future Pets, and Petsmart.

Luxury pet homes are made by some companies like Lilliput Play Homes and La Petite Maison. Designer dog homes, belonging to the brands like Bau and Magis, are provided by Post Modern Pets.

While you may not think this is too important, it is. First, if your dogs are in their houses when a storm whips up, they could get hurt or killed. But, even if you bring the dogs inside when storms come, their houses, if not storm readied, can become dangerous projectiles that may well be picked up and thrown into your home, doing damage.

So, how do you go about storm readying dog houses? Start with the houses themselves and how they have been installed in your yard. The best way to keep those dog houses where they should be when the winds whip up is to have them constructed on a cement platform and secured to that cement with ties. Ties are metal strapping pieces that are used to hold some homes and garages to the poured foundation.

If you haven’t yet selected the dog houses for your yard, consider their construction when you do. How are they put together? You should be looking for dog houses that have been created with the same kind of durable construction used in your own home. After all, there are going to be lives inside that house, just as there are in yours, so why shouldn’t they be protected by quality construction. Many dog houses have an opening so humans can get in. Climb inside. Use your hands to push around on the corners and walls and see if they feel sturdy enough to safely house your dog in inclement weather. If they don’t, move on to another option.

Now consider how comfortable the dog houses would be in rough weather. If it snows where you are, are the dog houses insulated enough to keep your dog warm when the temperature drops? How about rain? Rain doesn’t always fall down. If there is a lot of wind whipping the rain around, it may well go sideways. How well are the dog houses sealed to keep that rain out and keep your pet dry while he’s waiting out the storm?

If the dog houses you are looking at have glass windows, you need to plan now for how you are going to cover those windows if a storm were to come. It could be as simple as having some pre-cut pieces of plywood on hand that can be hammered in place when a warning of severe weather is announced.

While you can take the steps necessary to protect your home from storms, your pets aren’t able to. That means the only way your dogs will be safe in their dog houses, is by you having the forethought to make sure they’re safe and sound.

But making a dog house can be bothersome and very tiring too, especially when we have practically no skill in carpentry. Thankfully, a range of products are available in the market, all suited to novices and people with intermediate skills in carpentry.

Dog house kits are those products which are directed towards novices and people with practically no skill or knowledge at all in such matters. Easy to use, such kits usually contain all materials required to build a dog house. Spirit Elements, House of Hammocks, Scott’s Dog Supply, Inc, KITGUY, and seeFido are some companies which provide ready-to-use dog house kits. These companies provide kits containing all materials ready to be assembled into a dog house. Usually all the boards and panels in the kits are all pre-drilled, having all the required instructions in a detailed manner. With the exception of tools, kits even supply screws and other necessary things needed for assembling the house. Basic household tools are sometimes all that are required to make a lovely dog house from scratch.

Products range from houses of cedar wood to heavy plastic, some of which even come with life-time warranties. House of Hammocks even provides optional ‘thermalply insulation’ and offers a multi-purpose pet mat. Adapted for dogs of all sizes—small, medium, large, extra large—dog house kits are all convenient to clean and to keep bacteria-free, just as any other completely-made dog houses available in the market.

Prices of all dog house kits from different companies differ, but the usual range is from $99 to $600. But shipping costs and insulation charges are usually extra and not included in the aforementioned amount. Cedar Houses, however, provide free shipping within United States.