Dog Kennel Question

[Jason Christenson]

What, besides concrete, would be good to use for the floor of a dog kennel?

Jason

[Doug Shepard]

I've got a couple of 1" thick 2' x 2' rubber (or somelike like rubber) tiles a ex-neighbor gave me. They're sold for use as exercise or weight room flooring to absorb shock. I tried using them to stand on while working but without more of it, they're a bit too thick and I've been using the standard ones you see at WW shows instead. When I epoxied the GaShop floor 2 summers ago I leaned those tiles up against an outside wall and there they've stayed. They dont seem to be bothered a bit by outside weather. I gotta think some of those would really work well for a kennel and avoid the joint problems dogs get from lying on concrete.

[Jason Christenson]

Doug-
I've seen something like that sold at TSC as horse mat's. That's a good idea. Thanks.

Jason

[Joe Chritz]

Gravel with horse mats works really great for horse stalls and would also work for a dog kennel.

Pea stone sorts works but concrete is still the best. Plus you don't have to trim the dogs nails anymore. ;)

Joe

[Leigh Betsch]

I've used concret, wood, plastic pannel, and now I use the Scott Kennel sytem. I really like the Scott kennels, they are kinda like big rabbit hutches. They use a flat welded wire mesh for the floor. The width of the floor mesh is about 1/4" if I remember right. The best thing about the floor is the urin goes through so the dogs dont walk in it. My dogs stay much cleaner than they did on solid surface floors. Some people worry that the flat wire will hurt the dogs paws but I've never experienced it nor have I ever heard of anyone that has used the floor having problems. My dogs have an indoor/outdoor runs with the Scott kennel being outdoors. They don't spend a lot of time in the outdoor run, prefering the indoor part. Google Scott Kennels and take a look. I ordered three kennel kits and made 2 kennels out of them, so my kennels are 12" long but I think 8" would have been plenty. Dogs dont get exersise in a kennel no matter how big you make it. I let my dogs out in 1/2 acre fenced dog yard and they just sit at the door and wait for me to come out.

[Curt Fuller]

Our dog seems to prefer the king sized bed with a nice down comforter on it. Either that or anywhere in the rest of the house where you happen to need to walk at that moment.;)

Seriously, I've heard that all concrete kennels are hard on dog's feet and legs. And from experience, I've learned that they absorb a lot of smells even though they're washed out regularly.

[Tim Wagner]

On the DIY channel they say to use a shipping pallet for a base and line the top of that with red brick to provide a smooth and cool surface to lay on.

Don't forget to install a slate roof w/copper flashing and a copper finial. :D

[Jason Christenson]

...and now I use the Scott Kennel sytem...

Leigh,
I really like the looks of that. What kind of dogs do you have? Is this big enough for a lab?

Thanks,
Jason

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

We used smooth stone (pea stone or river stone) and it worked OK, except one of our dogs liked to eat it. After a few trips to the vet we switched over to brick pavers - got a great deal on them at the Depot, and did the entire kennel (it was only 12x12, so not *too* bad). We didn't even bother sanding it, and drainage in it was just fine.