outdoor kennel question

[rundrave]

I am in the process of putting together an indoor/outdoor kennel run for my dogs. The outdoor kennel will sit on a concrete pad(already poured) and will run parallel to my new garage I built recently. The indoor portion will have a dog door to go in and out and then I will have an insulated dog house on the inside.

The questions I have are with the kennel panels outside. I just bought a few nice heavy duty powder coated welded wire panels and a door. I am worried about my dogs chewing on the siding thus the potential need for 4 sides on the outdoor portion of the run. The only problem with that is that I will have to cut a hole in one of the panels as I have already installed a k9 kondo dog door to go in and out of the garage.

If I cut the hole in one kennel panel around the parameter of just the dog door opening, should I re-enforce the fence area around the hole that was cut? Whats the best way to go about doing that? I am really hesitant to just hack a hole into a perfectly good panel lol.

The alternative would be to just use 3 sides but then I leave the siding completely exposed and I am just afraid I will go to work one day and come home to a chewed up mess.

Any thoughts? I feel like I am over thinking this, but I have seen what 2 bored GSP's will do especially when I used to keep them in the house.

[Tinkhamtown]

Defiantly put a fourth wire side in your kennel and make a hole for dog door. I also cover all chewable wood areas around door with tin. It is amazing what bored dogs can chew up. In years past I have had to replace whole side to my garage because of a three sided wire kennel next to my garage not to mention a dozed duck decoys and trailer wiring that also got chewed on.

Tink

[MuleShack]

I only have the fence on the outside (3 sides). It was good for 2 dogs, then we got the 3rd. Luckily I have a dog house with a tunnel that goes into the garage which cuts down on the wind and cold etc. If she gets put in there before allowed to run a bit, she gets destructive also. Luckily it has only been pulling some of the siding off of the dog house and not the garage.

...yes it is a GSP too.

[Bryce]

Sorry for the poor light but here is another option

[onthefly]

I'd put a 4th panel on! Peace of mind is a very valuable thing. Maybe cut the fence, then get conduit and cut to fit external dimensions of the dog door? Then, wire tie to the chain link? Not as permanent as some of the other suggestions, but probably cheaper.

[verg]

I am in the process of putting together an indoor/outdoor kennel run for my dogs. The outdoor kennel will sit on a concrete pad(already poured) and will run parallel to my new garage I built recently. The indoor portion will have a dog door to go in and out and then I will have an insulated dog house on the inside.

The questions I have are with the kennel panels outside. I just bought a few nice heavy duty powder coated welded wire panels and a door. I am worried about my dogs chewing on the siding thus the potential need for 4 sides on the outdoor portion of the run. The only problem with that is that I will have to cut a hole in one of the panels as I have already installed a k9 kondo dog door to go in and out of the garage.

If I cut the hole in one kennel panel around the parameter of just the dog door opening, should I re-enforce the fence area around the hole that was cut? Whats the best way to go about doing that? I am really hesitant to just hack a hole into a perfectly good panel lol.

The alternative would be to just use 3 sides but then I leave the siding completely exposed and I am just afraid I will go to work one day and come home to a chewed up mess.

Any thoughts? I feel like I am over thinking this, but I have seen what 2 bored GSP's will do especially when I used to keep them in the house.

Funny..I just did the exact thing this summer. Built new garage, poured concrete next to it, built a house on the inside of garage, and bought a new kennel from menards..the black heavy gauged steal ones. I didn't want my two dogs chewing on siding either so I took a bolt cutter and just cut around opening of dog door. Far enough back that the edges won't scratch dogs going in or out but not too big. I also drilled in a some bolts with hammer drill into concrete and placed the open pegs of the kennel frame onto the bolts so dogs can't push over or move/slide kennel. Has been fine so far.

[rundrave]

appreciate the input, looks like I will have to break out the bolt cutter as well.

[winniewalleye777]

I recently added a 4th panel after residing the bottom of the shed twice. Cut a hole in the chain link fence and it worked fine. The fifteen minutes spent on cutting a whole in the fence was well worth it compared to the time spent siding

[Wayne Ek]

I have two dogs in 3-sided outside kennels, with K-9 Kondo doors into the garage. I was worried about the siding. I ended up pulling off the siding and putting up 1/4" treated plywood, that covered the outlinge of the kennel.Then framed in the outline of the kennel and plywood. Then put the siding back up on the rest of the garage side, working around the framed in portion.

[Tom7227]

Consider buying some 1x steel or aluminum and cutting it to outline the cut you make to let the dog in. Then wire that material around the opening so the fence doesn't unravel and so the dog has a harder time trying to make the hole bigger.

I raised my kennel up by putting a brick under each post. That way leafs and straw and whatever can be cleaned out a bit more easily. My rig is about 25 years old and just galvanized and the dog urine does take it's toll after a while, especially on the corner brackets for the door.

Even though the doghouse is in the garage I would consider building a two room with the door to the back room offset from the front door. Cuts way down on the wind. It is a design I learned from a K9 cop.

[rundrave]

I ended up cutting it, with a bolt cutters and it turned out well.

I did all clean cuts so everything is still welded, its just a perfectly square hole and seems pretty solid. I got a tight enough fit around the kennel door that they shouldn't be able to tear anything apart.

On the inside of the garage, I put a long work bench right where the dog door goes. I then made a dog run under the length of the work bench using a roll of welded wire. The dog house is at the far end of the bench and out of the wind.

I just need to rig up some magnets or weights on the dog door because it really swings if the wind is just right.