Door for dog house

[Marmot]

In past winters, a neighbor was usually unemployed. He would always come and get my dog from his kennel while I was at work. Rarely did my dog ever spend the entire day in his kennel. The unemployed neighbor moved away a couple months ago. My dog now generally spends all day in his kennel.

Unfortunately, I work a lot of hours in the winter. I think I need to make some modifications to my boy's dog house before it gets really cold since he will be in the kennel/dog house even when it is -20F out.

I am thinking I need to get a door on the dog house. I can certainly make a door and buy a 2-way spring loaded hinge. I am sure I could also purchase a manufactured door for the dog house. Any suggestions on a manufactured door?

I currently have straw and a burlap bag of cedar chips in the dog house. The house is 2x4 walls with insulation. The floor and roof are also insulated. Should I consider getting a heated mat? Can my boy generated enough heat to keep his dog house warm once I get a door on the dog house?

BTW - my dog is a clipped 3-year old male chocolate lab.

[LABS4ME]

Do a search for K-9 Kondos. Their doors are great and you can use a pin to keep them open during the warm months.

Good Luck!

Ken

[gerty]

Google "gundoghousedoor" or "k-9kondo" they should both be able to help you out. I used the gundoghousedoor and it is very good quality. The only thing I did not like is that it slapped shut very hard and very loud. Haven't used the k-9kondo door but, I like the fact that you can lock it open if you want.

[Marmot]

Quote:

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Google "gundoghousedoor" or "k-9kondo" they should both be able to help you out. I used the gundoghousedoor and it is very good quality. The only thing I did not like is that it slapped shut very hard and very loud. Haven't used the k-9kondo door but, I like the fact that you can lock it open if you want.

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Last night, I used the Google and did review the Gun House Dog Door. With shipping, I am looking at nearly a hundred dollar bill for this door. Is this door really worth the money? Will my boy have any problems trying to uninstall this door?

[Marmot]

Any thoughts on purchasing a heat mat for the dog house? The house is insulated and will eventually have some sort of door on it. Is a mat necessary for my dog to be comfortable in the bitter cold?

Marmot

[LABS4ME]

I've never used one... just make sure they have good, clean, dry bedding material. If it gets wet it loses it's insulating properties.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Blaze]

I love my Gundog House Door - after having 2 others get chewed by my 1st GSP, I tried one and it has been golden - works flawlessly and the dogs never try chewing it. I'm on my 3rd dog now and only on my 2nd GDHD, and that's because we moved.

Well worth the Benji($100) in my book.

[marine_man]

I've also got the gun dog door... I've had it now for 2 years and it's a great door. I tried a plastic door and tried making one out of re-inforced rubber (with the belting) and my pooch chewed right through the rubber one and chewed up the plastic one.

As someone else said, the door slam is a little loud, but I've heard if you put some weatherstripping on it stays pretty quiet...

I haven't used the weatherstripping, but the neighbor's haven't complained in the last 2 years about the noise, so I think I'm good...

marine_man

[ChosenOne]

I took an old retired chest freezer and removed the door flipped the thing upside down and cut a door way into the side for the dog to pass through. Then I took a piano hinge and a hunk of a old truck mud flap and hung it in the opening so is swings both ways. It even has a light in it that we painted black with stove paint so on the really cold nights we plug it in to give the little feller added heat. We even painted the thing camo so really have to look for it and the dog acts like he loves it

[gerty]

I ordered a nest box heater from a company called Bass Equipment Company. It was the only one I could find that was solid metal and I wasn't afraid the dog would chew through it. It is also very cheap...<$30. So it costs a lot less than most others also. It stays at something like 102 degrees which is a dogs temp, so it never gets to warm, just gives them something to lay on that won't drain warmth out of them. Screwed it to his kennel floor and have had no problems. Very good product for the money.

[Marmot]

Quote:

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I ordered a nest box heater from a company called Bass Equipment Company. It was the only one I could find that was solid metal and I wasn't afraid the dog would chew through it. It is also very cheap...<$30. So it costs a lot less than most others also. It stays at something like 102 degrees which is a dogs temp, so it never gets to warm, just gives them something to lay on that won't drain warmth out of them. Screwed it to his kennel floor and have had no problems. Very good product for the money.

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Thanks for the info

[stayman79]

The door for my labs house is a chunk of old conveyor belt, about 1/2 inch of rubber. My dad started using these because they are tough as hell and can't be chewed through. It's just screwed at the top and I take it off in the summer. Kind of like the other guys mud flap suggestion. All sides, roof and floor are insulated and he's got cedar shavings inside. He has no trouble staying warm during the day or over night. We can't get him to sleep in the house at night, he wakes us with his panting and pacing. Honestly, I have to force him to sleep in the house when it's going to be colder than minus 10 at night. Even then I think he'd be fine.

What makes me feel OK about letting him be out there is the fact that I came home for lunch one day 3 years ago, it was minus 10 degrees at noon, but the sun was out. I drove up and he was sitting ON TOP of his house, basking in the sun like it wasn't even cold!

Note: he is NOT clipped and is used to being out so his coat gets thick.

[metrojoe]

You could also just pick up a rug of some sort, like a bathroom rug, and tack it up over the doorway. It won't be air tight, but it should keep the wind out.

[marine_man]

That's what I thought too until I found the bathroom rug shredded (at the time he was 6 months old) when I got home from work...

marine_man

[gerty]

Yeah, the rug is a bad idea. My GSP ate part of the rug. Could have been very serious but, luckily he passed it on his own. Ouch!

[burl]

If it isnt steel it will probably get eaten.Had one lab that ate almost all of the wood frame work right up to the door overnight.I have had the steel condo door for about ten years.It works great,it was well worth the money.If the house is insulated well the dog should have no problems even in the coldest weather with staying warm.

[Hazzard]

as far as heating your dog house check out houndheater.com I bought one 2 years ago works great for keeping the dog warm and the dog cant chew the cord like they can with mats.

[B@ssmaster]

When I bought the house we currently live in, it already had a Gun Dog door on the garage wall. My dog (100 lb snipped lab) has used it for 8 years now without any chewing. I have had to replace a spring hinge once, and they sent me a new one even though I am not the original buyer. Very happy with it's quality and thier service. I have no idea how old the door actually is, but it has held up remarkably well. The dog has chewed up everything else, but never even been able to scratch the door. It is a bit loud, I might have to try the weatherstripping idea. On the mat idea, depends on how much insulation the dog has available. In my case, the door is on the back wall of my garage, and lets the dog into his insulated house that sits under my workbench (no garage access for the dog however). I fill the doghouse with straw in the winter and he stays out there even during the most bitter days. The doghouse is homemade 2x2 construction with insulated walls, and I originally mounted one of those safety lights (glass jelly jar over the bulb and a wire cage over the jar) with a 40 watt bulb inside the house. I hardwired it to a wall switch in the garage. I'd flip it on when it got brutally cold out, but soon discovered that the combination of insulated doghouse, in the garage, with straw was just fine. The light bulb just made it too warm. He'd come outside on -25 days panting. Have discontinued the use of the light bulb and removed it from the house altogether.

[Gadgetman]

Dry swamp grass will work better than straw, as the straw will break up a lot easier. If the floor is off the ground and the walls and top are insulated he will be fine without a door. Oh, one more thing, I have a wall inside the dogs house that further partitions off the inside to keep any breeze from blowing in on her. dogs like to see what is going on so putting a door on will only make them chew as they want to know what is going on out side.