Outside Dogs

[Crickschop04]

I just finished off my basement this summer, and in the past when it got really cold out I would bring my two beagles inside. Now that our basement is finished my wife doesn't want them inside. Will my dogs be okay sleeping in a portable wire kennel in the garage(insulated walls). Throughout the winter? Does anyone else keep their dogs in the garage?

[Grant Pearson]

mine always stay inside during the colder days of winter. That way I don't come home to a frozen dog..... Also, with the colder temps here, start increasing their food a little bit so they have more energy to keep themselves warm.

[LABS4ME]

I'd say a plain wire crate... nope. That would not be sufficient. If you were to put a kennel jacket around that and it's inside an insulated garage, that shouldn't be a problem.

When I take my dogs up to the cabin in the winter, they sleep in their kennels in an insulated shed with their insulated kennel jackets around the crate. They come out every morning toasty warm.

If they are chewers, you'll probably want to go the route of building a dog house in the garage. I had a 'chewer' destroy a kennel jacket in just 2 nights. She then got an old blanket bungee corded around her crate. It was much tighter and she wasn't able to grab a loose end to pull in the crate to start chewing it.

Cabelas and GM both sell the kennel jackets. Buy the insulated one. Your dogs will be much more comfortable and they will not have to use up their energies trying to stay warm.

On a side note, wouldn't your wife consider letting them sleep in crates in the basement? My dogs do come into the basement or heated garage when it dips below 0.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Hammer Handle]

I have had several dogs, none have ever stayed in the house. Your house will be so much cleaner and neater without animals in the house.

Most dogs will get "used" to the outside weather. Do not have the dog outside and bring them in on real cold days. This is not a good thing. It is best to leave them out, but with an area out of the wind and where it is dry.

I have a small hole cut in my garage. The hole leads into a cupboard that my dog sleeps in. The garage is not heated and the dog is fine.

Feed him more in the winter and also get a dog dish that doesn't freeze up for water.

Add a blanket or straw in the dog house.

Check on your dog and how they react in cold weather. Yes, they can get cold...but not totally uncomfortable. Make sure they have room to move around.

Even on cold days, my dog will run and jump in the snow when I let him out of his kennel. This is a sign of a dog not being cold. He loves the snow as much as water....

If it snow a lot, be sure to shovel in the kennel. Well, I don't for my dog. He plows the snow all himself for he likes to play in it

[LABS4ME]

For the record, my dogs come into a 48 degree heated garage... They are comfortable in there when they spend the night in the garage. It used to be my basement in my last house.

It is a wives tale that it is bad to bring an outside dog into a warm building on a cold night. A real warm building may make the dog uncomfortable as they'll have too much winter coat on and may not cool off effectivley, but it physically will not harm them.

As posted above, a house inside a garage (insulated or not) will usually be all a dog needs to survive a cold night. Out of the wind and inside a small house sufficient to give him room to manuever but no more, his body will easily keep that space warm and hospitable.

Water is VERY important in the winter! Almost more so than in the summer months. It keeps their metabolism in balance. Bumping up the food amount slightly will also help with the additional caloric needs. Usually a 10% increase is sufficient.

As my dogs age, I move them into the garage with a more conservative approach. -15 below was my threshold in the old days and then I moved it to -10 below, and now it's nights where it is below zero. They still spend the day outside in their run, but the nights are in the garage. I know it is easier on them.

Good Luck!

Ken

[JDM]

I found a heated, metal, insulated dog house with it's own swinging doggy door some years back. I don't remember the name, but I do remember that the company was in Nebraska. It is a terrific house for winter use and it is indestructable. Because it is heated, I don't have to mess with straw. I put a rubber mat on the floor of the house.

I then put it in the garage and built a small area in the corner that houses his food and heated water. I have another doggy door leading to his outdoor run. He is as comfortable as an outside dog can be. The dog house is toasty warm, even on the coldest days. My garage is also kept at 40 degrees, although the inside of his setup is really closed off from the rest of the garage.

I let him eat as much as 50% more in the winter, but I have a very lean dog with a high metabolism.

[Hammer Handle]

Bringing a dog in to "warm-up" with his winter coat and them putting him back outside can be harmfull.

This can cause the dog to sweat...and if you put him back outside while he was still sweating...that would make him colder.

[jigging-matt]

I built my dog kennel with a dog door to another kennel under my workbench in my insulated garage. Then I put a heat lamp above his platform bed that keeps him off of the concrete. Threw a couple of blankets in with him and he loves it. Gives the dog plenty of room to run and a good place to stay out of the elements. Also have the tarp roof on the outside kennel to keep him somewhat dry and out of the snow, provides shade in summer.

[LABS4ME]

Dogs don't sweat except on the pads of their feet.

Good Luck!

Ken