Leave the dog in the yard..Need advice.

[zorroGSD]

Hi Everyone,
I have an one year old GSD baby and he has been an apartment dog till now. We have now bought a house with a good size yard. I want to build him a kennel/house and keep in the yard so he can stay there while we are at work. My problem is how do we protect the kennel from getting wet when the sprinkler is on or when the sun hits in. I saw there are covers to close the top but what about the sides. My yard is south facing. I can also not decide not what type of kennel should i buy, there are lot of vareities out there. Please advise on how we should take care of this. If you can provide pics of ur dogs outdoor kennel/house that would be very helpful.

[selzer]

Here is a thread where there are pictures of my kennels.

Lockup: Jefferson

I would post them again, but photobucket is acting up on my computer through firefox, and with chromium I can get in, but I cannot copy links, so...

Anyhow, if you want to see some nice outdoor kennels check out the above thread.

Leaving a dog in a yard is dangerous, as dogs left to their own devices will become bored and will get themselves in trouble, therefore you need to make the area completely secure. This means, impossible to dig out of, ie, concrete base, impossible to climb over -- six feet tall, and covered over with fencing. Strong wire, 13 and 11 gage are not strong enough to keep a GSD in. 9 gage is heavier and it is what I use. More expensive, but worth it.

A kennel, 10' x 15', 14' x 20' however large you want to make it, will be easier to ensure that there is nothing growing in it that can be dangerous.

That box in my kennel there is 8' long by 4' wide and covered around three sides. It is like a cage. I put the house and the cot in there. They can also jump on top of them and lay up off the concrete.

Over the fencing on top, I put a sunscreen when it is not snow-season here. I use tie-wraps and put them up in May and take them down in October or November. They allow the rain to fall in the kennel so the weight of the water does not collapse the kennel like a tarp might do, but they provide protection from the sun.

I also use a bucket holder to ensure fresh water at all times.

And I have this in a securely fenced yard, so that even if I screw up and leave a gate unlatched, there is a second line of defense.

Where my neighbors might be in their yards, I have privacy fencing up so the dogs do not sound off at every movement they make.

My dogs have each other. A dog alone in a yard is likely to be bored and lonely. If this happens, then he will probably engage in nuisance behavior or have behavioral issues, like constant barking, scratching or biting on himself. This may not happen. I think most dogs can benefit from an outdoor kennel if it is properly built and the neighborhood is good. But some dogs are better off crated or penned up inside the house, basement, or garage for their own safety.

[Mooch]

Is he able to have the run of the whole backyard or do you have to lock him up in a kennel to stop him getting out?

[doggiedad]

you have an inside dog. why do you want an outside dog?
if you're not handy you can have someone build you a kennel
with the sides enclosed. if it's built large enough a wall across
the front of the inside of the kennel will protect the dog
from the wind and blowing rain. a friend of mine built his kennel
and had a heater installed and a fan. a kennel can be built or
bought that's rain proof.

[jocoyn]

If the yard is south facing you can design an overhang for the roof that lets in direct sun in the winter and keeps it out in the summer...you can find out how to calculate that on solar house plan pages.

You should be able to control the sprinkler - aren't you running it early in the am anyway? Set it to run before he goes out there. If you just don't want it getting wet period the heads are pretty easy to add/remove/move around/aim-sprinkler work is not that expensive if you are not up to the task.