# Kennel for play area...need ideas for floor



## dusty&lulusmom (Jul 30, 2007)

This weekend my husband put up a 10X10 kennel in the yard to be used by our small terriers as a play area. We put them in it, supervised them and they really seem to enjoy being outside. I was next to them gardening while husband was mowing the lawn. Anyway, as I suspected they love to dig. We originally decided to put a concrete floor in but after some research we decided against it. The concrete is not very comfortable on the joints and it can hold in odors. We are probably going to go with horse stall mats. They are made from thick rubber and they clean real easy. My husband thought we should put some cedar mulch on top of the mat to repel bugs. I thought this could be a good idea and they could still enjoy digging through it, but is it a health concern. The dogs will not be having any food out there so I don't think I have to worry about them consuming any that gets into a bowl. Do you think they will eat it? I am looking to put in a floor that can be easily cleaned, good to lie on and easy on the joints and if possible I would like to create a way that they can still dig (obviously not into the ground) but maybe some other way.


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## shewolf4 (Feb 24, 2008)

They will try - and most likely succeed- in chewing the mat. I have cattle panels on the floor, then put cedar mulch in for mine- even when the kennel is open, they go in and lounge. I also put a metal roof over it to shade and provide shelter when it rains, so its a all around "cool" place to be in. The cattle panel prevents digging any more then 1-2 inches and the mulch is great- smells good, easy to clean, cool in the summer, warm in the winter and soft. I pile it in 2 corners - more cushioning. Also- I lifted our kennel and its sitting on bricks so the mulch will not bunch up around the bottom pipe- works great. We have several in the rescue group that copied that and reported that the dogs love it and its much easier to clean up. For water I put old cooking pots out- they seem to have their favorite pots- and I raise it on 2 bricks so the mulch stays out of it- works well. I try to stay with double ground mulch- the single ground has too many bigger sticks and as they chew on that, too many splinters- I rather they chew on something safer for them


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## ACampbell (Oct 7, 2007)

Horse stall mats are pretty sturdy, especially if you get the conveyor belt style instead of neoprene...if they can chew that to pieces quickly I'd love a video - most of the ones I'm thinking of are made of old car tires - it's really sturdy... you could also put some sides up on it and some sand or dirt for them to dig in...ya know, bury small treasures in it and let them dig it up...lots of fun


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I would go with the rubber stall matts, and then put a small swimming pool in there, with sand or pea gravel, for them to dig in; like someone else mentioned, putting treasures in there for them to find as well.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Can Shewolf4 or anyone else who has put together a kennel like this post a picture? I'm having trouble understanding what your setup looks like. We'll likely be moving soon and have been considering a kennel since our dog loves to be outside and most of the housing where we're moving doesn't allow fencing. Many thanks!


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## dusty&lulusmom (Jul 30, 2007)

I am considering using both the cattle panel and the horse mat. I think I could put the cattle panel along the bottom to prevent digging. I would then put a layer of mulch. Along one side of the kennel I will put a 4X6 horse mat, this would be a good area to lie on since it would be cushiony. My question is for anyone who has used the cattle panel, do you extend it outside of the perimeter of the kennel or do you pull it up along the outside walls and somehow fasten it. I will definetly be putting in some type of pool or container for digging...great suggestion and they love digging. Since I have small terriers do you think raising the kennel on bricks, which was suggested, will create an area that they can squeeze out of?


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## shewolf4 (Feb 24, 2008)

I do the bricks because otherwise the bottom pipe of the kennel start to sit into the ground and one has a hard time opening or closing the door, it gets loop-sided too and I rather not "battle" with that. Put the wire-panel down and just take some fence wire and fasten it to the bottom pipe- real easy. On my chicken pen I did the same thing, but let the panel stick out a few inches before wiring it- works great too. 
I can take pictures today of how it looks, but I am not very knowledgable on how to post pictures, so may need to ask for help- sorry 
As for the chewing- I have seen dogs chew the mats- seen one dog chew a kong apart- so I am cautious- thats all. I rather err on the safety side then regret it and have to do cpr on a dog thats choking on a piece of mat

I forgot to add- if you build a roof over a 10x10 , you want to put in a support post in the middle- I pieced the roof together so I wouldnt have predators come in to dine on my chickens, but it works great and doesnt look too bad if I may say so. On a normal 6 x 10 kennel the roof holds good without extra support. I will try to get pictures- if anyone likes to volunteer to help me post them, I would appreciate it


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## ACampbell (Oct 7, 2007)

If you're really that concerned they might chew the edges of the mat...have a larger piece cut. It comes in sheets, so having a piece cut that is slightly larger than the pen area will fix that, if they can't get at the edges I want to know how they intend on chewing it up!


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

My Terriers have a kennel with a deck...









But...My Terriers love to dig.. so they have access to their Digging yard...


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## volleyballgk (Jan 15, 2008)

Roughly what would I be looking at cost and material wise to build a 6X10 or 10X10 kennel? I love the idea and think Payton would to.


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## OC_Spirit (Feb 6, 2007)

I use patio stones for our flooring so the dogs cant dig out, it doesnt get muddy in the kennel, its very easy to clean (have never had a proble with it holding bad odor and i only scrub it down once a year!) and the shaded part stays nice and cool to lie on during the summer. However, they also have the option of their doghouse where there is cedar shavings and straw year round (more or less depending on how hot/cold it is) as well as a wooden look-out "perch" to lie on. Also in winter I have a black rubber stall mat put down so they dont have to lie on the cold concrete when they dont feel like eing in the dghouse. I take it away during the summer though since it is black it gets VERY hot when the sun beats on it. So hot that I can barely stand to walk across it in my bare feet let alone, have my dogs lie on it! My kennel does have a roof so most of it is shaded all day but still.

I have seen people use peameal gravel where they dug down 1-2ft, lay down chicken wire so the dogs cant dig out, then filled it with the gravel. The dogs could dig to their heart's content without digging out.


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## ACampbell (Oct 7, 2007)

Depends on what you want to build it out of...costs increase with different materials (metal being the strongest, chew resistant, etc but probably a bit more costly than say, wood) the floor mats if you do the rubberized stall mats, can be fairly expensive - http://www.thegreathardwarestore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=621746&click=2744 but with a 15 yr warranty...not too shabby.

http://www.rubbermats.com/ssm.html

I prefered these for our horsetrailer, the diamond pattern helps it to be a non-slip surface.


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## volleyballgk (Jan 15, 2008)

Thanks ACampbell. I'll look into it around here and hopefully give it a go. I love building things, but this would be a big step up for me.


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## dusty&lulusmom (Jul 30, 2007)

If you decide you want a kennel but you do not want to build it, you can order one. Our 10X10 was delivered for a total of $313.00. The tractor supply store sells them. I decided to order it because I am afraid of what it might look like if we tried to build it.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

These posts are very helpful -- thanks everyone!

Shewolf -- to post a picture, click on Post Reply, and then scroll down to the Additional Options section below the Reply to Thread area. Click on the Manage Attachments button. Then click on a Browse button to find an image on your computer to upload. Click on the image you want and then click on "open" in the pop-up window to load the picture. Then click on the Upload Now button to attach the picture to your reply. Note that there are limits on the size of the files you can upload - the limits are listed at the bottom of the Manage Attachments window. You may need to save a picture in a different file format or compress it, depending on your camera settings. That gets a little more complicated. If you'd like some help, let me know. In any case, your description is pretty clear so I think I get it -- Thanks!

Now for a really stupid question....we have our dog go to the bathroom in a separate area at the side of the house that we can keep clean easily. I would prefer it if she didn't use the kennel as a bathroom -- that's normal, right? Dogs won't go in the kennel because it's more like a den to them -- is that right? She would only be in there for a couple of hours at a time so she'll have access to the bathroom area when she needs it.


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## OC_Spirit (Feb 6, 2007)

That really depends on the individual dog unless you take the time to specificaly potty train them not to go in the kennel. My guys almost never mess in the kennel but they also spend more than just a couple hours in there and HUskies are notorious for being fastidiously clean dogs.


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## dusty&lulusmom (Jul 30, 2007)

Thanks for sharing how to post pics. Here is a pic of our newest kennel. It is 10X10. I still have to add the floor, a horse mat, dog house and a roof. I tried to make it look appealing in the yard. What you are looking at around it is some lawn decorations: bears, hummingbird feeder, fountain and marigolds planted around it.


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