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Is it possible to keep a shepherd dog outside in winter?

Large dogs like German Shepherds love long walks. But they can only be kept in a spacious, insulated enclosure in winter, otherwise the pet may die from hypothermia. Even though these dogs have a thick undercoat and can withstand frost, they need a warm home.

Shepherd needs a warm and safe enclosure

Features of an enclosure for a shepherd

Dog breeders living in rural areas should take care of an insulated home for their German Shepherd. The best option for such housing is a spacious, warm enclosure. This is much better than a kennel in which the dog sits on a chain. The animal will be able to move in the enclosure, but it cannot be locked up around the clock.

For your information! If the shepherd is constantly in a closed room, it may develop mental problems. She will rush out, begin to constantly whine and bark, and become nervous and irritable.

When kept in an enclosure, the owner will need to walk the dog for 30 minutes. or 1 hour. You can simply let the dog run around the area for a while.

It is necessary to accustom a shepherd dog to being kept in an enclosure from childhood. A small puppy can be placed in an enclosure, then he will quickly get used to such a home.

A warm enclosure with a winter road will become a reliable shelter for your pet

Pros of the aviary:

the dog does not sit on a chain, but moves freely around the enclosure;
For animals of large breeds, which include the German Shepherd, it is important to have their own space. It's also a great place for watchdogs;
The dog considers his house a safe place. This is especially important for females during the period of birth and raising puppies. In a shelter you can protect your pet from unwanted mating;
Living in an enclosure, the animal will not chew corners in the house and make noise.

Keeping a dog in an enclosure will require some effort and daily responsibilities from the owner. This cannot be called a disadvantage of kennel keeping, but, nevertheless, dog breeders should be aware of these nuances.

Minuses:

the dog needs time to get used to its new habitat. During this period, she will break out of the enclosure;
The enclosure needs to be cleaned regularly to maintain cleanliness.

How to make a roof

Types of booths for German Shepherds

For the most part, shepherd dog booths come in three types: a regular booth, or kennel, a booth with a vestibule, and a booth with an enclosure.

An ordinary booth (kennel). It is a single-occupancy dog house with a pitched or gable roof. To prevent the shepherd from running around the entire yard, scaring away domestic animals and neighbors, it is fastened to a chain. The length of the chain should be sufficient for the dog to frolic and stretch his muscles on an area of 5-7 square meters. Often, the owners of such dogs stretch a steel cable along the fence, to which the dog's chain is fastened.

Booth with a vestibule. This is a more comfortable option for a German Shepherd to live in, since the vestibule serves as a canopy for the dog from the sun and rain.

A booth with an aviary. In this embodiment, the doghouse is installed inside an enclosure with an area of at least 5 square meters. The floor of the enclosure can be made of planks or have a gravel surface. The presence of an enclosure gives the dog freedom of movement, of course, within its boundaries, a break from the leash and chain, as well as the necessary space for games.

How to choose a place for an aviary in the courtyard of a private house

DIY enclosure for alabai: dimensions

The dog cannot be isolated from the outside world and especially from its owners. An enclosure for a German shepherd in the courtyard of a private house needs to be built in a place where the dog can see everything that is happening.

Note! It is necessary to choose a place on a hill so that rainwater does not accumulate in the dog house and it is not damp. You can build an enclosure near bushes or trees so that the shepherd dog is not disturbed by noise.

The shepherd's home must be reliably protected from wind, rain, and snow. You cannot build a house near a noisy road, garages or places where varnishes and paints are stored. The dog needs to be protected from noise and pungent odors, so the enclosure is built at a distance of 500 m from the barn, garage or workshop.

A dog house consisting of a winter road, a platform and an open area

Selecting a location

The choice of construction site should take into account the following nuances:

Good review. The German Shepherd is a human-contact-oriented breed; it needs to see its owner, hear his voice and be aware of possible threats to him. She gets nervous if her senses do not give her complete information about what is happening nearby. Extraneous noise (from the street), on the contrary, should not irritate the dog.
To avoid dampness, it is best to place the enclosure on a hill, providing protection from wind and rain. The resting place should be dry in any weather. The elevation contributes to the function of an observation point for the shepherd.
Provide distance from places with strong odors. This could be areas with other pets or a garage.
The territory guarded by the German Shepherd must be fenced with a fence of at least 2-3 meters. This measure will prevent accidental ingestion of foreign animals and infectious agents.
The location should be bright. Penetration of sunlight is beneficial for the health of any organism.
The size of the enclosure for a German Shepherd should be made consistent with zootechnical maintenance requirements.

If the location has been chosen, you can begin planning the enclosure. It is important already at this stage to comply with the zootechnical requirements for the structure being built. If the place is chosen correctly, then all that remains is to think about the size and materials of the enclosure for the German Shepherd. The construction process depends on the materials used, but there are general requirements for different parts of the enclosure.

What kind of enclosure is needed for a shepherd dog?

Building an enclosure for a shepherd dog with your own hands is quite simple. The owner must know what kind of house his pet needs.

Guard dog breeds for a private home

The height of the booth should be 50–60 cm greater than the height of the dog at the withers. The length of two parallel sides must be at least 2 m. The enclosure must be placed on an elevation of 50 cm so that the floor is not at ground level.

Important! It is advisable to make a gutter in the corner for draining water. Then you can wash the floor by watering it with a hose, and the water will quickly flow down the gutter.

It is best to make three walls from wooden boards so that they retain heat in the house. Instead of the fourth, you need to stretch the mesh or put a grate so that the shepherd dog can see everything that is happening nearby. The house must have a window through which the owner will serve food to the dog.

Under no circumstances should you make a floor from concrete slabs, as the dog can get sick and even die in a matter of days. The floor in the enclosure must be made of planed wooden boards, cleared of knots and treated with special solutions to prevent rot. Planks with cracks cannot be used.

Requirements for enclosures

Before directly installing the enclosure, you should think about the location of the future structure and whether your enclosure design meets all zootechnical standards. There are few such standards and they are easy to comply with:

do not place the shepherd's enclosure close to pens for other animals, especially pigs, poultry and horses - this is unhygienic and the animals may attack the dog;
The pen should not be installed in a completely open area. Let your house be surrounded by a fence at least two meters high;
the enclosure should not be located on the side of noisy highways or buildings, where lights will be on or music playing at night;
there should be trees, bushes or walls around the structure that create shade and prevent constant drafts;
the location of the animal should be on a hill or foundation, so that it will not be flooded by melt water and rain;
It is not recommended to install the structure near garages or utility rooms where there will be constant interaction with chemicals, electrical appliances, welding machines, and so on;
Under no circumstances should you place your dog in the same building as farm animals - foreign bacteria and odors can undermine the dog’s health;
You should install a booth, a drinking bowl and a food bowl in the pen. If necessary, a chain for the shepherd is connected to the kennel, and bedding and toys are placed inside.

Similar article: Characteristics of the Herder or Herding Dutch Shepherd

What materials are needed for construction

Guard dog breeds: the best for a private home

An enclosure for a shepherd dog consists of three structures: a frame, a base, and a roof. Each part of the house will require different materials.

Calculating the size of the enclosure and preparing a drawing

Every dog breeder will be able to draw up a construction project. The dog enclosure consists of three parts. Shepherd sizes:

winter road - a closed, insulated space measuring 2x1.5 m on which the booth is located;
platform - wooden flooring with an area of 2x1.5 m;
a walking area measuring 2x1 m. You can compact soil on the floor or put together a wooden flooring.

A small manhole should connect the winter road to the platform. Through it, the dog will be able to climb into the kennel, and the owner will put bowls of food for it. You need to make an entrance door on the outside wall. The width of both holes should be 80 cm.

Drawing (side view)

The height of the house should be 180 cm or more. The roof must be placed at an angle so that rainwater drains from it. You will also need a visor.

Knowing the requirements for building an enclosure, the owner will be able to design the correct drawing and build the house with his own hands.

The diagram above shows the location of the booth in the winter road, as well as the outer and inner doors.

Important! If two dogs live in the enclosure, then the area needs to be increased by 1.5 times.

How to build an aviary with your own hands

You can build an enclosure for a German Shepherd with your own hands. To do this, you need to choose a suitable place, prepare the soil, then build a base, frame, roof and insulate the structure. All work is carried out strictly according to the drawing.

Structure base

First, they place the base of the enclosure and make a small foundation for it.

A frame made of metal or timber measuring 150×150 mm must be secured to posts.
Treat 30 mm thick boards with varnishes and solvents.
Lay and secure the boards tightly to the base.
If the frame is metal, it must be treated with anti-corrosion solutions. A layer of material should be placed under the boards to protect against moisture penetration. First, a moisture-proof layer is placed on the concrete base, then insulation and only then boards.

How to make a foundation

Before building the base, it is necessary to build the foundation of the enclosure.

At the selected location, remove the soil and dig a small hole 30 cm deep. Its length and width should correspond to the dimensions of the enclosure.
Fill the hole with small crushed stone. Install supports made of low brick or concrete pillars along the perimeter of the building.

After this, the base frame is strengthened on the pillars and the base is built.

Requirements for the winter road

Building a frame

Strong beams or metal pipes are perfect for the frame.

4 pipes or beams are fixed at the corners of the base.
At the top and bottom, these pipes are tied with metal corners measuring 2.5 cm.

Note! The frame must be secured very tightly and evenly.

Wall installation

One or two walls are covered with bars, and the rest (2–3) are sheathed with boards and insulated. The most important thing at this stage of work is to insulate the walls. The dog will feel comfortable in a warm enclosure.

One wall is covered with a lattice. There should be a space of 8–10 cm between the longitudinal rods. An additional yard is welded across the rods.
The same structure is installed on the adjacent wall.
The other pair of walls is sheathed with boards in several layers. The outer layer is made from block house or oriented strand board (OSB). The next layer will be made of a material that retains heat for a long time, for example, mineral wool. The inner layer can be made of OSB or wooden planks.
You can sheathe three walls with boards, and install the lattice only on the fourth.
All sides of the winter road are sheathed with insulated boards.
It is necessary to make a hole in one of the external walls for the entrance door.

How to make a base

Door installation

The door can be made in a wall covered with a lattice, then you do not have to cut a hole in the wood and install hinges there. It is necessary to make a door that opens inward and locks both from the outside and from the inside. You will need a strong bolt.

Erection of the roof

To make a sloping roof, one of the walls must be 15 cm higher than the others. All openings must be tightly closed.

Several longitudinal and transverse beams are fixed to the top of the building. Insulation (fibreboards, fiberboard) is fixed to them, and the top is covered with flooring.

Roof decking

Materials such as ondulin, slate, and corrugated sheets are perfect for roofing. It is advisable to choose ondulin because it has soundproofing properties.

The boards are tightly fixed to the base

DIY shepherd doghouse installation

When working with boards, you first need to drill holes in them, and then insert screws and screws into them. If you screw screws into boards, the wood may crack, and this should not be allowed.

For your information! To secure the metal pipes of the frame you will need a welding machine.

Material selection

It is necessary to choose only dense wooden boards without cracks. They are coated with varnish to prevent decay. Before starting work, they need to be planed so that the dog does not catch splinters in his paws. The door needs a strong bolt. These are relatively inexpensive materials.

How to arrange

In the winter road you need to make an insulated hut and put bowls for food and water there. You should not place foreign objects in the enclosure. You can secure the bowls to a support or stand. To make the dog comfortable, the feeder must be suitable for the height of the animal. As a rule, the height of the stand is 20–30 cm.

Note! A toilet needs to be installed in the open area. You can pour filler there or lay down part of the lawn.

Frame

Stages of making an enclosure for a shepherd

First of all, the soil is prepared .

The floor should be made with a slope towards the facade so that water does not stagnate in the enclosure. It can be made straight if a roof is installed over the entire structure. If the floor will not be covered, then the ground should be covered with smooth small pebbles.
The frame of the structure is made of metal pipes, the installation of which may require a welding machine.
A mesh is laid one meter deep to serve as protection against undermining.
The facade wall, including the doors, is made of welded lattice. A grid of pipes is prepared, the distance between which for large German Shepherds should be 100 mm. All metal elements are well cleaned, primed, covered with enamel using hot painting and welded. Powder-coated pipes and galvanized products must not be used.
The remaining three walls are covered with boards or other solid material. Cladding boards are first coated in two layers with anti-rot wood-protective impregnation.
Before installing the boards, holes are first made in them and only then are they attached to stainless steel screws. If you do not make holes for the screws, the board may split when screwing them in. Even moisture that gets into a small split will cause the board to rot.
When installing walls, you must ensure that the material does not come into contact with the base of the enclosure.
At the site of the future booth, a small platform is made from wooden beams, which is covered with boards. The size of the platform depends on the size of the space that is needed for the shepherd to rest.
A roof is installed over the recreation area. To do this, wooden posts are dug in, on which a base is made from wooden slats. The roof is covered with any available roofing material.
The front wall of the building is equipped with an inward opening door and a feeder. The door must be closed with reliable locks, which are installed both from the outside and from the inside.
The feeder must have a latch that will secure it in the closed position. A feeder with a rotating mechanism is placed from the floor at a height of twenty to thirty centimeters.

The shepherd's enclosure is ready. Now all that remains is to do it yourself and install the booth in it.

Aviary care

The enclosure is swept with a broom or broom twice a day - morning and evening. Once a month it is necessary to wash the floors with water and a cleaning agent. Some dog breeders sprinkle the floor with shavings or sawdust.

After each feeding of the dog, the owner must wash the bowls. Dog dishes should be kept clean at all times. It is necessary to periodically spray anti-tick aerosol in the enclosure. It is especially important to do this in spring, summer and early autumn.

The feeder can be mounted on a grill

Zoological norms

The size of the building depends on the size of the dog. There are strict zoological standards that must be followed during the construction process. A spacious home should correspond to the dog’s height at the withers:

a shepherd dog under 50 cm tall can live in an enclosure with an area of 6 m²;
with a height of 50–65 cm you will need 8 m²;
dogs taller than 65 cm need a house of 10 m².

Important! Two dogs will need 1.5 times more space.

Inlet grille

The aviary will be an excellent gift for your beloved dog. In it she can feel safe, move a lot and stay warm in winter. Every owner will be able to build a warm enclosure for their pet if they follow the instructions above.

Enclosure size for a German Shepherd

The area of the structure depends on the height of the pet’s withers:

For a dog with a height at the withers of more than 65 cm, you will need an enclosure with an area of at least 10 square meters. meters,
if the height at the withers is up to 65 cm, then the area of the structure should be from 8 square meters. meters,
for a pet with a height at the withers of up to 50 cm - from 6 sq. meters.

When keeping two or more shepherd dogs, the size of the area for each dog increases by one and a half times. If the dog will only be in the enclosure for a certain time, and at night and sometimes during the day he will freely walk around the yard, then a structure of 6 square meters will be enough for him. meters.

The size of the enclosure plays a big role in the development and health of the shepherd dog. If the building for the pet turns out to be small, its movements will be constantly constrained, which will negatively affect the dog’s protective qualities.