The principle of installing a homemade dog enclosure
Building a stylish and original dog enclosure with your own hands is not astrophysics or higher mathematics. Everything is much simpler. First you need to determine its shape and dimensions. Make a drawing taking into account all sizes and wishes. In this case, it is important to choose high-quality material. You should also think about where it is best to put it.
Often, the owners need such a platform to isolate their tailed watchman from guests, household or garden plantings. 
For safety reasons, it should be kept separately.
For an apartment, a booth can be made from old bedside tables (cabinets) or you can use special cells, mesh fences.
Read also the article in the topic: do-it-yourself dog pen!
Location
Creating comfortable conditions for both the animal and the household is the leading goal of this venture. It is not recommended to build a fenced area for your vociferous guard:
- Near the fence, gates and wickets. All passers-by, as well as cars, will annoy him. As a result, the morning or night dog serenades are guaranteed to pets. In addition, there is a possibility that he will get out and do a lot of dirty tricks.
- In the backyard. Four-legged friends have a herd instinct. If you isolate them completely, they will become homesick and start howling, whining, and this gets on your nerves.
- Near the door of the house. Bad smell and pet barking will make family life unbearable.
The best location for outdoor dog enclosures is the front yard area. It is better to place it under a branchy tree. The roof, of course, will hide the cute animal from the heat, as well as rain. However, a hot iron will create a real steam room in the building. While a dense crown will be an excellent shelter from the sun.
You need to put the aviary longer from drafts. No one wants their pet to get sick.
Construction features
The foundation of such a structure is mainly concreted and covered with gravel. The back and side walls are made deaf. The other three are made of lattices, rods or nets. There must be a gate with a shutter so that you can feed the dog and wash the site. In the middle, 2 places are mounted: one for sleeping (kennel), and the other for food (feeding trough). To make the four-legged companion feel safe and comfortable, the following requirements are imposed on dog enclosures with their own hands:
- Consider the size of the pet. Animals up to 70 cm need a plot of 5-8 sq. m, and those that are larger - from 10 m².
- It can be open (2 or 3 mesh walls) to provide good ventilation. For regions with a cold climate, they make closed-type sites, where only the front wall is open.
- A removable roof is made of durable roofing material.
- Only dry planed boards are used for the floor.
- The wicket for the owner should be in his height or 15 cm smaller so that only his head can be tilted when entering. It should open inward. A reliable lock is required.
- The size of the trough meets the needs of the animal (2 pieces). It is better to fix the containers by attaching the rotation mechanism.
- The booth is built of small size so that the pet can lie, sit and turn freely.A warm covering is laid on the floor.
Since it is sometimes required to make an aviary for a dog in an apartment, you can use materials at hand. For example, make a fence from slats or mesh. At the same time, attach it to one of the walls of the apartment. Much depends on the wishes of the household themselves.
Animals need to be walked from time to time. They have to run and frolic. Otherwise, the muscles atrophy and the blood stagnates.
Material selection
It is recommended to make one or two sides of the site completely closed so that there are no drafts. To build such blank walls, you can use the following types of building materials:
- brick;
- foam or cinder blocks:
- wooden beams, panels or boards (thickness from 2 cm);
- concrete slab;
- ready-made frame made of wood and reinforcement.
Coniferous trees are the insulating material. For harsh winters, it is still better to insulate the walls or make them double.
Floor
The flooring in the outdoor dog enclosure should not be cold. This can cause rheumatism in the animal. Therefore, it cannot be made from cement. Better to use asphalt or concrete. Cover the screed with wooden flooring. The grooved boards are sanded and dried well so that mold does not develop. They should be treated with antiseptic agents before painting. The floor must be made with a slope. The side zones are slightly higher, and the frontal and center zones are lower. As a result, water will drain off rather than accumulate on the surface.
Any wooden parts must not come into contact with the ground or other plinths. Otherwise, the wood will absorb moisture and rot.
Roof
In the original, the coating should be made inclined or flat. It is forbidden to use ordinary nails for roof installation. It is better to give preference to self-tapping screws or other types of closed mounts, because the dog can get hurt. The roof of a pet dog enclosure can be made from:
- wood;
- plastic;
- slate;
- ondulina;
- bituminous tiles;
- professional sheet;
- roofing material;
- metal tiles.
It is mounted on a wooden platform that consists of several planks. This structure allows you to keep the building warm and provide excellent air circulation.
front part
The front wall provides the tailed guard with a good view. The grille is an unmatched option for this kind of observation. It can be made from metal shaped pipes with a round or square section. Using a grinder or sandpaper, you need to clean the parts from burrs and rust. The metal surface must be primed and covered with several layers of paint.
The Ministry of Health prohibits the use of powder and galvanized materials. They are harmful to the health of the animal. It is recommended to use stainless steel screws as fasteners.
Mesh is a budget option, but it is not always reliable. Under the weight of the shepherd, it can fall out or burst. Also, dogs often gnaw on the wire and pull out their teeth.
Design
After determining the location, it is important to make a detailed drawing with the dimensions of the dog enclosure. You need to think over and correctly arrange the main zones:
- booth;
- platform;
- gate;
- area (lawn) for walking;
- feeding windows.
The optimal height of such a structure is calculated taking into account the dimensions of the pet. It is necessary to measure the animal in full growth. To do this, he must stand on his hind legs. It is worth adding to the resulting indicator from 20 to 50 cm, at the discretion of the designer.
If the site is being prepared for several dogs, then all dimensions must be multiplied by 1.5.
Construction
After receiving the project, you should choose the material for the roof, blank and front walls. Then it is important to determine the location. Now you need to consider step by step how to build an aviary for a dog with your own hands, so as not to miss anything.
Foundation and flooring
Rafters for the foundation will be powerful pipes (4-6 pcs.), Which should be driven into the ground along the perimeter of the object, or columns of bricks. The remaining space is filled with gravel or expanded clay. The base (screed with a height of 40 to 70 mm) is poured with a solution of concrete or cement. It is important not to forget to tilt towards the frontal zone.
The wooden flooring is nailed to a special timber frame. Its dimensions correspond to the dimensions of the enclosure. This floor is made from tongue-and-groove planks, since no nails are needed to install them.
Erection and filling of the frame
If the fence is metal, then pipes can be used. They are assembled according to the drawing and fastened with bolts or welding. The same assembly principle applies to wooden poles. The algorithm for their construction is as follows:
- cut slats of the required length;
- drill holes for fasteners;
- collect each wall separately;
- treat the tree with fungicide and varnish;
- sheathe with a metal mesh;
- drive out the frame;
- one panel is a wicket, it needs to be hinged and a latch is attached;
- cover blind walls with a sheet of plywood;
- cover with a roof or horizontal beams.
The metal frame is filled with a pre-selected material: a wooden bar or a brick wall. To insulate the back, pressed sawdust, foam, eco-or mineral wool are additionally used.
The front wall is made with one crossbeam. If a mesh is used, then you need to make sure that it sits firmly on the folds. Any load can break it.
The front wall must be made of a chain-link or mesh. In other cases, a lattice is made, consisting of welded pipes, rods. Two feeding rings should be welded near the gate. The swivel mechanism opens outward.
Roof and booth installation
To work with corrugated board or slate, it is necessary to build a wooden frame. After that, the roofing sheets are laid one by one. Roofing material or soft tiles are sheathed with a wooden frame on which special OSB boards are attached. For safety reasons, self-tapping screws or closed-type fasteners should be used. Among other things, an awning can be used as a covering. A dense and waterproof fabric is pulled over a metal frame, securing with loops.
The booth is made with a flat roof. As a result, it will become an observation platform for the pet. It is desirable for the structure to open, because then it is easier to clean it. The size of the booth is equal to the length of the lying dog, which stretched out its legs.
A few simple steps and a do-it-yourself dog enclosure is ready. Such a stylish residence will serve as a great place to rest and work for your beloved pet.