How cold is too cold for a dog in his house?

[Coming_out_heavy.]

I just built my dog a palace. I live in the north so I had to take cold weather into consideration. I am wondering what is the safe/comfortable temperature for a black lab to sleep in? I have insulated the house well, it has a door flap, and is lined with hay as well. The floor, walls and roof are insulated with 2 inch pink styrofoam style insulation, which is covered with plywood so he cant chew it. I have installed a remote temperature sensor so I can monitor the temperature in there from my house. So how cold is too cold?

Thanks

[todbartell]

as long as the dog is dry and out of the wind, I'd say -5c temp inside his hutt

my dog sleeps on the floor beside my bed :D +18

[Mini Moose]

I made one for our dog and it sounds pretty close to yours. I also added a heated pet met that I picked up at princess auto. He has slept out almost every night for the past 2 winters and in some chilly temps. I live on the east side of the rockies and he has been out with no problems with the temperature dropping to -20. I have tried to bring him in but he whines at the door to get back out.

[wos]

I was always told if your beer will freeze so will your dog. so Tod is probably right on the money with the -5 thing.

[huntingfamily]

I just built my dog a palace. I live in the north so I had to take cold weather into consideration. I am wondering what is the safe/comfortable temperature for a black lab to sleep in? I have insulated the house well, it has a door flap, and is lined with hay as well. The floor, walls and roof are insulated with 2 inch pink styrofoam style insulation, which is covered with plywood so he cant chew it. I have installed a remote temperature sensor so I can monitor the temperature in there from my house. So how cold is too cold?

Thanks

Sounds good.
Don't skimp on the hay though. Straw is better but whichever, don't just line it but rather use lots so he can make a nest in it.
You may need to consider how to keep his water from freezing too.

Good luck,
hf

[RJ]

Just saw in the paper someone put a heat lamp on top of a plastic dog kennel and it melted it onto the dog. Poor thing was in pretty rough shape.

[KB90]

We had a dog that lived outside, lots of straw in her house, she slept outside all winter for 12 years with no problems. If it got REALLY cold we would bring her in the garage.

[Coming_out_heavy.]

The current temperature outside of my house is - 18 C. I just checked the temperature in his house, it says -7 C. The temperature sensor is mounted about 5 inches above where my dog sleeps. I think where he is laying should be even warmer, since he is laying on an insulated floor that also has 6 inches of hay on it, and the walls are insulated as well. Does this sound too cold? I may have to look into a electric pet mat or heat lamp if it is.

[todbartell]

should be alright. Coyotes are out sleeping in a snowbank at -18c right now and doing ok :D

[bopper]

I lived in Dawson Creek for 14 years; had chain link kennel runs for the dogs I was training. Dogs were outdoors all year long; dog houses in the kennels were made with two separate compartments, one with an entrance from the outside, with cedar shavings for bedding, and no insulation, for summer use. There was another opening from the side of the first compartment into the second, which was insulated and had lots of straw bedding (changed frequently). These dog houses were raised 6" above the ground; it's important that there be no drafts.
In all those years, I never had a sick dog and they all had beautiful coats.
Of course, if your dog is inside your house part of the time, this would not work, they have to be gradually conditioned to living outdoors, and be outside all the time.
Bopper

[BlacktailStalker]

How big is his house?
It should be just big enough to stand up and turn around to lay down, built just the way you described.
Much bigger than that and you might as well put him in the fridge, doesnt matter how much insulation he has it wont help.
Wet hay will go moldy and make your dog sick.
I use fine wood shavings, they make your dogs smell nice too :cool:

These work well I have them on all 3 of my dog houses.
Your door is the weakest link aside from having him in a house with too much 'air play'
http://www.k-9kondo.com/products/Kennel-Door.html

This would be a good idea as well, they work pretty good.
http://www.k-9kondo.com/products/Hound-Heater-Pet-House-Furnace%2C-110-Volt.html

[Sitkaspruce]

Just watch out about the hay. It has lots of dust particles that can cause problems with their eyes, ears and lungs. Better to use blankets, even the cheap ones from Wally World, just build them up around the inside and let the dog create a nest.

Our Chessie used to live outside, even in minus 40. All I would do is tent the outside of the dog house with a couple old blankets, so there was a sort of Vestibule, with in and out access flap off to one side and I placed a chicken heat lamp on the other side. She loved it and was in and out all the time. The dog house was insulated and in the carport, out of the wind. The remote temp had it at +5 inside most mornings. When it got to +8 or above, I shut off the lamp.

Dogs are pretty tough and as long as they can get out of the elements, they should be OK.

Cheers

SS

[takla1]

winter time id install a false floor in the dog house and put a waterbed heater in there,screwed the heater controler to the top side of the house and no problems,was just enough to keep it ubove freezeing in minus 5

[Gateholio]

Our dogs sleep outside in thier beds on the porch in whatever weather. Sometimes I let them in in the evening, but then they get too hot and they go outside for the night. Usually reasonably warm here, though, rare to have -15 for days on end.

[one-shot-wonder]

Depending on proximity to the house you can run a spool of infloor heating under the dog house if it is well insulated. We have it pass through our doghouse and it only requires a dog bed and a vinyl (butcher shop style) 2 way door.

[Coming_out_heavy.]

This is the exact doghouse i built. Did you run these houses for dogs with hair similar to a lab?


I lived in Dawson Creek for 14 years; had chain link kennel runs for the dogs I was training. Dogs were outdoors all year long; dog houses in the kennels were made with two separate compartments, one with an entrance from the outside, with cedar shavings for bedding, and no insulation, for summer use. There was another opening from the side of the first compartment into the second, which was insulated and had lots of straw bedding (changed frequently). These dog houses were raised 6" above the ground; it's important that there be no drafts.
In all those years, I never had a sick dog and they all had beautiful coats.
Of course, if your dog is inside your house part of the time, this would not work, they have to be gradually conditioned to living outdoors, and be outside all the time.
Bopper

[blackford]

I think it's also to important to recognize that some breeds will do far better than others in the cold. So while you guys are comparing what is to cold for one may or may not be relevant to the other.

Just a thought

[wildcatter]

I think it's also to important to recognize that some breeds will do far better than others in the cold. So while you guys are comparing what is to cold for one may or may not be relevant to the other.

Just a thought

Exactly, that's what I was thinking.
In the old country kuvasz and komondor breeds lived outside for over a 1000 years, no matter how cold it was.

[GoatGuy]

My lab was never an inside dog until a women got involved.

Trick is either they're inside or outside dogs so they can get furred up properly. Grandpa had labs and they were never allowed inside, -20 or otherwise and there weren't any heaters.

[Tripitaka]

I lived in Dawson Creek for 14 years; had chain link kennel runs for the dogs I was training. Dogs were outdoors all year long; dog houses in the kennels were made with two separate compartments, one with an entrance from the outside, with cedar shavings for bedding, and no insulation, for summer use. There was another opening from the side of the first compartment into the second, which was insulated and had lots of straw bedding (changed frequently). These dog houses were raised 6" above the ground; it's important that there be no drafts.
In all those years, I never had a sick dog and they all had beautiful coats.
Of course, if your dog is inside your house part of the time, this would not work, they have to be gradually conditioned to living outdoors, and be outside all the time.
Bopper

+1 - Bopper saved me typing all this. :-D

The key is if they are outside all the time as they grow a more substantial coat in winter. We had a lab living in almost exactly the same type of kennel as that described by Bopper and she was fine all year. I do have to add that the UK doesn't see anywhere near the same sort of cold temps though - it is rare to go below about -6 where I am.

I think the point about the coyotes is well made; they don't spend half their time in a warm house by the fire either though. :mrgreen:

[husky30-06]

I had a pitbull rotty cross who slept out side with me on the ski hill........ she was quite comfortable. even one year i built her a house and she dug out the ground under it at some point in time and slept under it....:???: weirdest thing!!!!!! but she loved it out side!!!!

[KB90]

Ours was a black lab as well, lived outside her whole life. Your dog shouldn't have any problems.

That dog house furnace link that was posted looks pretty cool though :)

[steelheadSABO]

well my dog stayed outside without a dog house in -28 once and she was happy to get in the heated truck

[mijinkal]

This topic has perfect timing for me as I just started building a dog house. I was planning on having 2 rooms like bopper described, but using some rubber matting on top of the plywood floor and use a dog bed instead of straw.
I may try out straw in the future though.
Also, instead of the K9 kondo door, I was just going to get a regular dog door for 1/3 the price.
My dog's an indoor dog right now, but I'd like to be able to leave him outside for the day when the weather warms up.

[Tripitaka]

...but using some rubber matting on top of the plywood floor and use a dog bed instead of straw.


You might find that this traps moisture between the wood and the rubber and allows mould to grow.

[gibblewabble]

I built a house like that 5 years ago then I wired a light fixture into it and covered it with a box made of soffit material for heat but less light, the dogs have been out in -25 to -30 and it is quite cosy in the dog house. Growing up I had a small heinz 57 that only came in when it was -40 his dog house was made out of small logs and no heat.

[Ben Fougere]

Let's see some photos of these dog houses?

[Coming_out_heavy.]

Here are some photos of what I built. It will be elevated on 6x6 legs and painted in the spring. One of the photos shows the position of my temperature sensor. At -18C ambient temp, inside the sleeping area has been reading -6C. I booted him out of there real quick today and opened the lid to have a feel around for warmth, and the walls were very warm to the touch, where he had been laying.

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy311/Coming_out_heavy/Dog%20Kennel/DogKennel002.jpg

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy311/Coming_out_heavy/Dog%20Kennel/DogKennel003.jpg

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy311/Coming_out_heavy/Dog%20Kennel/DogKennel005.jpg

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy311/Coming_out_heavy/Dog%20Kennel/DogKennel006.jpg

This is a half assed door flap, going to install something better. My initial plan didnt have a door flap, but this pillow case increased the temp inside alot.

http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy311/Coming_out_heavy/Dog%20Kennel/DogKennel007.jpg

[BCLongshot]

My shepard will lie on the ice in -20 with a wind and lick his balls !

Seriously !

He only likes me and if u look at'em he growls. My wife is the only 1 he'll tolerate and that's because he's smart.

Should be fine if he's out of the wind.

I know a guy who put a oil pan heater underneath the floor.

[huntingfamily]

Coming out heavy,

Looks pretty good to me. If it were mine, I would screw 2x4's on edge under the floor to get the house off the concrete floor. You will start to rot the plywood floor and the bottom of the walls if they sit in the water for long. I would also throw out the hay & replace it with straw, and more of it.
Just my opinion.

hf

[thatskindafunny]

Dog does just fine right beside my bed.

[gmcgilli66]

My only added suggestion would be to make the door opening as short as possible to trap the heat inside. A 2x6 across the bottom sill will keep the straw in place. My 2 Britts lived outside year round until about 10 yrs old and then moved inside with us. They had incredibly dense double coats.
Some labs do not develop dense coats readily. A well coated lab should be fine.
Watch their ears carefully for frostbite. Keep them off the cement floor in winter. I covered the whole kennel floor with straw.
A buddy used to make a straw bale doghouse for his working dogs. It worked like a hot damn!
Food for thought: Highly socialized breeds thrive on human companionship. Your Lab would most likely prefer to be with you. ... I'm just sayin' ...

[Tripitaka]

+1 to raising it off the floor and also try and put something at the bottom of the pillow case, like a piece of pipe or wood, to weight it down. Cold air is a lot heavier than warm so it has a tendency to push the fabric and seep around it. It is a lot harder for it to do that if it also has to move a few ounces of copper, plastic or wood too.

Looking good though!

[DeerBelly]

If the dogs are left out all year then they will get used to the cold and grow a thick undercoat. My Pointer(very short coat) ,Setter,and Beagle live outside in doghouses with 2-3 inches of styrofoam insulation covered with plywood and at least 6 inches of cedar shavings and a double piece of carpet for a flap with an x cut in it.If a dog isn't staying warm you can tell by his ears.Feel his/her ears when you feed him.If he/she is getting too cold their ears will show signs of cracking or freezing on the edges.My dogs ears feel warm when I check them and have no cracks.I have no extra source of heat.Dogs give off incredible amounts of heat.It gets very cold here in Mb.The mushers' dogs are kept outside all winter in way worse conditions that I don't condone but seem to do fine and they don't have the coats like the ol' time huskies had .Most are basically hounds now with floppy ears and short coats.Labs have exceptional coats designed for harsh climates and freezing water.My Dad raised Labs and they lived outside all year in insulated doghouses with straw and had no problems.

[KB90]

Nice house, looks good to me :) , but like others have said straw is better than hay.