Winter Dog Houses

Trials

Trials

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Hi all, just came to my attention today that some people have K9's that stay out doors for various reasons and struggle with providing an adequate winter shelter, just wanted to pass along a suggestion:

Water bed heater + one or two of the 'tube' type waterbed bladders :grommit: provides an awesome outdoor heated surface to put under your puppy's igloo or whatever he lives in. If those components can not be found, inner tubes of various sizes plus an inexpensive battery blanket warmer would probably do very nicely, heat rises.
Lay the heater thing down on styrene covered in aluminum foil, then the water bladder on it, then a layer of wood as thick as you like, I use 2 by 4's Insulate around the perimeter of the water bladder with straw or styrene and then backfill, or put the whole shelter in the side of your garage and add a doggy door to a yard, even better.

Please be kind 2 K9's :cool: and pass the suggestion along if you see the need.
 
OP - Thanks for caring and posting
I hope your advice gets to right ppl.
My dog stays inside - with me...


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Less hassle + cheaper. 30' water pipe heater w. the lead coiled under the floor

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Good heater idea !
A volume of heated water will still give a better heat distribution and retention, considerably reduce the energy cost.
If you just coil it under a floor you are either heating wood or air.

30 feet sounds like it would be way too much imho
 
nobbie48 said:
Not CSA approved for the purpose. Also the thermostat is factory set at about 5°C so it never gets warmer than that.
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That's not going to cut it, dogs have a higher body temperature then humans.
 
Trials said:
That's not going to cut it, dogs have a higher body temperature then humans.
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Depends on the dog/breed. At 5 deg. I have to call mine to come in. She'd be happy to stay out all night and sleep in her ambush spot in the yard. -20 deg. and she'll stay out for a couple of hours before eventually having enough and come to the door.
 
Get an appropriate size dog house for the dog that lives in it, provide some decent bedding and the dog will generate thier own warmth. If you have a dog that lives outside, that is not suitable to be an outside dog your a moron with other issues.
 
crankcall said:
Get an appropriate size dog house for the dog that lives in it, provide some decent bedding and the dog will generate thier own warmth. If you have a dog that lives outside, that is not suitable to be an outside dog your a moron with other issues.
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Guy round the corner from us keeps hounds outside using a kerosene heater. Not sure if that’s a good idea. There’s not that many dogs I’d keep outside in our climate, Ive even seen sled huskies with coats on.
 
My sister had an old husky and put one of those hose warming things under a pad for it. It preferred to sleep on a chunk of wood.
 
LiNK666 said:
Typical husky. They prefer cold to comfortable
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Husky's don't have a problem with Toronto cold -- I've had them for decades and mine either sleep on top of their dog houses or curled up in snow burrows.
 
A lot of cottagers heat dog house sized pump enclosures with an incandescent bulb. LED's don't work.

Note: Dogs chew and break things.

You can buy heated door mats for snow melting but they can run too hot for the purpose and aren't cheap.
 
crankcall said:
... the dog will generate thier own warmth...
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Yes, generating their own heat starts by shivering (involuntary muscle spasms) which burns calories and that helps right up until they get sick or dehydrate or eat too much snow which lowers their core temperature. At that point any warm blooded animal needs an external heat source or damage from cold sets in.
 
I've never seen an igloo with porch lights or a yurt. Wonder how the dogs have survived for 1000yrs.
 
crankcall said:
I've never seen an igloo with porch lights or a yurt. Wonder how the dogs have survived for 1000yrs.
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I take it you've never seen a dog with frostbite, suffering from hypothermia or frozen solid.
 
crankcall said:
I've never seen an igloo with porch lights or a yurt. Wonder how the dogs have survived for 1000yrs.
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One can't compare a Husky with a Greyhound for winter survival. It also depends on snow. A dog with the right intuition will make a cave in a snowbank but what if there's no snow?

Igloos and quinzhees aren't warm but warmer that what's outside.

Another factor with outdoor pets is the chance of a coyote / coywolf attack.

Dogs are domesticated which basically means dependent on human support. Treat them accordingly.
 
Shelter without a heat source is colder then an igloo,
people build fires in igloos and cohabitant to share body warmth, which is actually a lot of fun if you do it with the right people
 
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