DIY dog enclosures - design features

Not only people need comfort, but also pets. Build an aviary for a dog with your own hands is a task that can be done by any owner. It is important to take into account the recommendations of professional dog handlers and the accumulated experience of amateurs.

General device

The booth and the chain are poorly adapted for keeping pedigree animals, and some of them simply cannot do without a roof over their heads and a heated room.

Having built an aviary, the owner solves several problems:

• protects the dog from adverse weather conditions: precipitation, wind, scorching sun, accumulation of snow and melt water;
• prevents the free movement of the pet, which can damage plantings and property;
• does not allow an aggressive dog to attack family members and guests;
• provides the pet with relative freedom and the opportunity to be active;
• eliminates the negative consequences of keeping an animal in an apartment: wool during molting, unpleasant odors, allergies in family members;
• the puppy enclosure is used for obedience training.

An aviary is a space fenced off on all sides in which a dog can be without a leash. Constructions are street or home (apartment).

Street option

The courtyard type is used to keep watchdogs and breeds, which cause a lot of trouble in the house or on the site.

Structures are:

• Temporary. These are mesh structures, without a roof or foundation. Temporary pens can be moved around the site, installed under a canopy or tree in hot weather. The main purpose is to restrict freedom of movement around the site, temporary overexposure, isolation of the puppy for the required time.
• Covered. The design assumes the constant keeping of the animal in conditions of average comfort. One, two or three walls are made of a chain-link mesh, the rest are solid, an important condition is the presence of a reliable roof. Additional elements include an insulated booth, bedding or a wooden floor. Used for breeds that can withstand any air temperature in winter.
• Capital. The aviary provides for the arrangement of the foundation and from 1 to 3 transparent walls. A warm room with 4 blank walls is being built inside, electricity is supplied for heating and lighting.

The type of enclosure is chosen based on the breed and mode of use.

Option for an apartment

Leaving your dog unattended in an apartment or inside a private house can sometimes be dangerous. Some breeds can ruin things, disrupt electrical wiring, make a mess, and mark territory. In these cases, an aviary is arranged for the dog in the apartment. It can resemble a playpen or be covered to prevent escape.

It is advisable to make the design collapsible or folding in order to be able to move to different rooms.

Inside they equip a sleeping place, a "dining room", install a toilet tray.

A home aviary with their own hands is building their unnecessary crib, if the breed is small, from pieces of steel pipes or wooden bars.

Choice of sizes

The length of the walls and the height of the enclosure depends on the size of the dog and the height of the person.

For dogs whose height at the withers does not exceed half a meter, 6 m² is sufficient. area. With a growth of 50 to 65 cm, a platform size of 8 m² is chosen.For large breeds and for enclosures where a dog and puppies will be kept, it is necessary to build structures of 10 m² or more.

The minimum overlap height is chosen by multiplying the height (at the withers) by 1.5. The dog, standing on its hind legs, should not rest against the roof with its front legs.

Be sure to take into account the height of the person who will take care of the dog, keep the aviary clean. The height of the ceiling is provided for 15-20 cm above the owner.

If the aviary is intended for several dogs, an additional 3-4 m² is allocated for each, separate sections are provided for large breeds.

Location on the site

When choosing a place to build an aviary, the needs of an animal, and not a person, are more taken into account.

Important conditions:

• The dog must see the entrance to the house, otherwise it will worry, whine and howl, bark at any noise.
• It is undesirable to choose a place near compost heaps and toilets - strong smells irritate the pet, the scent gradually decreases. If the dog is not intended for the protection of farm animals, then it is also impossible to place an aviary near the barn - the neighborhood negatively affects the livestock, and the owner will hear barking at night, because with a high degree of probability, rats appear in the sheds.
• Do not place the aviary in the lowlands, where rainwater flows down and snowdrifts.
• Eliminate snow melting and runoff of water from the roof to the roof of the enclosure.
• Do not make transparent walls overlooking the street or adjacent area.

The place is chosen so that it is convenient to maintain the enclosure itself and the area around it, they are placed no closer than 0.5 m to fences or blank walls - in this case, it was possible to freely remove the accumulated garbage.

How to build an aviary

When choosing a design, be sure to take into account what breed of dog is supposed to be kept in the aviary. The safety of the animal and people, the durability of the structure, depend on correctly selected building materials.

Floor

In temporary structures, the floor is most often left earthen, and during precipitation, the dog is taken from the enclosure.

In indoor and stationary types, the surface should rise at least 20 cm above the ground level - in this case, water will not accumulate in the aviary.

For arranging the floor, a concrete slab is poured, asphalt is used, a platform is made of boards on top of the ground or a solid foundation.

Algorithm for constructing a concrete floor:

1. The top layer of soil is removed to a depth of 10-15 cm, stones, tree roots and perennial shrubs are removed.
2. A 5–10 cm thick sand pillow is poured, spilled with water and for shrinkage, rammed.
3. The formwork is installed so that the top of the poured concrete is 10–15 cm above the ground level. For a concrete layer less than 10 cm, reinforcement with a road mesh is carried out, with a greater thickness, there is no need for reinforcement.
4. If you plan to install pipes for the netting of the chain-link, then for them recesses from 50 to 100 cm are dug around the perimeter. The supports are poured simultaneously with the floor platform.
5. For brick walls, a pit 40 cm deep is made around the perimeter, reinforced with steel or composite rods with a thickness of 10 mm, located in two lines.
6. Pour concrete grade M80 – M100. There is no need for greater strength. The mixture includes M500 cement, sand, filler (expanded clay, crushed stone). The proportions are 1: 5.5: 8.
7. After setting, the surface is covered with plastic wrap for 2-3 days.

A full set of strength (28 days) is expected only when building concrete walls. In other cases, you can walk on the surface in 1-2 days, and start pulling the mesh onto the posts in about 5-7 days.

In hot weather, the surface is watered every 3-4 hours to prevent cracking and create conditions for maximum strength.

In some cases, the part of the enclosure where the dog will fulfill its natural needs is not concreted. At the same time, they must equip anti-submerged elements:

• concrete is poured around the perimeter to a depth of 30 cm;
• burst metal rods along the fence;
• inside the enclosure, a masonry mesh with a width of 40 cm or more is buried - the dog always digs the ground directly near the fence, and the mesh will prevent it from doing this, the dog will not dig a tunnel.

Wooden decks should only be built from grooved floorboards. Edged lumber is not used, since due to temperature fluctuations, gaps are necessarily formed into which the paw of a small dog or the claws of large specimens can fall - injuries are possible when trying to free themselves.

Boards are laid on logs with a cross section of 50–70 mm or more.

The tree is not painted, but it must be treated with antiseptics. You can change the color of the surface with stains and special oil compositions.

Walls

Deaf walls are made of wood or brick; it is undesirable to use OSB panels. Under the influence of sunlight and moisture, they would quickly deteriorate. In addition, dogs larger than a German Shepherd can easily shatter the panel and break free.

Instructions for building wooden walls:

1. A frame is built from a bar (from 50x50mm) or from metal (a profile pipe from 40x40 mm).
2. The frame must be sheathed with a grooved board to exclude drafts. It is possible to use edged lumber, but then 2 layers are made between which a windproof membrane or roofing material is laid. Boards in layers are placed perpendicularly.
3. The walls are treated with an antiseptic containing a fire retardant.

It is undesirable to choose corrugated board or sheet metal, as it is susceptible to freezing and damage by massive dogs. One of the options is to sheathe wooden walls with profiled sheets. This will give the building an attractive look and completely eliminate drafts.

The open parts of the aviary are built from a mesh (budget and fast option), steel pipes of a round or profile section - the average price or forged elements - design solutions.

For dogs of large breeds, special attention is paid to attaching the net to the walls and in the lower part. The animal is able to untwist the twists by force and break free. In addition, many rocks are able to climb the mesh like a ladder, which also gradually destroys the structure.

For large rocks, open walls are made from pipes with a diameter of ½ ". The elements are placed vertically, excluding attempts to climb over the fence.

Most rocks learn to overcome an obstacle over time, so no gaps should be left between the roof and walls.

Roof

You can cover the roof with a metal profile, asbestos-cement or polymer slate, soft tiles or roll materials.

To obtain more light, up to 1/3 of the area is not covered, but in this case, they provide how to prevent escape. For example, you can cover this part of the aviary with a chain-link.

Polycarbonate is not suitable for roofing - in summer, the temperature in the enclosure will rise to high temperatures, sometimes fatal to the pet.

Doors

The entrance doors are made in the same style as the walls.

The door is recommended to be made in an open wall - the owner will be able to control the behavior of the dog when entering the enclosure.

The door should open inward, so the risk of the animal being able to open it with its own weight is reduced.

A frame is made from a shaped pipe and covered with a netting or a canvas is constructed with filling with pipes.

Particular attention is paid to the strength of awnings and locking devices.

Locks are installed on both sides to prevent the dog from escaping when cleaning. On the external bolt, a padlock is provided so that children cannot open the door on their own - a large dog, having escaped free, can frighten a child simply by playing with him.

Booth

The booth is made of wood in two layers with waterproofing between the layers.

For a year-round stay or for dogs with offspring, instead of a booth, they often arrange a small room inside the aviary, closed on 4 sides with solid walls. For service, leave room for the door. In this case, it is possible to organize electric heating by covering the wiring in metal pipes.

Place to eat

The feeding place must be stationary; for this, the feeders and drinkers are installed on frames that exclude movement.

It is convenient to make a small opening window for filling the trough. This will eliminate unnecessary visits to the aviary and speed up the process.

Restroom

Dogs quickly get used to the place where they have to do their natural needs.

For aviaries with a hard surface, a sand trough is provided. Another option is to leave open ground in the part of the enclosure.

In any case, it is better to make the floor with a slight slope - this will make cleaning easier if the dog still cannot get used to one place.