Dog Kennel Guide

Dogs, just like people, benefit greatly from a good night’s sleep.  It helps to keep them healthy, alert and stress free.  Of course the quality of the bed itself is important and if you are willing to spend the money then a memory foam dog bed will give considerable comfort to your pet.

However, it is not only the bed that is important, where it is situated is also vital.  Somewhere that is relatively peaceful and free from drafts is ideal and many people opt to buy a plastic dog kennel to help achieve this.  The kennel ensures that no drafts can get to your dog, even if the actual position is drafty.

Before dogs became domesticated, when they ran wild, they lived in packs and slept in dens.  The dens made them feel secure because the dogs knew that, even while they slept, nothing could creep up and attack them.  With only once entrance they could take turns in guarding the den, keeping the whole pack safe.  Plastic kennels help to recreate this environment and so ensure that your dog feels safe while he sleeps.

Plastic dog kennels also have several important advantages over other types of kennel.  Firstly, they are very light and so can be easily moved around your house as and when you have the need.  They are also easily cleaned and don’t retain that doggy smell which wooden kennels can sometimes start to have.  Being easy to mass produce they are also the cheapest type of dog home on the market and come in every size, shape and colour.

Of course not all kennels are for use just within the home.   If you need to transport your dog somewhere then one with a mesh door to prevent escape is perfect.  For maximum transporting potential you should consider a Vari Kennel as these are airline approved and so you can even take your dog on board a plane, as well as in your car.

Some people may say why on earth would you want a ‘plastic dog kennel’ when you can have a much classier wooden kennel but you should point out that wooden kennels need annual wood treatment to stop them rotting, are much more difficult to clean and are way too heavy to move around with any ease.

So, if you want to give your beloved pet the best night’s sleep he’s ever had then install one of these dog houses in your home or garden.  He will appreciate the warmth, comfort and security that it provides.

Making the decision to get a dog is very exciting.  Which breed will you get?  Will it be a puppy or a rescue dog?  These are the first things that you will be thinking about.  However, there are other more practical issues that also need to be considered.  To make your dog as comfortable as possible there are a variety of accessories that you might like to buy.  A dog kennel will make your dog feel secure and safe, as if he is in a den, and water and food bowls are a must.  On top of this you will need a lead and some toys and, very importantly, you will need to do some research into plastic dog beds.

Your dog’s bed needs to be made of a tough, durable plastic which can withstand a bit of chewing and is resistant to taking on doggy odours.  If you live in a very hot area, or else have a dog who gets particularly overheated when he’s done some exercise then you might want to buy a bed which has air vents in it or one that is slightly raised off the ground to allow air flow around it.  Owners of plastic dog kennels might want to see if they can find a bit which has been specially made to fit within the kennel as this will prevent wasting any space.

If your dog is mostly kept outdoors then you probably have a nice, insulated dog kennel for him.  Plastic dog beds will add to the insulating properties because they will add another layer between your pet and the cold ground beneath the kennel.  The bed will also help to keep the interior of the kennel clean as it is easily taken out and washed down.

The fact that they are plastic ensures that these are also waterproof dog beds.  This means that if you dog lies in it while he is wet that the water won’t end up all over the floor and can easily be wiped up.  If you have a young dog who is prone to little accidents that you will also stop your floor from being covered in urine!

Plastic dog beds generally come with rubber feet, to stop them slipping, as standard and a range of custom fit cushions to choose from.  They come in a huge variety of colours so you can choose one that fits in well with your decor!

Nearly all dog owners will at some time or another want to transport their dog in their car.  Though it may be tempting to just place him on the back seat this is not a practical or safe solution and you would be much better off buying a dog car cage or a specially designed dog kennel.  You won’t even need to apply your brakes very hard to throw the poor animal across the vehicle and a large number of dogs are killed or injured this way every year.  An extra danger would also be if this application of the brakes threw the dog into the back of the driver causing an accident.  Also, a loose dog may just take it into his mind to climb into the front of the car distracting the driver and again potentially causing an accident.

Of course it is not just unsafe.  Dogs are not always the cleanest of animals and are likely to bring mud and dirt into your car, along with piles of shed hair, which would make your seats most undesirable for the next human occupant.  All these factors make it vital to buy some sort of dog carrier in which to transport your pet.

If you are someone who doesn’t use their car very often to transport their dog then a dog car crate is probably not necessary and you would be better off buying one of the many plastic dog kennels available on the market today.  These can be secured to the back seat by a seatbelt and will keep your dog safely in place for your journey.

If, however, your dog travels with you more than once a week then you should consider purchasing a dog car cage.  These cages are specially designed to fit into the back of the car and the newer designs have a sloping side to solve the problem of dog car cages which can’t fit into hatchback cars.  The cages have plastic trays on the bottom to catch any dirt and hair, reducing the need to vacuum out the vehicle, and often come with dividers which can be inserted if you want to transport more than one dog.

All types of dog car cage have a door opening on one side but some also have extra doors to allow access from the vehicle by lowering the back seats.  This may be useful if you need to reach your dog whilst still in transit or in emergency situations.

The first recorded use of a dog kennel was in Egypt 5000 years BC.  These kennels were made from mud bricks for dogs who were both used as hunting companions and as pets (some people even thought that they were messengers of the gods).  Over the course of history dogs have always been popular pets for humans, often living within the home as part of the family or used as guard dogs of for hunting.  The Victorians started the trend for the traditional pitched roofed wooden kennels which are still popular today.

In the 1960’s the invention of plastic made it possible to mass produce plastic dog kennels.  These come in a variety of forms from folding crates, which can be collapsed for easy storage to kennels to transport dogs in cars.  The most recent addition to this market is the igloo dog house.

Igloo dog houses have been designed with certain specifications in mind to make your dog’s life more comfortable.  They are basically an igloo style dog house with a long porch leading onto a large living area.  The design shape allows good air circulation while the special foam insulation means that an igloo dog house remains nice and warm in the winter but refreshingly cool in the summer.  Most of these houses have a channel which runs all the way round the inside edge which any unwanted fluids will run into.

It is also possible to buy added extras to put onto your kennel such as a door for the entrance or a bowl holder which fixes to the outside of the dog igloo.  A washable floor pad made will also help to keep the kennel clean though the plastic dog house is actually very easy to clean and won’t harbour fleas or mites as a wooden kennel might.

Other advantages of an igloo dog house include the fact that they are incredibly easy to put together, only involving the clipping together of the top and base, and there is no chance of it rotting like a wooden kennel or rusting like a metal dog cage.  The rim of the door has been specially designed to help keep rain out and the inner floor is slightly raised to stop the cold from passing up from the ground and into your dog.  Of course though these are really designed for dogs there is no reason that you could not use a small one as a cat kennel.

If you are looking to buy a dog kennel then you are in luck as the market is huge and so there is a kennel available in every size, shape and colour as well as being made from a variety of materials.  In fact you might find that you just have so much choice that a decision is even harder to make.  One variety is plastic dog kennels.  These are great for small to medium sized dogs but if you have a large dog then you would probably be better off with a wooden or metal kennel.

Thought there are different types of plastic dog crates they do all have some advantages in common.   The main one is that they are very light making them easy to carry and, therefore, easy to transport from room to room or into a car.  The smooth, impermeable surfaces in a plastic dog crate also make them incredibly easy to clean.  You can simply wash larger particles of dirt and hair out and then wipe down the crate with some anti-bacterial cleaner.

There are different varieties of plastic dog kennels made with different purposes in mind.  One type is made from rigid plastic with an easily removable grate at the front.  These are usually used for transporting a dog short journeys in a car, say to the vets or a boarding kennels.  You can buy these for medium sized dogs but for small dogs a cat kennel will work just as well.

A plastic dog house comes into its own when you want to house train a new puppy as dogs are naturally reluctant to go to the toilet in their own bed.  You can use this to your advantage by taking him out to the garden to do his business as soon as he comes out of his dog kennel and, even if he does have an accident, it won’t really matter as it’ll be an easy job to clean it up.

As well as rigid plastic dog kennels you can buy kennels with plastic frames that have nylon stretched over them.  These are made to be easy to fold up so that they don’t take up much space when not in use.  The nylon can also be removed and put into the washing machine when it gets dirty.  These are quite often used by people who take their dogs to shows as they only need them at certain times.