Many people love Labradors - beautiful, loyal and smart dogs that can easily become a new member of the family. Of course, any responsible owner will try to do everything so that his pet feels as comfortable as possible. Therefore, many are trying to make a cozy and safe home for their pet. This begs the question: what should be the size of a doghouse for a Labrador? The question is quite interesting and important - it should be studied more closely.
Why do we need a booth
Of course, the most obvious and understandable answer: to hide from the weather and cold. Indeed, being in a well-insulated and well-made booth, the dog can easily endure frost, wind, rain, without risking his health and feeling as comfortable as possible.
However, some owners build booths even for dogs living in apartments or private houses, and not on the street. Is this an unnecessary concern or a completely rational approach? In fact, this is a very reasonable decision. After all, a booth is not only a shelter from the weather. It is also a personal corner of the dog, in which she will feel as safe as possible. Just as a person in an apartment should have his own room, or at least a corner that he could feel his own and equip at his own request, so a dog should have a kennel.
This is especially important in cases where you do not want the dog to sleep with you on the bed, and also do not allow you to jump onto a chair or sofa, considering that she should sleep on the floor, on a special bedding. Just in this case, the presence of the booth will not be superfluous. It creates for the dog the illusion of greater security, which means that your pet will feel more comfortable throughout life.
Of course, if you are building a kennel in a house, then it can be assembled from thin plywood or other simple materials - you don’t have to think about additional insulation and even installing the floor.
Determine the optimal size
The next very important step is to correctly determine the size of the dog booth for the Labrador. This is really serious. If the booth is too large, then it will be cold in it - it will be difficult to warm an excessively spacious room with body heat. And the dog is too small just can not fit.
Experts recommend determining the appropriate size of the booth for the Labrador Retriever based on its size. For this, simple measurements and calculations are performed.
First of all, you need to decide on the height. To do this, measure the height of the dog at the withers. Add about 15 centimeters to this so that the dog can sit in the booth if desired. If you plan to use a thick litter so that the pet is warmer and more comfortable, then add its thickness to the height.
The next step when choosing the size of a booth for a Labrador dog is to determine the depth. Here you need to measure the distance from the tips of the front paws to the withers. Add another 15 centimeters here and get the optimal rate.
When determining the width, measure the dog from the base of the tail to the tip of the nose. Then your pet will be able to easily turn inside the booth, without experiencing the slightest discomfort.
Finally, determining the size of the booth for the Labrador Retriever, whose photo is the article, you need to decide on the entrance. Its width should be 9 centimeters greater than the height of the dog at the withers, and its height should be 9 centimeters less.
It is worth saying here that all sizes of the booths for an adult Labrador are shown. But to accustom him to life in a kennel is desirable from a puppy's age. Some owners allow pets to live in the house while they are puppies, and when they grow up, they are moved to a booth on the street. It would seem - a rational approach. However, the dog does not understand this, perceiving it as a terrible punishment. She cannot understand what angered the owners who drove her out of a cozy, spacious house, where there is a lot of good food and you can always play with someone or at least sleep in the chair of your beloved master. Therefore, it is better to immediately accustom the pet to the booth, so as not to upset him once again.
We select the right materials
So, what materials are useful in making the booth?
First of all, you need to stock up on wood: bars with a section of 4 x 4 centimeters, plywood (or lining) and a floorboard. Also, it does not hurt to stock up with roofing material, tarpaulin, polystyrene. For assembly, it is advisable to use short but thick self-tapping screws. They securely fix the wood and do not stick out inside the booth, because of which the dog could get hurt.
Of the tools you will need: a screwdriver, a saw, a measuring ruler or meter and a pencil - perhaps everything you need can be found in any household.
Having at hand everything you need, you can safely get to work.
How to insulate a booth?
Long before the construction of the booth, it is worth deciding how exactly you will insulate it. After all, it is desirable to insulate not only the walls, but also the bottom, as well as the roof. This is really important. Everyone knows that heat rises, which means that a lot of heat will be lost through the roof. If you eliminate the smallest gaps and insulate the roof, then the heat will accumulate in the booth, and the dog will always be comfortable here.
The bottom is also very important - the dog is lying on the floor, and if it is cold, then the pet will not be able to warm up. The easiest way is to set the booth on several thick bars so that the bottom does not touch the frozen ground. As an additional thermal insulation under the booth, you can lay a foam plate.
It is best to insulate the walls with sawdust or with a thin layer of polystyrene foam - we will talk about this later.
Finally, when you have decided on the dimensions of the Labrador booth, a photo of which can be seen in the article, think about the insulation of the entrance. Caring owners hang up the entrance with a piece of tarpaulin. And so that the wind could not raise the tarp, sew special pockets on its lower part, filling them with sand. The dog will easily push such a veil over his nose and will surely not get hurt about it. And the wind, no matter how raging, is unlikely to cause much discomfort to your pet. In the summer heat, the veil can be removed so that the doghouse is not too stuffy.
Choose the type of roof
After calculating the size of the Labrador's booth, you also need to determine the type of roof. There can be two options: gable and flat. Each of the structures has certain advantages, so it is not always easy to make a choice.
Let's start with the flat - it is the easiest to manufacture. Therefore, many dog owners prefer it. In addition, dogs like to climb the roof of the booth and inspect their possessions from it, getting a greater view. But at the same time, it is worth remembering that a flat roof should be inclined so that water after rain or melting snow would rather slide down from it, and not leak through the smallest gaps into the booth.
The next option is gable. She is the most beautiful, but at the same time quite difficult to manufacture. In addition, not only rain, but also snow quickly drains or slides off such a roof, without causing unnecessary problems to the dog and owner. In this case, it is worth taking care that there is a drainage ditch around the booth, taking away the excess water away so as not to spread excess slush.
With this information, each dog owner will be able to decide which option is more suitable specifically for him.
Where to install it?
After you have decided on the choice of design and the selection of materials, it is very important to decide where exactly the booth will be installed. This is also an important factor. Indeed, not only the comfort of the dog, but also its ability to protect the territory depends on the chosen place.
Traditionally, the booth has gates or gates nearby. Thanks to this, the dog sees each person entering the owner's territory. And can take appropriate measures. And strangers, seeing a large and determined dog near the gate, will once again think about whether to go on their own or whether it would be better to wait for the owner to talk to him without going to someone else's site.
However, you can use special fittings or a thick steel wire to which the chain is attached. This allows the dog to move freely along the entire fence - at 10, 20 or even 100 meters. Very convenient. On the one hand, the booth can be placed anywhere, because the dog can easily get to it if the length of the chain allows. On the other hand, the risk of unwanted guests entering the territory of the site who decided not to use the gate, but simply climb over the fence, is reduced.
However, it is worth considering - Labradors are generally very peaceful dogs, friendly. They are good as companions, will be great companions for games or companions for walks. But good guards from them are obtained much less often. Just because they want to be friends with the whole world, and not bark at strangers, much less bite them.
Finally, after determining which size of the booth for the Labrador will be optimal, choose the place where the cozy house will be not only functional, but also convenient. That is, on the one hand, the dog should have the opportunity to sit in the sun - on cold winter days this will be quite useful. And on the other hand - there must be a shadow nearby. Here your pet will take refuge from the scorching summer sun in the heat. However, you can simply choose a place at random, and in the summer erect a small canopy that creates the shadow your pet needs.
Make the bottom
Having determined the appropriate dimensions of the booth for the Labrador, try to make it yourself. It all starts, of course, from the bottom. To begin, assemble the frame frame - four bars, suitable in length, simply connect together. This is easiest to do with self-tapping screws. But you can also use special angles that increase the strength of the connection. If your pet is large in size and weight, it is not superfluous to add one or two bars to the middle of the structure, increasing its strength.
There may be several options. For example, you can simply fix floorboards to the frame, which will play the role of the floor. And you can use not only boards, but also additional insulation. In this case, after installing the boards, turn the frame over, fill the void between the bars with foam plates, close the plywood and fix it with self-tapping screws. Now the floor of the booth will be not only durable, but also very warm.
Working on the walls
The next stage is the manufacture of walls. For starters, the frame is traditionally assembled - for this, use all the same bars. But to fix them on the bottom frame should be longer screws. And it’s better to use reliable corners. Then the rigidity of the structure will be maximum. At the same time, remember that on one side the bars must be higher, and the upper end must be sawn off at an angle - this will ensure a tight fit of the roof and at the same time guarantee the desired angle of the roof slope.
Now you need to sheathe the walls from the inside with plywood or lining. The latter option is preferable - there will be no splinter, which means that your pet will be much more comfortable living in a booth. Before sheathing outside (here you can use plywood as a cheaper material), you can provide additional thermal insulation. The gap between the inner and outer sheathing can be filled with a suitable material - foam boards or ordinary fine sawdust.
Fix the casing with short self-tapping screws. Make sure that the caps are tightly flush, but the sharp ends of the screws do not stick out inside.
Collect the roof
Assembling the roof is the final stage of construction. For example, consider a flat, or single-pitched roof, as it is easier to manufacture.
First, the frame is assembled from the bar - its dimensions will be exactly the same as at the bottom. Fasten it to the bars forming the frame of the walls. The task is not difficult - the main thing is that the screws do not go crooked and do not go inside the booth.
A piece of roofing material or thick building polyethylene is laid on top of the frame. This eliminates the possibility of leaking rain or melt water inside the kennel, which means that the pet will feel as comfortable as possible. If necessary, before installing waterproofing, foam can be used, at the same time warming the roof.
The last stage is laying the roof itself. You can use plywood or an OSB board here. The main thing is to make sure that it is strong enough to withstand the weight of your pet with a margin. In some cases, it makes sense to cut out two sheets of the same size and join together to get a really solid surface. The roof area can be larger than the booth itself to reliably protect the dog from direct and oblique rain. And sitting on a large roof will be much more pleasant for a pet than on a small one.
On this construction is completed. Now you know how to make a do-it-yourself booth for a Labrador. Photos attached to the article will certainly help at different stages.
Conclusion
Our article has come to an end. From it you learned a lot of interesting and useful facts about making a booth for a Labrador, taking sizes, selecting materials. Surely now you will not have problems when building housing for your pet.