How To Build A Dog Run

If your garden is too large or unsafe to keep your dog outside and you want to give your dog fresh air and exercise whilst you are out building a dog run could be the answer. Building a dog run isn't as difficult as it sounds even in a small yard you can give your dog some space and an opportunity to stretch its legs and exercise a little whilst safe in the knowledge that your dog is contained and not in danger. A dog run can easily be either just a freestanding run or this can be attached to a dog cabin or a dog kennel. It really is a matter of deciding how frequently you will be using the dog run and then designing a system or layout that suits your requirements. Some dogs actually prefer to be kept in an outdoor kennel with attached dog run all year around as they have hardy coats that would overheat if locked up in a house, in this case then you should look at using a dog kennel that has some form of insulation for the cold winter months. Dog runs can easily be erected but you do have to take into consideration a number of factors before deciding on your size, design and location of the dog run. In any run you need to ensure that your dog has enough space to move around to exercise so always try to build a dog run that is large enough for your breed, as a general rule a run needs to be at least twice as wide as the dogs length and then at least four times as long as the dog as a minimum. If you are housing more than one dog then you will need to take this into consideration and build it even larger. The actual location of your dog run is important take a look at where the sun rises and sets and see how much sun the run will get, this is very important if you are not going to be fitting a dog cabin or kennel to the run as then sat least the dog would have some opportunity to escape the heat of the afternoon sun. It is possible to buy sunroofs for some run systems or you could use some tarpaulin to offer some shade. Please note that this may need to be removed in heavy rain or snow to prevent it from gathering and collapsing. The flooring of the dog run is important, maybe you are just going to house your run on your lawn and then move this around in the summer, what you don't want is the dogs wearing the lawn out and then lying in mud. if you are building a permanent dog run then many people either put a concrete base down or lay slabs which can easily be hosed down, we do recommend that you consider laying some synthetic flooring as this is good for insulating and keeps the dogs off a damp floor, it also is perforated so allows liquid to drain through it, so if it rains your dog isn't lying in puddles of water. It is important that the floor to your dog run is relatively flat otherwise you will end up having to pack up the dog runs and these may make the gap beneath the run panels too large and offer an opportunity for a dog to escape. Ideally the floor of the dog run should have a very slight slope to it so that water runs off it and doesn't collect in pools. The actual run itself is very easy to build as all the galvanised dog run panels are manufactured in standard sizes and are designed to be modular. Each panel comes with two fittings so these just bolt together and when tightened they form a very solid and permanent structure. All the panels have slotted holes in them so there is adjustment vertically to cater for slightly uneven floors. When choosing a dog run one panel will have a door for entry and exit, it is important that the door opens inwards as this will prevent a boisterous dog from pushing past you and escaping. The galvanised dog run panels come in two basic sizes 5cm and 8cm gap, if you are housing smaller breeds or puppies not is best to go for the 5cm gap so they won't escape, all the panels are galvanised all over so this includes inside the tubes to ensure that they do not corrode from the inside. If you are housing very strong dogs then we do also recommend that you also fix the dog run down to the floor to prevent the dog from lifting the run and escaping. All dog runs should have a facility to provide water for your dog , certainly the best system is a bolt on bowl arrangement where your dog can't knock this over. Once you have built your dog run you can be assured that your dog is safely contained and cannot escape or dig up your garden, whilst you are at work you know that your dog will be happy and you have total peace of mind.