Dog Kennel Question

[carolinarider09]

Door Open or Door Closed?

Before we got Zoe, I built a 40' x 60' foot kennel for her to stay in while we took day trips and such.  Not overnight, just a day at a time.

Well, Zoe, never really took to being in her new kennel so it is not used often. 

The other day, I was walking with Zoe and as we went around the outside of the kennel, we saw a fairly large rabbit stuck in the wire.  The rabbit was almost out but its hind quarters were trapped in the fence and it as dead. 

I removed it and was wondering how it got in and why it might have gotten stuck. 

The only door is almost always closed to keep critters out unless we are outside with Zoe and I let her go inside to sniff around.

So, my question is, I was keeping the door shut to keep critters out.  Should I leave it open just in case so they can also get out.

Also we live in a fairly rural area, nearest neighbors are over 100 yards away.

[hubcapsc]

I removed it and was wondering how it got in and why it might have gotten stuck. 

He might have been running from something. I used to think it was funny
to see a bunny in the horse pasture and point it out to my dog Bonnie, point
and yell BUNNY! She'd take off and the rabbit would run away 100 miles an
hour... until one time the rabbit ran to the fence and it tried to go
through and got stuck... I was there so I got the dog off the rabbit...

An animal running from something might not be thinking about where the
gate or door is. It is good of you not to want things to suffer needlessly...
When I first started making fences for the horses I'd dig a bunch of post
holes and then place the posts... after finding a couple of turtles down in
the holes, I started placing a post in each hole right away...

-Mike

[carolinarider09]

Never thought about the "running" thing.

Zoe, chased two pair of rabbits today that she sniffed out.  Did not catch them but they can run and it is possible that the rabbit found it easier to run through the fence going and and once in, was just trying to get out and got stuck. 

So,  I will probably keep the door closed as before. 

[Rams]

I would leave it closed, most animals aren’t astute enough (especially when panic) to remember how they got in so, leaving it closed may save a few bunnies.

Rams

[Jersey mike]

Close the door and pit 2 bunnies in.

[Jess from VA]

When me and my brother and sister were little, I bet my folks wished they had one of those.   

The door would definitely have been closed.

We were mostly free range kids (and wandered off from time to time).

[cookiedough]

that is one heck of a nicely built dog kennel sure beats a 6x10 foot metal fencing cage most use.  Am sure your dog will be safe in there and if you take it in there often enough and go in with the dog,  am sure eventually the dog will not mind being in there for a LONG LONG while.  doggie treats help as well! 

You could always buy some chicken coop type wire is fairly inexpensive and go around the entire bottom 2-3 feet high so the bunnies do not get stuck in the existing fencing? 

I would leave door closed as already said when not home or using it.

[carolinarider09]

Thanks.  My wife wanted a dog and she found Zoe, as a pup and now 3 1/2.  One thing I told her was that we would have to have a place to keep her outside, if needed that was not like a cage.

We had the room so, just took energy.

I like the idea of the chicken coop wire.  I will see if I can make that work. 

This is Zoe last year at this time. 

[Bighead]

Thanks.  My wife wanted a dog and she found Zoe, as a pup and now 3 1/2.  One thing I told her was that we would have to have a place to keep her outside, if needed that was not like a cage.

We had the room so, just took energy.

I like the idea of the chicken coop wire.  I will see if I can make that work.  

This is Zoe last year at this time.  

Standard Poodle?
Some see a poodle as a chick dog but they are a very noble breed.

[carolinarider09]

No she is a cross between a German Shepard and a Poodle.   A very good dog, just a little hard of hearing sometimes.

We have about 8 acres here and I have tried to show her the boundaries and she generally is good about them.

She never goes out without one of us with her, unless she is in the kennel.  But she is rarely on a leash except at night when my wife takes her out for her evening stroll. 

[cookiedough]

i dog sitted for a week a labradoodle that was trained as a rescue and friendly smart dog to help those in need walk and take care of got invited into schools around us.    Smartest dog EVER I cried when I had to give it back to the owners after their week long vacation.  ONLY thing I did not like is feed it hot dogs and other meat, the farts smelled badly....    It was such a valuable dog that the same year earlier the dog got dognapped but was found later on.

It knew my boundaries in my city 100x110 foot lot let it run in backyard and knew not to wander off somehow knowing the lot lines not going into neighbors properties. 

When owners showed up the dog got super happy and knocked the male owner on his back was so happy to be back to them though I felt almost sad the dog liked them more than me, but that was to be expected could tell the dog at first was not super happy sort of depressed not having the owners around for a week.  A few hours was o.k. but after the next day the dog looked sad. 

anyways,  if you use chicken coop wire on the bottom,  you can buy 300 to 1000 zip strips/ties in a big bag or plastic container say at Harbor Freight and other hardware places to get the job done pretty quickly. 

[Gavin_Sons]

We have a standard poodle. Very intelligent dog. I use to think they were chick dogs until i got one. I'll never have any other kind except poodles and doodles.  I like the very little to no shedding. And ours never smells like a dog. We slso have a mini bernedoodle that does not shed, a bloodhound and black lab that sheds like crazy. We vacuum up black hair every day. We did breed the bernedoodle and poodle a couple weeks ago so hopefully we will be having puppies.

[carolinarider09]

Yes the potential shedding was an issue that convinced her a poodle was a good choice and I thought a German Shepard Poodle mix was a good choice. 

And, I was thinking of how I might attach the chicken wire and was thinking of some wire like stuff but, for some unknown reason, tie wraps did not enter my mind.   Thanks for that suggestion and the will last a fairly long time. 

I will have to remove the lower 1x4's that I put on to prevent forcing the fence open at the bottom but that will be fine.  I order a new cordless drill that should be here tomorrow.  Besides replacing the decking boards, I can use it there. 

I have to post one more picture.  We found a very good local kennel for her when we travel.  She really likes to go there.  Anyway here is a picture of Zoe with a much larger dog.  Zoe loves to play but .... 

[Gavin_Sons]

I love great danes. We almost got one before the poodle and bernedoodle. They are great dogs.

[Bighead]

I love great danes. We almost got one before the poodle and bernedoodle. They are great dogs.

Yep but live very short lives.

[Robert]

Despite the Poodle’s association with France, the breed originated as a duck hunter in Germany, where the word “pudelin” refers to splashing in water. The Standard Poodle began its development as a retrieving water dog more than 400 years ago. With a crisp, curly coat as protection against the elements, superlative swimming ability, and off-the-charts intelligence, the Poodle was, and still is, a magnificent retriever. (The Standard is the only breed classified as a non-sporting dog that is eligible for AKC Retriever Hunting Tests).

Always admired poodles for their intelligence, coordination and agility.

I love looking at what the dogs were originally bread for. I had a Great Dane and they were originally boar hounds for hunting. They would actually run the boar down come from the side get them on their backs and rip them open. This was the reason for the strong front section.

I also had a Yorkie, they were originally a rat dog and would go down into the holes to get the rat. I have had a few cats and thought they were good rat and mice killers but had nothing on my Yorkie. He would go nuts when he smelled one and I knew when he was on the hunt that he found one. I have had to kill a few he did find

One dog 170lbs and the other 13 what a contrast but both great dogs and I miss them both.

What a great shot 

[hubcapsc]

My 98 lb friend Patricia has a lot of empathy for animals and has always had
horses and goats and chickens and dogs and cats and ...

Anywho... she had a large Great Dane... we were hiking up on the Blue Ridge
one day and some hikers with a dog were coming the other way on the trail.
Her Great Dane started to break rank and get aggressive with the other dog...
Patricia tackled that thing like a Linebacker and showed it who's boss!

My wife got one of her horses from Patricia... I was working on the barn then...
I had gotten the tin on the part of the roof where the hay goes, but winter caught
up to me and I hadn't gotten tin on the part where the horses could get out of
the rain or sleet or whatever we might get here. Patricia heard about it.
I got the rest of the tin up pretty quick after that phone call!

-Mike

[3fan4life]

That's a very impressive dog kennel.

Since the dog doesn't seem to be impressed with it, have you ever thought about keeping goats in it?

[Gavin_Sons]

Here is our mini Bernedoodle. He is a whole 30 pounds.




Oh as for the kennel door, I'd leave it closed as Rams said. Some animals just are not smart enough to find their way out.

[carolinarider09]

Good looking dog, but them I might be biased since she looks a lot like Zoe in coloring and paw size/shape. 

 

[Robert]

Patricia heard about it.
I got the rest of the tin up pretty quick after that phone call!

-Mike

I bet you did   

[John Schmidt]

We always kept the door closed....but usually waited until all the kids were outside. 

[carolinarider09]

That's a very impressive dog kennel.

Since the dog doesn't seem to be impressed with it, have you ever thought about keeping goats in it?

Nope I have not.  But today, who knows.  My uncle was diary farmer in PA.  Spending some days at his place in the summer time was interesting.  Not the same I know.

[3fan4life]

That's a very impressive dog kennel.

Since the dog doesn't seem to be impressed with it, have you ever thought about keeping goats in it?

Nope I have not.  But today, who knows.  My uncle was diary farmer in PA.  Spending some days at his place in the summer time was interesting.  Not the same I know.

I like goat's milk.

It isn't for everyone though.

I guess it's an acquired taste.

[cookiedough]

We have a standard poodle. Very intelligent dog. I use to think they were chick dogs until i got one. I'll never have any other kind except poodles and doodles.  I like the very little to no shedding. And ours never smells like a dog. We slso have a mini bernedoodle that does not shed, a bloodhound and black lab that sheds like crazy. We vacuum up black hair every day. We did breed the bernedoodle and poodle a couple weeks ago so hopefully we will be having puppies.

yah,  the labradoodle pretty big dog never shedded nor was the wife allergic to that type of dog as well no sneezing and feeling miserable which says a lot.  WE visited our kids today up north and one got a cat and wife was sneezy like crazy not taking any allergy medicine all the way home not feeling the best due to being allergic to most cats and dogs. 

I would say the labradoodle if properly trained like most dogs can be with time,  are in the top 10 of smartest dogs out there for sure.  I swear he could understand my words better than most 10 year old kids he was that smart I said something and the dog did it and was not even my dog just dogsitting for 1 week is all.  I probably should have trained him to open the fridge and get me a beverage while I sit in my lazyboy recliner watching TV?   

[carolinarider09]

Update.  Ok,  I finally got around to purchasing some "chicken wire".  I have been sort of looking for some but a couple of days ago, wheel at Lowes with Zoe, I found some.

This stuff is sort of nasty to unravel and use but....   

I was going to cut the wire in half but decided to just put it up the way it is and see how it looks. 

The picture probably does not provide much information but I am using some small tie wraps to attach the wire as someone suggested. 

This is what it looks like.  The decision is do I leave it at this height or cut it in half and then have two pieces to mont. 

[phideux]

That stuff is a pain to cut, and will leave thousands of sharp points if you do cut it. The only thing I would have done different is put it on the outside, the way you have it, you have to go around the posts. Outside it would lay flat. Staple it to the 1x4 on the bottom, zip tie the top.

[carolinarider09]

phiddux;

Thanks for the feedback.  The outside has a similar problem in that where the fencing passes over the posts, I put a 1/4 pressure treated piece of wood to cover up the staples. 

However, I am, or had planned on cutting the wire were it passes over the posts so that it can be flat. 

As you mentioned, the issue will be how sharp those cut wires are. 

As an alternative, I could remove the 1x4's on the outside of the post and put the wire on and then put them back up.  They are held in place by screws. 

I don't know if you read the reason I am doing this but its because I have had two instances of rabbits that got stuck in the fencing trying to get out of the kennel. I have no idea how they got in but, I was just trying to prevent that from happening. 

[phideux]

Them wild rabbits are mostly fluff, you'd be surprised at how small a hole they can go through.

[h13man]

I'm a very big fan of German Shepherd mix dog's though shedding part seems to have come with the 3 I have owned over the years. My 1st. one was a Shepherd, Labrador, & Husky mix and has become a breed in my neck of the woods. Herc was the smartest dog I ever had. My 2nd. was Amber which was Malamute & Shepherd mix and she favoured the Mute in size and appearance. She was big ole' love puppy but didn't bark but would lick you to death. Now "Princess" Carly Simone   appears to be similar to be a brindle Plott hound & Labrador with a little Shepherd mix as her attentiveness through her eyes,expression, and overall responses are extremely Shepherd like as anybody that owns a Shepherd knows. We got her from the local Humane Society that was full of Pit Bull and mixes there of. Was very sad to see so many PB's not wanted anymore and we had every intention of adopting one but were  just too "rowdy" for our lifestyle. Carly was very sad but and not happy but once we took her out in outdoor play pen, we fell in love. We brought our 3 granddaughters the next day to see her interaction with them. She been with us for 7 yrs. @ at 9 yrs. of age. Loves to go for rides to the point you have to watch her when you open a vehicle door.   We inherited a 25 lb. terrier mix as Carly's "dog" and she quite the bitch with a Chihuahua attitude. Had 2 cats with very good unique attitudes but become afflicted with feline Leukemia. We loved them very much and I'm not a cat person per say but Fat Cat and Miss Kitty had awesome demeanors, for cats.

I'm big proponent of the National Humane Society as we adopted Miss Kitty and Carly through them. Good people for sure compared to other rescue type places we visited when we adopted Carly.

[carolinarider09]

Good story and I shall keep that in mind.  I have considered getting a companion for Zoe, just because. 

We shall see.

Zoe (part Sheppard and part Poodle) is a very intelligent dog.