Wooden dog houses: drawings, how to paint them, photos of the most beautiful, cool ones

How to determine the size of the booth and manhole

The size of the wooden booth directly depends on the dog’s build. You need to focus not on a puppy, but on an adult animal. Depending on its dimensions, 3 groups can be distinguished - small dogs, medium and large.

Examples of breeds	Height at withers, cm	Booth parameters (length, width, height), cm	Manhole dimensions (height, width), cm
Small (mongrel, dachshund, spaniel, bull terrier)	up to 50	706060	40*30
Medium (German Shepherd, Collie, Laika, Labrador, Doberman)	50–75	1208080	50*35
Large (Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Wolfhound, Alabai, St. Bernard)	from 75	140100100	60*40

Thus, the structure is a parallelepiped with approximately the same height and width. The length (depth) is slightly larger and ranges from 70 cm (for small breeds) to 140 cm (for large ones). The table shows standard data recommended by dog handlers. You cannot reduce them (increase them too much either - the kennel will quickly cool down).

Deciding on the size and design

The right dog house is built for a reason: you need to know what size it is required, where and what size to make the hole, what is best to make it from and how to insulate it.

First things first, decide on the size of the dog kennel. The easiest way is to focus on the size of your dog. The height of the doghouse should be 5-6 cm higher than the pet, the width/depth is approximately equal to the length of the body, plus 10-20 cm in length to be able to stretch its paws. In general, dog handlers have recommendations on the size of dog houses. They recommend making kennels depending on the size of the breed. The data is presented in the table (width/length/height of the dog house are given in centimeters):

Breed sizes	Width, cm	Length, cm	Height, cm
For large dogs (kennels for Alabais, Shepherds)	120	100	100
Medium breeds (husky, husky, labrador)	100	80	100
Small dogs	80	60	80

If your pet does not exceed the average size of his breed, you should not enlarge the box: it will be difficult for him to warm it in winter. Please note that these are internal dimensions; if cladding is planned, the dimensions are increased by the thickness of the walls.

Determining the size of a dog kennel

How wide is the hole?

There are also recommendations regarding the width of the opening. It is determined depending on the width of the dog's chest. You measure, add 5 cm, you get the width of the hole. The height depends on the height of the withers: you also add 5 cm to the measured value. For a puppy, the hole is first made small - a little more than required, and as it grows it is enlarged.

The hole in the doghouse is not located in the center, but closer to one of the walls. With this structure, the dog will be able to hide from precipitation or wind behind a solid wall, curling up in a protected part. It is often proposed to divide the booth with a partition, making a kind of “vestibule” and a sleeping area. But hiding in a fenced-off compartment, the dog cannot control what is happening in the entrusted territory. Many conscientious watchmen really don’t like to go there. Some, even in the most severe frosts, lie opposite the entrance, not wanting to leave their post. So, the option shown in the photo with an offset hole is optimal.

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One more point: at the entrance to the doghouse there should be a threshold 10-15 cm high. It protects the dog lying in front of the entrance from wind and precipitation, and prevents snow and rain from getting inside.

It is better to make a folding roof

Roof type

The roof of a dog house can be single or gable. A single slope is preferable: not very large animals like to sit/lie on it. This way they can control a larger area.

One more point: since there is no heating in the booth, in winter the air in it is heated from the heat generated by the body. The larger the volume, the longer the kennel will take to warm up. A gable roof on a doghouse significantly increases this volume without bringing any other benefit. If you want your dog to feel good, make a pitched roof.

If you don’t like it at all in terms of aesthetics, make a ceiling, and then the roof itself on top. Moreover, it is advisable to make it removable or folding - on hinges. This will make it more convenient to carry out periodic cleaning and disinfection: organic residues become clogged in the cracks, in which fleas breed. It is from them that you will have to treat the kennel from time to time.

A dog house must have a floor raised above the ground. To do this, make legs at least a few centimeters high or knock down a frame on which the floor boards are laid directly.

In general, if possible, dogs prefer to spend time outside. Therefore, it would be nice to make a canopy in front of the doghouse or on the side of it. And to make it possible to sit/lie under it, make a flooring.

I see everything, I hear everything))

This booth does not have a folding roof, but a front wall, which is also convenient for processing.

You can read about building a winter chicken coop here.

Drawings of wooden dog houses

There are quite a lot of designs for wooden dog houses. It is based on the simplest option - a rectangular box. It can have a single or gable roof. Common models:

Option for a wooden dog kennel for a medium-sized breed. Suitable, for example, for a German shepherd.
A similar version of a wooden dog kennel with a gable roof.
Drawing of a booth with a vestibule. In this case, bowls with food and water can be placed in the outbuilding.
A wooden dog kennel with a vestibule under a common roof.

Which option to choose is up to the pet owner to decide. Each building has its own advantages.

What tools and materials will be needed

To build a wooden dog kennel you will need the following materials and tools:

wooden beam with a section of 15×5 cm;
wooden boards;
moisture-resistant plywood;
impregnation for wood;
insulation (mineral wool, felt, polystyrene foam);
lining or siding for cladding;
door hinges;
self-tapping screws;
metal corners;
nails;
hammer;
screwdriver;
electric jigsaw;
roofing material, for example, corrugated sheeting;
building level;
roulette;
pencil.

What material is best to build from?

In most cases, a dog house is built from wood, using the same materials that are used to build houses and wall cladding:

bars;
board;
plywood;
lining.

Wood is durable, environmentally friendly and retains heat well. However, it is not very durable due to exposure to water and microorganisms. Therefore, all workpieces must be treated with an antiseptic, and the walls must be sheathed on the outside with siding or clapboard. It is also better to paint a wooden dog house - not only for attractiveness, but also to preserve the surfaces.

Attention! OSB panels are not recommended for upholstering a wooden booth. The material releases harmful substances, which can have a negative impact on the dog’s health.

Another option is to build a kennel out of bricks. In this case, you need to make a small trench foundation with dimensions of 25x25 cm and fill it with concrete and let it stand for several days. Then lay the walls out of bricks, controlling the process using a building level. But wood will still be needed for insulation. This design will last for decades, although it will no longer be possible to move it from place to place.

How to insulate

In almost all regions, with the exception of the southern regions, the booth must be insulated on all sides - the bottom, walls and roof. For this purpose, artificial or natural materials are used:

felt (upholster the internal surfaces);
polystyrene foam, penofol, polyurethane foam (placed between the walls and on the bottom);
mineral wool (film waterproofing must be installed): this is not the most popular option - upon contact with the body it can cause itching in the dog.

Foam plastic with a thickness of at least 50 mm is often chosen as insulation for the booth.

What materials are dog houses made from?

The best material for making a doghouse is considered to be coniferous wood . To make the booths, high-quality timber is used - pine or spruce boards, dried to a moisture content of 10%, without knots, cracks or blue stains. If you make a booth from cedar, then this design will last a long time .
The material can withstand high and low temperatures and perfectly protects from piercing winds. It is not advisable to choose brick, plywood or foam block for building a booth. These materials are short-lived and will begin to delaminate over time. It is best to purchase a good pine tongue and groove board.

The dog house must have insulation; for this it is best to use natural materials, such as:

felt;
batting;
Styrofoam;
mineral wool.

For roofing you can use:

metal;
types of soft roofing;
slate.

Suitable for external cladding

wooden lining;
plastic lining;
block house.

the inner lining from:

What is the best place to build a booth?

When choosing a location for a wooden dog kennel, there are several important points to consider:

Good lighting - the animal needs sunlight.
Protection from the wind - ideal between sheds, next to the fence.
Availability of good shade in which the dog can hide in the summer.
Dryness - eliminate stagnation of moisture, puddles (the kennel is placed on a hill).
Proximity to the house - usually near the entrance, so that the dog guards the building and drives away strangers.

Construction material for the booth

It is important to decide what material is best to build the booth from. It is worth choosing boards that are not painted. After assembly, you can treat the surface with a special liquid to prevent fungi and pests, and then dry them completely so as not to cause an allergic reaction in animals or other diseases. It is better not to make houses from plastic or metal, i.e. they will be stuffy in summer and cold in winter. Stone, brick, cement can be suitable for building a kennel, but then you need to insulate the inside with leather and foam so that the dog does not catch a cold in the cold winter.

How to make a simple dog house out of wood with your own hands

The simplest version of a doghouse is a lean-to design. You can do it literally in one day using this algorithm:

The bottom is assembled from two wooden beams (guides) and boards. The elements are secured using self-tapping screws.
Lay subfloor boards.
Screw the wooden legs to the bottom.
Assemble the back and front walls in the same way as the bottom.
They are fixed with metal corners and self-tapping screws.
They stitch the frame with clapboard, moving from bottom to top.
They make an entrance by cutting a hole on the front wall with a jigsaw.
The roof frame is assembled and covered with clapboards.
Install door hinges.
The roof is fixed to them - thanks to this, the roof can be opened at any time.
The top is covered with a soft roof or corrugated sheeting.

Attention! The dog's crawl space should be lined with a galvanized sheet, and the wooden surfaces should be sanded so that the pet does not get hurt.

Let's start construction

The booth is a fairly simple structure and does not require a special drawing. So, having decided on the dimensions, you can immediately begin construction.

First the base: on two beams 60 cm long, we fill boards of 80 cm each. There, we got a base measuring 60 by 80 cm. Now we make a frame for the insulation in it.

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Along the perimeter of the workpiece we nail a beam with a cross-section of 50 cm (two - 80 cm and two - 50 cm). We put insulation into the resulting niche and cover it again with boards. Using the same principle, we make the walls of the booth in accordance with the selected dimensions.

The front wall will take a little more time, since a hole needs to be cut there. Don’t forget that it also needs to be lined with timber around the edge - this will keep the dog warmer, and the whole structure will be neater.

When the walls are ready, we nail them to the base and fasten them together. We install the roof on top. The dog kennel is ready! It is better to make the roof removable or on hinges. This makes it easier to clean your pet’s home when the need arises.

Important! When installing the roof, it is advisable to tilt it back slightly to allow water to drain.

How to make a wooden booth with a gable roof

A gable roof is more complex than a single-pitch roof, but it does not allow rain and snow to accumulate, which provides additional comfort and durability. You can make a doghouse out of wood (pictured) with your own hands according to the following instructions:

Assemble a frame from four beams with a cross section of 5/5 cm. The result is a frame with dimensions according to the drawing.
Finish with a board.
Assemble the side wall frames and install them.
Install the rear and front frames.
The result will be a wooden dog house design like this (shown without finished floor).
Attach the rafters to the roof of the frame.
Install the rafters on both sides according to this pattern.
Cover the dog house with plywood or other material.
Apply insulation and sheathe the roof.

What to build from and how to insulate

Most often, a dog house is made of wood or wood materials. Wood is preferable - it keeps things cool in summer and warm in winter. The dog will survive the winter quite comfortably in it, if the boards fit tightly, there are no cracks, and even with a single wall the wooden box is warm. By the way, in order to have a dog house without cracks, they use an edged board, sometimes even tongue-and-groove.

Concrete and brick booths are not the best choice: they conduct heat well, are too hot in summer, and very cold in winter. This is why dogs often prefer to spend the night in the open air rather than in a brick kennel.

If wood is too expensive, use boards for the frame, and everything else can be made from OSB, fiberboard, plywood. If you use sheet wood material, you may need two layers of it: it is still much thinner than wood and, due to the presence of a binder, has better thermal conductivity (retains heat worse). Therefore, in this case, you can think about insulating the booth for the winter.

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Plywood dog house: example of insulation

You can insulate with any suitable material. You can use leftovers from the construction of a house, cottage, or bathhouse. This could be mineral wool (as in the photo), polystyrene foam or other material. When insulating with polystyrene foam, do not overdo it: it does not allow air to pass through, and if you hang a curtain over the hole, the dog will no longer sit in the booth: there will not be enough air for it. Therefore, either leave small gaps or provide some kind of air flow channel.

If we are going to insulate, then the floor and roof too. They are also made double, lined with the same insulation. You shouldn’t add too much insulation: the dog can warm itself up quite well, and also has a decent fur coat. And for her, frequent sudden changes in temperature are worse than constant cold. If you want your dog to be warm, fill the kennel with straw for the winter: they will trample it where necessary, and throw away the excess. This type of litter needs to be changed twice during the winter.

For the winter, thick fabric cut into fairly thick strips is nailed over the hole. Two panels cut into noodles are secured with the cuts shifted. So it turns out that the wind does not blow into the dog house, and entry/exit is free. But some dogs do not immediately get used to this innovation and sometimes refuse to go inside.

The outside of the booths can be painted, but not the inside. The canopy and wind wall (preferably one blank wall) are treated with antiseptics. There is no point in painting them. The main thing is to make the roof without cracks so that it doesn’t flow inside or blow in.

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How to make an insulated wooden booth

For the Urals, Siberia and other regions with frosty winters, it is necessary to make an insulated wooden kennel. You can also take a lean-to structure as a basis. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

Select a project and calculate the dimensions. For example, if the length of the kennel is 120 cm, then the length of the bars will be exactly the same, and their cross-section will be 15x5 cm.
Make the base of the booth in the form of a shield from two beams and boards.
Make sides along the contour of the floor also from beams. This is necessary in order to lay a layer of insulation.
Place a layer of foam between the sides. The thickness should be at least 5 cm, since the main heat loss is associated with the bottom.
Cover the insulation with other wooden boards 1.5–2 cm thick (the width can be arbitrary).
The back and front walls are made of wooden boards according to the same instructions as the bottom. The frame is made up of beams, with the help of which the walls are fixed to the base.
Next, a hole is cut out in one of the walls - a hole for entry.
Side stacks are made. They are fixed with steel corners. Moreover, they need to be installed so that the recesses “look” outward. They should be left for laying insulation.
Polystyrene foam is again used as insulation for a wooden dog house. It is laid along each wall.
They make cladding with boards. The insulation layer must remain inside.
They make exactly the same wooden surface from boards as the bottom - this will be the roof.
They tie the outer contour to create a recess of 5–7 cm.
The last layer of insulation is placed in it.
The front boards are stuffed along the beams.
The roof is sheathed and the wooden dog house is ready.
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Advice! The roof can be secured using door hinges.

Thanks to this, it can be opened at any time to conveniently clean the kennel.

How to build a wooden two-person booth

For two dogs, the width is multiplied by 2 (all other parameters remain unchanged). In this case, a double kennel consists of separate rooms separated by a partition. For example, if you make a wooden doghouse for two German Shepherds, the parameters will be as follows:

length – 120 cm;
width 160 cm;
height 80 cm.

It is assembled in exactly the same way, but in the center you need to provide a partition equal in size to the side walls. The sequence of actions is as follows:

A supporting frame is made - the bottom from beams and edged boards.
Strengthen it by laying two intermediate beams at the same distance. All elements are fixed using self-tapping screws and steel corners.
Insulate the bottom with foam plastic or other material. It should be laid between sheets of plywood.
A frame is assembled from beams and edged boards. Fixed with corners and self-tapping screws.
They are covered with polystyrene foam or other insulation.
A partition is made exactly in the middle, separating the two rooms. There is no need to install polystyrene foam here.
Saw two holes for manholes. Cover the surface with a metal sheet.

Advice! In regions with frosty winters, it is better to decorate the entrance with a felt curtain. The same material can be used to upholster the inner surfaces of the walls of a wooden doghouse.

How to paint a wooden dog house

Paint not only adds visual appeal, but also ensures the durability of wooden surfaces, protecting them from moisture, direct sunlight and temperature changes. When choosing paint for a dog house, you need to consider safety and aesthetics. Paints with a strong odor (on drying oil) and with toxic substances that will be released during evaporation are strictly not suitable.

Therefore, dog handlers recommend using water-based formulations - this could be an antiseptic or Penotex. You can also use water-based paints, but the dog can be allowed into the kennel only after it has completely dried. For beauty, you can decorate the surfaces with siding or clapboard.

The most beautiful and cool wooden dog houses

You can take any project described above as the basis for a wooden dog kennel. But to make the booth more attractive, you should think through the design in advance. You can consider the following options:

Dog kennel stylized as a castle. Quite spacious, with small “vestibules” on the right and left, where you can put bowls of water and food.
A wooden dog house, designed as a “hollow” or a house for “gnomes”.
Kennel in Art Nouveau style.
A variant of a brick building with a tiled roof. It looks especially beautiful against the background of a stone wall or brick fence.
Wooden kennel in Russian motifs (from a barrel).
Double dog house with 2 floors.
Kennel with enclosure. This is a full-fledged house with a summer walking area and a recreation room.
Capital dog kennel made of wooden frame. It is built on the same principle as ordinary houses. It is better to make the roof gable and insulate it inside. The walls can be covered with felt (and in the middle zone and especially in the south it is not necessary to do this).

DIY dog kennel - photo

So, let's get to work.

Preparing material for the kennel

First, I sawed the bars to size 50 mm × 50 mm. I prepared blanks for the floor, the base of the walls and the top of the kennel. During the work, the kennel will be insulated, so I immediately prepare polystyrene foam. To insulate the dog kennel I will use pieces of polystyrene foam 3 cm thick, you can also use polystyrene foam, but since I have leftovers from the renovation, they will be used for future use :)

I will seal the gaps between the insulation with polyurethane foam.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
For a dog kennel made of timber, it is better to use softwood timber. If you want to treat the wood with an antiseptic, you must wait until the foreign odors have completely disappeared before letting your pet in.

Floor assembly

To fasten the bars I use wood screws

Next, I reinforce the frame with jumpers, insulate it and cover it with plywood.

And here is the result

The insulated floor for the dog kennel is ready.

Wall installation

The rear bars are made lower than the front ones to maintain the roof slope. I also used metal corners to strengthen the structure.

The frame of the future kennel begins to take shape). Then I reinforce it with additional jumpers.

To finish the inner sides of the walls and ceiling, I use 5 mm plywood and begin insulation. For insulation, I use all the pieces I have left, first foaming the sides of the polystyrene foam.

The fully insulated frame of the dog kennel is ready. Actually upside down :)

I begin to sheathe the frame with a board 100 mm wide and 25 mm thick. I use roofing felt for waterproofing.

The floors are sewn, let's move to the back

In this way we get a simple dog kennel made of timber.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
Roofing felt for a doghouse is laid in such a way that there is an overlap from above - from the roof to the floor. So that the water flows down freely without flowing into the kennel itself.

Roof installation

I first added a layer of plywood before laying the slate.

The final stage is the installation of slate. The roof of the dog kennel is ready.

All that's left to do is paint and the dog kennel is ready!