When you are boarding your dog for the first time, that alone can be enough of a nerve-wracking experience for your both. You’re leaving your dog with someone new, without you, and in a completely new environment. On top of that, they may be boarded in concrete dog kennels. We understand your worries with these. You may be wondering about their temperature, comfort, and if your dog is anxious in them.
Today we will go through the benefits and drawbacks of concrete kennels. So if you are an owner, you can draw a conclusion on them for use, and if you are considering getting into dog boarding, you can decide if this is the method to use. From cleanliness to helping your dog’s health, concrete kennels for dogs do have quite a few advantages. So let’s explore the use of them and whether they are appropriate or not.
What Are Concrete Kennels for Dogs
Concrete kennels for dogs come in two major forms, those that are inside and those that are outside. Internal concrete kennels are usually multiple runs that are kept separate, dog boarding kennels will often use these. These kennels will usually have a large length of drains just outside the entrance for ease of cleaning. Furthermore, there is often a hatch in the back of these kennels that opens to an outside run, or outside concrete kennel. These hatches usually work off a pulley system that you can operate from outside the internal kennel door.
Doggy daycare or dog shelters will use outside concrete kennels to provide an easy-to-clean outdoor area. Your dog can run, play, and go to the toilet here. The main difference between it and a regular kennel is that it is made of concrete, whether just the base or the whole form. Although it is almost always that the base will be concrete and nothing else. Depending on why and how it is being used, these can come in greatly different sizes. Some are even made at home in the back garden for easy cleaning among other benefits. So let’s take a look at those now.
Benefits of Concrete Kennels
Although concrete kennels appear cold and unfair to your dog, they actually come with a lot of benefits for them. Cleaning, access to the outside, nail health, and house training are the four best benefits of this useful design. Below we will discuss each one and how a concrete dog kennel achieves these.
Much Easier to Clean up After Your Dogs
Having a concrete base to your dog’s kennel makes it arguably the easiest kennel to clean on the market. Firstly remove any fecal matter present. With a waterproof base, you can pour some hot, soapy water onto the ground. Use a broom or brush to scrub at the concrete to ensure the floor is clean, and then simply use a squeegee to remove all water from the area. In a matter of minutes you can clean a whole kennel, small or large. Not only that, but you can remove all water residue so your dog is not entering a wet kennel. Which could lead to discomfort and illness. If ease of cleaning is a main factor for you considering a concrete kennel, be sure you can easily gain access to a drain to remove the water.
Allows Outside and Inside Access
If you decide to create a concrete kennel outside the home, then you have an area for your dog to go out into as and when they please. With the use of a hatch or doggy door, your dog can leave the house to enter a completely safe area. Furthermore, this area is easy to clean and does not require monitoring whilst your dog is in it. So if your dog is inside and needs the toilet, they can go.
Beyond that though, your dog can move between zones of different temperatures, and with different people. If you own an anxious dog and you have guests over, they can leave to their outside kennel to take some time to have peace and quiet. Furthermore, if your home has the heating on and your dog is too hot, they can leave to go find some shade outside. Or vice versa if you live in a hot area.
Concrete Naturally Grinds Down Your Dog’s Nail Tips
Overgrown dog nails are an issue for a lot of dogs. Some groups that struggle with this problem especially include those that are overweight, older dogs, and those that are afraid of having their nails cut. By having a concrete dog kennel this can help your dog to naturally wear down their nails with no anxiety, stress, or worry of cutting the nail too far up. For some dogs, the experience of having their nails cut can be one that is quite upsetting. Which leads to them becoming aggressive or trying to pull their paw away mid-cut, which can be dangerous. Therefore, a dog owner may be able to cut their dog’s nails less because they are naturally staying shorter for longer periods of time.
It Helps You House-Train Your Dog
Whether you have a concrete kennel at home for your puppy, or you are taking your dog to training where one is present, it can help your dog learn to potty train. Dogs will often learn that a certain type of flooring is one of which they should be using as their toilet. If they give them praise and train them using positive reinforcement when using the toilet there, they will learn quickly. Furthermore, with the hatch or doggy door leading to this area, your dog can let themselves out and in for use of the toilet. Which means you can worry about less accidents more quickly. Especially that you can see when they have used the toilet on concrete as opposed to grass.
Drawbacks of Concrete Kennels
Like with any choice, there are some drawbacks you need to be aware of as well. In high temperatures concrete can crack, which can be a danger and costly. Furthermore, the cleanliness of the structure depends on how much time you have to spare. Take a look at these drawbacks and two more below to take into account before making a decision.
Concrete May Crack
Over time, and with high temperatures, concrete can often begin to crack. This may start off as a very small crack that just tarnishes the appearance of the base, but can increase to worrisome amounts over time. Firstly, this can be costly to either keep filling in or replace entirely. In the beginning, the cracks won’t be as severe, but over time they will enlarge. As a result, these cracks could become areas that cut your dog’s paws during walking or they could even get a paw stuck in them. So this could become a hazard. Therefore, you need to maintain the upkeep of the concrete or strengthen it beforehand. Wiring and high-quality concrete can all increase the amount of time it takes before concrete cracks. So if you are considering a concrete kennel, be sure to make a strong base.
It Can Limit Their Socialization Time
when you have an open backyard, your dog can see the sights, watch neighbors, and even sniff through the fence at other dogs. We can classify all of these as forms of communication and socialization. However, A contained concrete kennel can be complete isolation, so making sure your dog has interactive time is crucial. At a kennel, you can consult them to see if they allow your dog to interact with others at any point, and if so, how often. As for your own backyard kennel, be sure to not leave your dog in there for too long. Furthermore, do not count letting your dog into the kennel as a walk, they require further socialization and stimulation day to day.
A Permanent Structure
Unlike many contained areas or kennels, you do not get the added bonus of being able to move a concrete kennel. It may seem obvious at the time of building, but there are a lot of faults that can come with this. Firstly, if you decide to move home then you would have to tear this down and build another, which can be expensive. There is also the worry, if you live in a rainy state, of creating an unusable flooded kennel. In this case, you would just have to wait until the rain stopped to use it, as you could not move it to an area it could be dry. Furthermore, in very hot temperatures the concrete can get too hot to use, and you cannot move it to an area of shade. These are some drawbacks to consider before building.
Can be Unsanitary if Not Maintained
Daily cleaning is required to ensure that the dog kennel is not going to put your dog at risk of diseases. Firstly, you will need to use soapy water to clean the kennel after they go to the toilet, especially in hot areas. Otherwise their urine, feces, and any bacteria with it are left in the heat. This can increase the spread and also the smell of the area. Furthermore, your dog could become sick from this and even get worms, especially if the kennel is shared by multiple dogs. Dogs can become affected by worms for a variety of reasons, but one of the main causes is poor hygiene. If you do not think you could possess the time to clean out the kennel daily, then this is not the purchase for you.
Concrete Dog Kennel Plans
Decided that you want to pursue creating a concrete dog kennel? In which case, we have three ideas and their sources for you to take a look at. These are well explained, high-quality designs to consider or even just take inspiration from.
Icreatables 8×12 2 Stall Dog Kennel
Icreatables created this dog kennel come shed with a modern, wooden design. You can purchase the plans to be sent to you by email for just $49.99! This kennel is a two stall, internal and external kennel with a concrete base. They provide a material list with the purchase and they advertise this as a cost-effective solution to creating a concrete dog kennel. From the siding to the roof overhang, all the measurements are detailed on the link above. So you can see, before the purchase, if this would be suitable for you.
This shed comes with a lot of window space so your dog can see out when they are in the external kennel. As for the internal kennel, it is a snug area with a window at the top for lighting. So your dog can see out, but still maintains privacy if they need it. This adorable and practical design is a wonderful idea if you are considering a concrete kennel.
Make and Build Dog Stuff DIY Dog Kennel
Make and Build Dog Stuff does exactly as it advertises and has created a brilliant concrete kennel design. This idea is a basis to allow you to create your own. This website understands that “Each person’s setup will have different requirements regarding size, climate and location”. Therefore, you will need to customize it to ensure you are receiving the best quality and most suitable concrete kennel available. The run of the kennel is given two different sizing perimeters: 50 square feet for less active breeds and 144 for active breeds. So be sure to consider your location’s temperature, dog’s behavior, and size when constructing this kennel.
For the concrete base they advise you to use 4-inches of reinforced concrete with a top that isn’t too rough or too slippery. This is so your dog doesn’t slip whilst on the surface but also doesn’t injure the base of their paws with the rough terrain.
Gun Dog Concrete Kennel
Advertised as the perfect dog kennel, Gun Dog has created a thorough design and article for you to consider. However, unlike our other designs, this is a selection of recommendations to create your own perfect dog kennel. Dedicated readers have submitted how they built their own kennels and the benefits or drawbacks of ideas. This means you can read through the information ad decide what your dog needs and what you can provide. As for a concrete base of a kennel, Gun Dog mentions that not only is it one of the most common materials for kennel bases, but it is also hardy. However, the drawbacks they mentioned are the same we have, possible and likely cracking after some time.
Fencing, floors and walls, and proper materials are the categories focused on. So you have a concrete dog kennel version of a pick and mix to find the best match for you.
How To Clean Concrete Dog Kennels?
To properly clean your dog’s concrete kennel you are going to need the following materials:
- Soap
- Hot water
- Scrubbing brush
- Squeegee
- Bucket
- Protective or ‘dirty’ clothing (optional)
Here are the steps we advise when cleaning a concrete dog kennel:
- Put on your clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty, or is waterproof
- Fill the bucket with a mix of hot water and dog-friendly soap
- Meanwhile, pick up any toys, accessories, or bag any poop off the ground. Bin the poop and remove these for a while
- Get your scrubbing brush and scrub the walls using the soapy water
- Tips the bucket onto the floor so every inch is covered in soapy water
- Use the scrubbing brush to clean the whole floor thoroughly
- Grab the squeegee and pull all the dirty water towards the drain. Ensure the floor is clean and dry and repeat steps 4-6 if not
- Time to clean the accessories. Anything fleece such as toys, beds, or blankets should be washed. Check the label to see if they need to be hand-washed or machine-washed. Anything metal or wooden and be washed with soap and water, be sure to let them dry before letting your dog back in
Concrete Dog Kennels: FAQ
Here are a few more questions concerning concrete kennels for dogs.
Concrete can offer cooling benefits, aid in reducing nail length, and an easy to clean place to rest. There is nothing that causes concrete to be a risk unless it becomes severely cracked over a long period of time.
A 4-inch thickness is the minim thickness recommended for the flooring. This reduces cracking so you will not have to replace or maintain it in a short period of time.
This depends on a few factors concerning your dog: their activity level, size, and age. The larger the dog, the bigger the kennel so they can move properly and have space to run and play. If a dog is more active, it is also recommended to give them more room. Furthermore, an older dog usually needs less room because they are more docile. As recommended by Make and Build Dog Stuff, less active dogs only need around 50 square inches of space whereas larger more active dogs need around 150.
Other flooring you can consider for outdoor kennels include:
– Grass
– Wood
– Paving stones
– Gravel
– Dirt
– Artificial grass
– A rubber base
This depends on your dog, location, and how long they will be outside for. Some dogs are well adapted for the outdoors and as long as they have a well-insulated kennel, they can be perfectly happy. Those with fine coats of smaller size should be indoor dogs. Furthermore, the colder your location the more we recommend keeping your dogs inside. Although, if your location is very hot you must ensure your dog has some shade, lots of water, and a cooling bed in order to live outside.
Creating a concrete kennel can offer your dog an easy to clean and sturdy living space. However, there are downsides to using this such as cracking of the concrete over time. Ultimately, there are pros and cons with every flooring so it is dependent on you and your dog whether this is suitable for you.
One comment on “Concrete Dog Kennels – Guide, Plans, Cleaning & FAQs”
Will a dog kennel and run made out concrete get too hot for dogs to walk on?