Just got a rescue dog from the local shelter. Need a kennel as we don't want to leave him in the house all the time. Don't want to install a fence around our half acre lot.
Looking at the offerings from Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Amazon and even the highly rated ones have reviews show holes where the dogs "ate" their way out and escaped. Dog is big, supposed to be a great dane/lab mix. And as we know nothing about his history, destructive nature, I would like to get something he couldn't destroy/escape.
So any one have any suggestions on brands that are good.
x3 on the chain link. i have a few dogs and their kennel/run is quite large. i had a local fence company install it. if the dog is big and a jumper, i would suggest a 5 or 6 foot high fence.
a concrete pad is best but not necessary. mine is gravel. if the dog is a digger and the pad is not concrete, you can bury their poop around the perimeter to keep them from digging.
don't forget shade and a pen for the dog to get out of the weather.
Add me to the chain link and concrete club. I had the enclosure against a lean to off my garage. Had a kennel inside and the run outside. I will say that my 55lb Lab could climb the 6 foot fence when she really wanted out.
We've bought the Retriever 10x5x6 welded wire kennel with the canvas roof module for our lab. It's well built and has stood up to the weather. The roof helps keep her cool and dry.
Ours is on a concrete slab, but pavers will work as well in place of the slab (and will mitigate the pooch from tunneling out.
Framed chain-link, concrete w/wood pallet & pad to lay on, canopy for shade. The concrete helps keep their nails sanded down so you won't have to clip them.
Chain link is fine. Put some fence along the ground at the base of all of the kennel walls. That’s where they dig. Cover it with some type of stone. 2B limestone works but river rock is smoother.
Labs don't feel pain like most other dogs... mine broke through the fence one day chasing something??? Once he found out that it quits shocking him past a certain point, it never contained him again. We would watch out the window as he gathered his courage. Then he would bolt, yelping for about five seconds until he got out of range. They work well until they don't.
Our underground fence has been flawless for over 4 years now. We don't even put the collars on them anymore unless we're going away for the day. My experience.
Don't get a cheap one. Bowsite isn't letting me upload a link right now but ours is the eXtreme Dog Fence System.
Invisible fences don't keep "other" critters out;build a proper kennel with a roof,for shade and to keep them in.Our pointers would climb a seven foot fence.We used concrete paving blocks for a floor.
A lot of great suggestions above! In my opinion for a dog that size, a 12x12 kennel would be good. I would do a 6' chain-link fence with a sunshade over half of it. But the dog needs a real shelter if it's going to be outside in bad weather! The igloo type dog shelters are good, but not perfect. You can build one pretty easy, but you want a 90-degree corner/ wall at the entrance so the rain and or snow can't blow directly into the kennel. Don't make it too big, it needs to be kind of snug for the dog to stay warm. They like to curl up in a ball when it's cold, but they should be able to stand up and turn around without a struggle! I built mine with a roof that tilts open to clean. you can put old blankets and towels in it for bedding or go with cedar chips. just be sure to treat it for fleas and ticks and wash the blankets and towels once a week or so. Google outdoor kennels for dogs and be selective on what you decide you need! A lot of the bird dog type kennels are really good if your dog is going to spend a lot of time in the kennel. Concrete is always better than rock or gravel because you can spray bleach on it to clean it. And always have fresh clean water available.
Forget the electric fence , they work up until the fog busts through once and then useless. Chain link fencing or check craigslist for a actual dog kennel. Dane and lab means a very nice friendly dog. Good luck with it.
I had a lab that could unwind a chain link fence from the bottom up. He also could climb over a 6 foot chain link fence after I wire tied the bottom chain link.
I have the yardmax underground fence. What is cool about it is that it ramps the "stimulation" up if the dog runs through it. So as they push through the charge, the charge gets higher. My current dog is a very strong 88 lb female lab. I train dogs and this one takes more charge on an electric collar than any other I have worked with.
Part of the underground fence is taking the time to train the dog properly too it.
If you go with a kennel, my experience is that a longer, narrow run is better than a wider run. The dog is more inclined to run the length of it. So 5x20 is better (IMO) than 10x8 or whatever. You can also get prefab chainlink fence that just bolts together. I used, for maybe 5 years in one house, 12x12 concrete pavers as the bottom of it and then swept in quickcrete into the gaps. That was a fantastic temporary solution when I was not wanting to pour a pad in one place.
We've raised Cane Corso's and German Shepherds for years and most of the time one of the commercial chain link runs on a concrete slab will work fine. But sometimes you get that dog that will destroy the fencing in one of those as well. And the electronic fence is the same way. Some dogs are immune to the electrical stimulation.
The chain link run is a good place to start though.
If you are handy just go to a fence company and purchase heavy duty 6’ chain link (heavier gauge than box store), then you can customize a kennel to your liking making it bigger, going around trees etc. If not handy then just have fence company install it. Being in AZ I would think you want plenty of shade. On 5 acres so I didn’t want to do entire property. I made one 40’ x 25’ then put a doggy condo for our Rhodesia Ridgeback. He only stays in it when we aren’t home.
I’ve had my invisible fence for 15 years now and still going strong. A pic of it was posted above. Plug it in, set the perimeter distance, place the flags and work with your dog. It will be good in a week or less.
used this kennel for the past two dogs. Reinforced the inside with hog wire panels, as Chase wanted to pull the chainlike apart. Must has smelled an In heat bitch. Cover prevents snow and rain and also the dog climbing out which some can do.
