Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Heated Dog House

Exactly why does your pet need a heated dog house?

A standard old dog house may be transformed into a heated dog house with the purchase of a simple heated mat. These specific pads save you plenty of money. First of all, electric blankets and heated mats designed for people use could possibly get too hot and lead to unpleasant sores, blisters, and hair loss in pets. Particular canine pads have built in thermostats that cannot go above a certain temperature, 102 degrees Fahrenheit, which is mostly a dog’s body temp. A canine loves cuddling up with another puppy for warmth. The heated pad mimics the effects of an additional dog’s body heat. Since the mat will have a power cord going away from it. If this is the case, make sure that there is a protective, safety-metal coating around the cord. Some pets like to gnaw on things like this and it can be hazardous.

Never assemble a dog shelter that sits directly on the ground. The floor from the canine home ought to be several inches above the ground to enable for proper air circulation. It's an excellent idea to create the house on a foundation of concrete blocks. The roof of one's heated dog house should be slanted to ensure rainfall and snowfall will not build up. You should structure the dog house so that the door faces away from prevalent winter winds. When in the cold, the house ought to be positioned where it will get the most sunlight. However, in the summer it should be placed in a shaded area. When it's cold a piece of large carpet or burlap needs to be hung from the top of the doorway to keep out drafts. You can remove the carpet during the summer.

The roof of your dog property should be hinged to allow for easy cleaning of the inside of the dog house. This is particularly essential in locations with lots of fleas/ticks.

The three primary points to keep in mind about creating a cold weather dog home are 1) Develop your dog house off the ground
2) Construct the house with ample space for your dog to easily turn around and stretch out in, but not so big that its personal body heat will not retain the warmth of the house
3) Insulate the dog house with the same kind and grade of insulation that you would likely use to insulate your own home.

Finally, Straw or cedar chips may also be implemented in dog bedding. The benefit of cedar chips is that they naturally repel fleas and can be found at nearly all food stores and some garden stores. Newspaper is often utilized, but keep in mind that lots of dogs are allergic to newspaper print. Under no circumstances use hay in a dog unit. Hay quickly absorbs moisture and will quickly become moldy. The majority of hay also contains fungus which will cause serious respiratory issues for pets and can contribute to potentially dangerous nosebleeds.