Anyone with kennelled dogs?

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PerdixPerdix

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what things do you change when the weather turns colder?

any tips for stopping the water from freezing over?

what do you use in the kennel boxes to keep the dogs warm?
 
what all 10 of them...into a house we are not aloowed to have dogs in.. i wish. the two youngest are in the cellar as they have lost a bit of weight since it got cold and im fattening them up lol.

ive literally filled their boxes up with straw so its a cosy burrow, they seem very happy with it, except the sprocker that does not live cleanly.!

i must admit i love the cold for scooping poo as its frozen, but the water taps are frozen too so its a bit of a trek across the garden with buckets. we cleaned them out last night and the hot water was freezing as it hit the kennel floor!
 
Their runs are roofed and their kennels are police issue/insulated and they have a vetbed each. I drop their waterbowls from a great height in the morning to break the ice (they love ice pops) and they shovel up lots of snow and play in the stream when they are out so I am not too worried about their fluid intake.

I use empty 2ltr milk cartons to fill the water, easier to carry.

I only bring them in if it is stupid cold, they have double coats and they are more uncomfortable when too hot, than too cold, as I mentioned last week, B was pulling his bed out into the run because he was too hot :o

PS Hot water freezes quicker than cool water, for some mad scientific reason that I don't understand.
 
thanks cave canem, last night, about 3.30pm, i filled a water dish, sorted their bed and when i turned round it had frozen and the spaniel was chomping the ice ffs.

the kennels are in an open fronted barn, which shelters them and their boxes are big, wooden and have lids on with a small entrance hole at one end so they are warm enough i should think. they dont seem unhappy. except the JR who wont leave his nice snuggly bed for love nor money lol.

cant have vetbeds really, because they are all workers they get wet and muddy and any fabric bed gets waterlogged, they all also have a habit of weeing on anything duvet like, ive tried all that, its annoying!

i know what you mean about pulling out their beds, our mastiffXrottie who lives in the barn cant stand sleeping in anything, she would rather slob out on cold concrete! she has now made a nest out of a shredded duvet and seems fairly happy.
 
I have put a doggie turnout rug on my old girl but the rest are fine. The kennels are well built with LOADS of staw, they look like mini stables with a deep bed and good bankings! lol Have increased their food slighty to compensate but they don't seem to feel the cold at all. If it goes any colder, will probably put rugs on them all or put heat lamps up. Our house just isn't big enough for 5 GSDs!
x
 
I do have kennel dogs, I was gonna walk them but fed them first so will give a few hours b4 they get walked, I smashed a hole in the water, but if they get thirsty they can eat the snow:rolleyes:

MY AKITA has dug a hole under the conifer tree in her kennel and has decided that is a her bed:rolleyes: even though she has a very posh kennel with a large woorden box and lots of deep thick tissues type bedding in:rolleyes:

I have not even put a coat on the bull x greyhound cos her kennnel is warm enough and its' insulated, the other 2 deerhound and shaggy X breed are well coated with their natural hair:rolleyes: and their kennels too as fab and warm and full of bedding.

I have added warm water to their food to help keep the old system warm, they are dogs, they will be fine, its like the exuivlant of me having the hair on my head all over my body:rolleyes: our heads never get cold, ears, maybe face maybe but your head never does, unless u are bald of course:D
 
My Dad's labs have a raised bed in their kennel (converted shed) with straw as bedding - they love it and dig and shove it round to make a giant nest.

He's also got a small heater in there on frost setting so if the temperature dips below freezing, the heater comes on - it doesn't 'heat' the kennel but prevents the temp dropping too much.

However, I can appreciate that probably isn't practical with the number of dogs you have - he only has two!
 
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