The American Beagler Forum

Hey guys, what is the ideal size for 1 dog on a chain ? i was thinking of maybe a 28" or 30" long, 24" wide and 20" tall.
will 1 sheet of plywood build it or ???

Might take a lesson from your wife (or someone) who sews... Get a big piece of paper as big as the plywood, (could even use taped together newspapers) draw out your pieces to size and you'll know before you buy plywood.

Dave you could build it and have very little plywood left but 1 piece would do it.

Earl

Seems like I read somewhere once before that a doghouse should be just little longer than the dog,excluding the tail (seems like 1&1/2 the dog length), as wide as the dogs length, and only as tall as the dog at just above the shoulders. Basically just big enough for them to get in, turn around, and lay down. There would be ample room as most tend to curl up anyhow and they can keep a smaller box a lot warmer in the winter. Cant remember how big my first box ended up being but I took the measurements for my biggest beagle and it still housed 2 dogs very comfortably and in below freezing weather I stuck a thermometer inside just to see how warm it stayed and even at below freezing temps for several days the inside of the box was well above 50 degrees. I knew it always felt warmer inside when I run my arm in there but I had no idea it would be as warm as it was.

single sheet plywood is not warm enough in my opinion in harsh climates. If you are somewhere that it doesn't get too terribly cold it might be ok. Here in Utah we build our dog houses with insulation and keep the house small so, that the dogs body temp warms it up. Also put the door off to the side so wind isn't blowing in.

Leah

If I keep a beagle on tie out and have in the past , I like the box to be as small as possible and they stilll be comfortable while sleeping . I use 24 X 24 all around . It's an easy number to remember too . If possible you may want to put some corner bead around the doorway to stop chewing and maybe metal or something ??? up top .


Buddy

I use 55 gallon plastic barrels standing up cut a hole up about in the middle of barrel then you can put lots of bedding in them the dogs love them I wired them to a T post so they stay put works good for me

front 36 in wide 24 in tall
sides 20 in wide front side 24 in tall back 20 in tall need 2 of these
back 36 in wide and 20 in tall

forgot to tell ya 1 sheet of plywood will do this wiyh a six in piece of scrap left