Heating a Doghouse or Kennel

Temperatures are dropping across the country as we move toward the wintry season – Is your dog’s doghouse or outside kennel keeping warm enough? Once the temperatures drop below 20F you need to start considering options for keeping your dog comfortable and safe. Depending on the breed of dog, some dogs can begin suffering for hypothermia if exposed to temperatures below 45 degrees for long periods of time. Cold weather adept dogs can handle temperatures much colder and for longer periods of time, but why not take a few steps to make them warm and cozy?

Doghouse Heater

The easiest and quickest way to heat a doghouse or kennel is by using an electric or solar doghouse heater, like the Hound Heater Deluxe from Akoma. These heaters mount to the side of the doghouse or kennel and use electricity to generate heat. The 300-watt Akoma Hound Heater can heat a 75 cubic feet doghouse with ease. As previously stated, these use electricity, so access to a power outlet is needed. 

Wind Protection

Making sure that their house or kennel is protected from wind freely blowing through is a quick and easy way to keep the temperature higher within the doghouse or kennel. Wind moving through a doghouse or kennel can quickly pull away the heat and drop the temperature. By wind proofing, you can prevent the wind from pulling heat generated from the dog’s body heat that otherwise can effectively raise the temperature inside the structure.

Staff Tip: When constructing a doghouse, make sure house’s entrance is facing away from the wind.

Insulating the Doghouse

Whether you’re using a heater or relying on your dog’s natural body heat, making sure your doghouse or kennel is well insulated can make a huge difference. Insulating will help trap in the heat and prevent the cold outside air from making its way into the dog house. Dogs produce a lot of body heat, so just insulating the doghouse is an effective method of keeping the temperature comfortable.

Tip: Remember that heat rises, so make sure to insulate the ceiling of the doghouse or kennel as well as the walls!

Trap the Heat

Like adding insulation, trapping the heat inside by using a dog door or by adding heavy-duty vinyl flaps is great for maintaining warmth inside a doghouse or kennel. Without this, it would be like running the furnace with the front door wide open. These also are nice for keeping the elements outside and help retain any loose bedding like red cedar ribbons inside the doghouse or kennel.

Elevated Floor

Having the open bottom doghouse means that the cold ground temperatures will radiate cold inside the enclosure. By building the doghouse up off the ground, you create a gap between the ground and the floor to eliminate the cold ground temperatures from being able to creep up into the enclosure. During the winter months, add insulation to the air gap between the ground and the flooring to produce protection from heat loss to the wind.

If you are not able to provide an elevated floor for the dog house, at least consider providing an elevated dog bed like the Kuranda beds to get the dog a place to sleep that is up off the cold ground.

Provide Warm Bedding

Just like you using a blanket to keep warm, providing the correct bedding can help keep your dog nice and cozy. Bedding can range from red cedar ribbons, towels, rugs, or comforter blankets. If you have access to electricity, you can also add a heated dog mat or heated dog bed. We offer several options in this category. For heated dog pads, we carry the Kane Heating Mat and the Lectro-Kennel Heated Pad. For heated dog beds, we have the Lectro-Soft Outdoor Heated Bed in both medium and large sizes.

Tip: When using a heated pad or heated bed, make sure there is enough room in the dog house or kennel for the dog to move off of and lay somewhere not heated when they become too warm.

Conclusion:

No matter what the breed of dog you have, if temperatures are going to be below 45 degrees for long periods of time, take at least some of the steps listed above to make sure they are safe and cozy in their doghouses or kennels.

Thank you for reading and we hope you use this information to keep your canines warm this winter.

If you have any questions about any provides listed in this article or questions related to heating your kennel, please message us on our live chat or social media, email us at service@lcsupply.com, or give us a call at 1-800-662-5202.

Thank you!

• Michael Cassatt, LCS Director of Marketing