Indoor runs?

Laurelin

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#1
I've asked this before but I can't find the thread. When I move I am planning on a 3 bedroom house. I would like to use one as a dog room. The girls right now share a double x pen while I am gone to work. Nextdog will be larger (how large is undecided at this point- 20-30 lbs is probably the most likely but may be in the 30-40 range).

Anywho, I want to set up a pen for the paps and then a pen for nextdog. Any suggestions? I am just not comfortable leaving them in a crate a full workday.

Probably over thinking this whole thing since I've never worked and had a puppy at the same time. I can make about a 20 min break at lunch. I'm not 100 percent opposed to a dog walker but... They're really expensive even just for a 15-20 min break. I might as well drive home for that. And it would bite into my training class budget and I think my dogs get much more out of training.

I'm probably over thinking this, but was curious if you guys have solutions. Every time I get closer to nextdog I find something else to fret over. Lol.
 
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Xandra

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#2
When Roman was a pup, I put him out on the deck with a box filled with turf (so he got used to going on grass) during the day. That way I didn't have to worry about destruction or messing in the house, and he never got desensitized to doing either. He had a 20 x 20 area (which is bigger than I could've given him indoors), lots of space for toys, bones, etc.

Worked out well IMO, but I got him late summer and he was big... if you bring home a little pup in the dead of winter that might seem cruel.
 

Laurelin

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#3
Yeah we have week long 110 plus weather in the summer.

Of course maybe nextdog will eventually get free run of a room/house. I have to remind myself that not all dogs are Mia. Although my two really seem to love their run.
 

HayleyMarie

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#4
Well since Teagan has the run of the house. The pup is going to be kept in a large X-pen in the living room until its house trained and chew proof. I think once the dog is bigger we will cut off the kitchen and the dog can stay in the kitchen during the day, if that does not work out we will be either leaving the dog in the X-Pen if he cant get out of it, or kennel him in the largest kennel we can find.

Mitsu was kenned when we where not home and she had no issues with it. She loved her kennel. She also slept in it at night as well.

We do have two extra bedrooms, but we have company all the time so its not practical to make one a dog room.

We do have a huge basement, so that might be an option as well so the dog can run free while we are away at work or go on errands and its not finished and we will be putting up bedrooms, just with drywall so that probably will be a big option.
 

Flyinsbt

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#5
I use 6' square chain link kennels in the back room of my house (which is a former back porch, enclosed, and has a concrete floor) to keep my dogs when I'm at work. Like you, I'm not comfortable crating for that long. If I had it to do again, I'd buy welded wire kennels instead of the chain link, they're better quality (and look better). These were just cheap.

Edited to add picture of my set up. Not pretty, but more comfortable for the dogs than crates.

 

Laurelin

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#6
Do you have any photos of your setup? Do the runs have tops to them?

I'd like to set two side by side if possible. Looking at the wire ones and thinking about tiling the room maybe eventually? I have a plastic mat down for the girls' current run and it works fine.

Eta: those look great! I'm jealous of your space you have for them. How big are your dogs? I looked at some 4x4 and 4x5 runs. Would that be big enough for a thirty lb dog( give or take)
 

Aleron

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#7
Eta: those look great! I'm jealous of your space you have for them. How big are your dogs? I looked at some 4x4 and 4x5 runs. Would that be big enough for a thirty lb dog( give or take)
I think so, definitely much roomier than a crate :)

If you are going to devote a whole room to the dogs though, you may find better options once you have your house and can look at the space available. You might end up being able to just put some dividers up in the room and divide it in half or something...more like a dog proof playroom than a kennel.
 

Laurelin

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#8
Yeah I'm definitely holding off until I buy. One room is absolutely going to be a dog room. Right now I'm a bit limited since I'm renting. I also have no storage (1 car garage) so it's doubling as papillon x pen room and junk room.

You have any examples Of the dividers you mentioned? I am bad at visualizing these kind of things.
 

Shai

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#9
Could you use X-pens with PVC at the bottoms to hold their shape straight, like Fran's breeder did for the puppy pen?
 

Flyinsbt

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#10
Do you have any photos of your setup? Do the runs have tops to them?

I'd like to set two side by side if possible. Looking at the wire ones and thinking about tiling the room maybe eventually? I have a plastic mat down for the girls' current run and it works fine.

Eta: those look great! I'm jealous of your space you have for them. How big are your dogs? I looked at some 4x4 and 4x5 runs. Would that be big enough for a thirty lb dog( give or take)
My dogs are 30-40 lbs. I think the sizes you mention would be fine for a 30 lb dog.
 

Aleron

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#11
Yeah I'm definitely holding off until I buy. One room is absolutely going to be a dog room. Right now I'm a bit limited since I'm renting. I also have no storage (1 car garage) so it's doubling as papillon x pen room and junk room.

You have any examples Of the dividers you mentioned? I am bad at visualizing these kind of things.
They make things like this for doggy daycares:

http://www.stonemountainpetproducts.com/products/kennel/room_dividers/

http://www.directanimal.com/blog/dog-day-care-equipment-room-dividers/

But I really think you wouldn't need to spend so much to buy something like that (I think those are really pricey). You could probably make something with lattice and a wooden frame and attach it to the wall. Or create partition walls. Or find someone handy to do so for you ;) If you have an idea of what you want, you might be able to get like a 4H club that does woodworking (or welding or whatever you decide on) to make them for you for the cost of materials and a donation to the club. You might be able to get something that's pretty nice that way. There's also a lot of fencing panel options available from Lowes and Home Depot that might be able to be used in the same manner without much work.


This is pretty cool:
http://www.merlinspetcare.com/IMG_3152.JPG
 

Beanie

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#12
You could probably buy some plastic lattice, build a frame of PVC pipe with some 90 elbows, and make a gate/divider. If you wanted feet you could just pop some T's on the bottom and make small feet... The plastic lattice comes in lots of different sizes. It would be incredibly light and inexpensive to build, but a PITA if you ever wanted to store it later, haha.
 

Saeleofu

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#13
What about leaving the room empty save for some water bowls and maybe a couple toys and letting them have the whole room? If scratching doors is an issue, you can put gates up to black access to the doors themselves.

Or something like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/13057322?...1=g&wl2=&wl3=13686703630&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem

Any number of these might work inside as well
http://www.petsmart.com/family/inde...8540&fbc=1&fbn=Taxonomy|Outdoor+Kennels&fbx=0


I've always planned on using those rubber puzzle tiles in a dog room. They make them for kids, too, but you can get black rubber stall-mat sort of things for stronger dogs.
 

Laurelin

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#14
Well I want big dog and papillons separated. So no free roam in the room. The paps are only together because summer has sa and panics if she is left alone.

I like the room dividers! Couldn't find a price though.

I am having a hard time imagining how the PVC would work.... I'm about the least craft savvy person ever. Lol.

Sael the petcottage stuff is like what I've been considering. Then a horse mat until I can tile the flooring. I don't want to do anything too permanent so if I ever sell the house I won't have to worry about that.
 

Beanie

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#15
Here's (a really crappy doodle of) how I would do it:


Basically buy yourself the plastic lattice in whatever size you want, or close to the size you want for the finished divider. You can trim it with a good sharp pair of shears.

Then you'd need four 90 elbows and two 4-ways/cross (same piece, just different hardware stores call them different things) and however much PVC, probably 3/4 or maybe 1". The top and sides are easy, you just make the frame the same size as your finished divider; say you wanted it to be three feet tall and seven feet wide, you'd need one seven foot piece of PVC and two three foot pieces. Then for the bottom, take another seven foot piece and cut it, roughly, into thirds - though I would space the feet closer to the corners rather than exactly 1/3 in. Plop your crosses into the bottom so you have one piece again, then put some small pieces - 4-6" or so, depending on how big the divider is - into the still empty ends of the cross for legs.

Then you'd take the lattice, lay it on top of the frame, drill your holes, then screw the lattice to the pipe. If you bought vinyl lattice, it's made of the same PVC, so you could glue it as well with PVC glue. (That stuff's permanent so make sure you want it to stay!)
 

FG167

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#16
The little dogs are in huge crates here and then the big dogs have pens. They are welded wire panels and quite large. We put the interlocking matting down as a floor for them.
 

Emily

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#17
I <3 this thread, just sayin'

I can't wait till I have enough room for indoor runs.
 

Shai

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#18
I keep thinking about doing full scale indoor runs, but they'd have to go in the basement (only spot with the room) and that just seems depressing, even though there are windows/sunlight... :/

We've talked about doing indoor/outdoor runs as well, in the barn, though that wouldn't work for deep winter/high summer...

Trying to find the best realistic balance between safety, comfort, and giving the dogs something interesting to do/watch when we cannot be there.
 
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Laurelin

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#19
Banks beanie that makes a lot more sense.

I would love love love indoor outdoor runs one day. I keep thinking if I ever get rich (lol). Then again if I was rich I'd just stay at home and not work so....
 

skittledoo

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#20
One thing I can't wait about owning my own home is my hubby said he would build me the indoor/outdoor runs. Basically I want it attached to the house with a door from the house leading into a large room with couches for the dogs, toys, etc... also with heating/cooling system. Then have doggy doors that take them to the outside portion of the kennel which I'm hoping to have a decent size and partly shaded.
 

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