#dog den

[kyubikofang]

after dark convos always end up in crazy places. Thanks @donnie--barko for converting my words in visuals.

[kyubikofang]

NEW HEADER!!!!

THank you @donnie--barko for the animated gif! I love it so much and I owe you my 323 souls. If you guys ever need something drawn up I highly recommend!

Hope everyone likes it :D

[pawcastle-blog]

What Is an Underground Dog House?

The name pretty much says it all. An underground dog house is a house for your dog that you build outside of your home at least 3 to 4 feet below the ground. Many call it dog den too.

An underground dog house is made for two reasons. The reason behind thinking about a dog house is because you do not want to keep your dog inside which is fine. Now, you do not want your dog to get affected from heat when it is staying outside. At the same time, you do not want your dog to face cold wind on winter either. These are the two reasons that why underground dog houses are becoming more and more popular.

You got nothing to worry when the earth itself works as an insulator and wind protector, right? That’s exactly what you get with a properly built underground dog house.

How Do I Build an Underground Dog House?

In theory, the process of building an underground dog house is a lot like building a basement parking lot for your home. Obviously, you do not need to dig a hole that big when it is only a dog house, but the chance is very less likely that you can do it on your own.

To build an underground dog house, you first will have to dig a whole which goes at least 4 feet deep into the ground. This is important because you want to give your dog as much room as possible. Apart from the depth, the width should also be big enough so that your dog feels comfortable inside. The width will always vary depending on your dog’s size but always try to keep as much extra space as possible.

Now, in an ideal scenario, there will be a stair at the top of the surface area which will go down to the underground dog house door. There should be a door which is easy to open. Do not lock the door in a way so that you have to look for keys in times of emergency. The door will be used as an entrance and exit point for your dog. If you don’t want to go inside the dog house yourself then make sure that the door is not super big.

Whenever you are building an underground dog house, you should remember that the dog house should have a downward slope towards the entrance so that nothing wrong happens if there is rain or flood. Only tell the workers when they are digging for the dog house, and they will know what to do to make it happen.

Always keep enough vents at all the walls and the top of the underground dog house. This is important because you are building this house for both summer and winter. The vents will allow you to control the weather inside on your own. For example, if it is a hot day, you can remove all the vents to make your dog comfortable and vice-versa.

One good idea is to use an easy to use flap on the door so that your dog doesn’t face any problem in going in and out of the house in case if you do not want to lock it. Many use this strategy, and it works fine.

If you do not want to do the whole thing on your own, there are readily made fences that you can buy from places like Amazon to prepare your dog den. This will be cheap and efficient. However, you will get limited regarding the size of the dog house and the material of the frames. If that’s not a problem for you, then it is a good idea to go for a ready-made unit just to escape from the hassle.

Why Should I Build an Underground Dog House?

This is a good question, and we feel, it needs to be answered. If you do not know the reason behind going for something, you will not be able to go at it with full forces.

The main reason that why people go for underground dog house is natural temperature control. Whether it extreme hot outside or very cold, your dog will have a decent atmosphere inside. It is a lot cheaper than setting up a real thermostat in your dog house if you think about it.

Another reason that why people go for underground dog house is the safety of your dog. If you live in an area where there are dangerous predators out there, it won’t be safe to have a regular dog house in your yard. When you have an underground den for your dog with doors and fences around, it is a lot safe if you think about it.

Before we end, you should also know about some of the disadvantages of going for a dog house so that you don’t regret later. If you are not careful about the ventilation, your dog might have to suffer for lack of oxygen inside. Ventilation is a key part of making sure that the dog house is properly maintained because, without proper air movement, the house will get damp too.

Also, cleaning might be another problem. Cleaning a regular dog house itself is a tough task. Now think about the same work 5 feet under the ground. It gets even more challenging as you do not have the option to go inside. You have to perform the whole cleaning process from outside the dog house.

Keeping everything in consideration, building an underground dog house is a good idea. At the end of the day, it helps your dog live a comfortable life which is more important than anything else. Keeping your dog indoor is a good option but if you do not have the luxury to do that, keeping your dog in an underground house is better than a traditional dog house.