Last Updated on July 8, 2021 by Dogs Vets
How big should a dog house be?
Introduction:
Sooner or later your dog will need a house of its own if you are not letting him stay inside the house or you need him to stay at the backyard for different purposes. Well, the concern already raises thousands of questions and the most important one is: how big should it be?
The general rule to build a house for dogs is that that house should have enough space for your dog to stand up, lie down, and turn around. Your dog won’t need much more than that.
The main purpose of a quality dog house is to give your dog cozy, snug refuge from the outer world which will make them feel secure and safe. On the other hand, a giant mansion will make them feel exposed.
So in this article, we are going to show you different formulas and ideas to build a dog house.
The First Two Steps
It is obvious that you need to measure your dog before you can build a house for it. You need to know his length from his butt to nose and his height from shoulder to paw. In this way, you can make sure that the home fits your dog perfectly.
The next step is to decide what kind of house you are going to make for your dog. Most houses have slanted roof which allows the rain to easily drain and runoff as well as give your dog some more space whenever enters the house. But this leads to a fact that you should know how tall the roof is in two places.
Once you have figured out how big is your dog and what type of house you like it’s pretty easy to figure out things from there.
The Sizing Chart:
- Small: The height and width of this house will 24”.
- Large: The height will be 32’’, the width will be 30’’, and the depth will be 36’’.
- Extra Large: The height will be 42’’, the width will be 36’, and the depth will be 42’’.
Note: The depth of the house should be a little longer than your dog’s, while the door should be about 75% of your dog’s shoulder height.
Some Factors to Consider
You also should check the weather conditions of the environment provided by the area you live in. We all live in different environments. Suppose you live in an area where it is freezing cold, and for that, you would want to make a house that is a little snugger so that the body heat of your dog is more preserved.
On the other hand, if you live in an area of stifling and sweaty summer, you would want to make a house that will enable more air to circulate around the house to keep the body of your dog a little cool.
Formulas You Can Use to Build a Dog House
There is no golden rule that your dog house should be built in a specific way. There is no restriction of what materials you should use or which size you should follow. So in this part, we are going to discuss some different ways to build a house for your dog.
1. Asheville, NC Humane Society
If you are going to build a house with a slanted roof, this formula is going to be the perfect one for you. The dimensions are stated below:
- Depth: 12’’ more than the dog’s length.
- Width: 18’’ more than the dog’s length.
- Height: 3’’ more than the dog’s height on the low side, 9’’ inches more than the dog’s height on the high side.
2. Ontario Humane Society
Get ready with your pen and paper because this formula (made by The Ontario Humane Society) has an in-depth detail to build a house for your dog.
To determine how many square inches of floor space should be, you will have to multiply each inch of the dog’s height by 36. For example, a 10’’ tall dog will need 360 square inches of floor space. To determine the height you should simply take your dog’s height when he is sitting and you will have to add a couple of inches more.
3. Blythe Wood Works, the A-B-C Method
The Blythe Wood Works is a manufacturer of cedar dog houses and they created a copyrighted formula called the A-B-C method for you to build a house for your dog.
- The height of the door opening will have to be around an inch taller than the height when the dog is standing. You should elevate the house by half of the “A”.
- The width and depth will be and should be at least the distance from the dog’s butt and nose (exclude the tail part).
- The height will have to be 1.25 times the distance from the top of the dog’s head to his toes.
Which formula should you use?
After discussing the formulas you might get confused to decide which one you should use. Don’t worry about that at all! You can mix and match, create your own formula with the help of these, and you can even figure it out on your own. The basic principles are:
- The height of the doorway should be a few inches taller than the dog’s shoulder.
- The length should be at least the length of your dog, from the butt to the nose.
- The height should be an inch or two taller than the dog’s standing height but it shouldn’t exceed 6 inches.
Conclusion
Dogs are members of the family. We do care about them a lot. That’s why try to know more about dogs.
I hope I was able to give you a solid and basic idea of how big should a dog house be. I tried my best to give you the smallest details as well. If you spend enough time calculating the measurements, your dog will be forever grateful to you. Let me know if you were able to build a house of your own.
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