To your dog his dog kennel is a vital part of his life.  It is a place where he feels safe and secure.  A place where he can go and rest or sleep.  A place where he can escape a noisy or crowded house.  Because of this he will have become very attached to his kennel and won’t want to part with it.  However, it is possible that the time may come where you need to replace it.  There are several telltale signs that you need a new dog house.

One reason that people find that they need a new kennel is that they bought it when their dog was a puppy, assuming that he would reach a certain size, and he has simply outgrown it.  A kennel should be high enough that your dog can stand without bashing his head, turn around and lie down with space all around.  Any smaller than this and the kennel won’t be particularly comfortable and could lead to behaviour problems because he feels penned in.  A similar problem could be encountered if a dog kennel and run combination is too small.  The kennel itself may be large enough but the run doesn’t give enough space for the dog to exercise.

Wooden kennels will need to be replaced if they are beginning to weather badly, either because you haven’t varnished or stained it regularly enough or because your dog doesn’t have great bladder control and the high ammonia content is eating into the wood.  It is vital that you don’t let the kennel weather too badly as it will then begin to splinter which could cause real harm to your dog.   Urine can also cause a plastic kennel to need replacing as it will gradually permeate the material until no amount of washing and bleaching will get rid of the smell.

Metal dog cages will similarly need replacing if they begin to rust or if some of the meal begins to weaken.  A snapped metal strut could be lethal to a dog who is leaping against it.

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Filed under: Animals & Nature

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