Dog House Repair Month - Building a cosy indoor Den for your Pet(s)

Guess what?? July is National Dog House Repair Month! And how can we not go without posting a relevant post that will benefit our readers, and let Earl enjoy some more fun and photo-shoots here at EW? Exactly! We can't!

So that is why today, we have decided to post all about how to make your dog a cosy, warm, and safe indoors den, and rethink it if your dog already has a little outdated, old, or boring one…

Earl doesn't exactly have a dog house. But he does have a cosy crate, which he sleeps in at night and relaxes in at his own free will in the day, and any other time to be far from precise!

You can build a den for any of your animals, but this post has dogs mainly in mind, please be aware, however some steps may be of use to a wider range of species. Common sense should tell you as you read!

So here are a list of things you must consider whilst building/remaking/improving your dog's indoor den.

1. Consider what the structure of the den is going to be made out of. I use a crate for Earl's den, because it is strong, easy to train with, and the dog still has some vision of outside the crate. The crate HAS TO BE the correct and comfortable size for your own dog and his size. Make sure your dog can stand up in the crate and move around freely. As you can see in the above photo, Earl is small compared to his entire den.

2. Consider the comfort of the den for the dog. Invest in lining the crate with a bed or a padded mattress. Or… E.g when Earl was a smaller puppy, a smaller puppy bed fit inside the crate with room to spare for water, toys etc. Now however, for Earl to be comfortable and have plenty of room we have had to fill the space with a larger bed. You have to make that decision personally, with your dog and his size mainly in kind of course!

What comfort will your dog's den hold?

3. Consider adding some aspects that may enhance your dog's enjoyment and happiness whilst in the den. You could add cuddly toy for comfort...

You could add a chew toy…

And if there is suitable room, you could add a bowl of fresh water, especially if your dog is going to be in the den for long periods. 

4. Remember to wash your dog's bedding/lining/whatever he is laying on in the den frequently or when it starts to pong or become dirty/overly hairy, or your dog has an accident inside of it. And flip over whatever your dog is laying on if possible regularly and puff it up for comfort and cleanliness.

Remember to look at the labels on the product to see how to sensibly and effectively wash it clean

Every day if possible, flip over and puff up the den lining. 

5. Another thing to consider is covering the den with something cosy and secure. Like, drape a blanket over the den at night so your dog can sleep easy in the more-darkness or whenever your dog is in the den if he is reactive to movement, fireworks, storms etc. It gives more security.

6. Now make sure that if you're using a crate it has accessible and moderately easy to use open/close features on the doors. You don't want your dog creeping out when he shouldn't!

7. Assure that your dog has easy access to the den when he is not inside it. If he feels shut out from it he won't get to know that is his safe haven, and if locked on a regular basis around him and if he is attempting to get in but failing, he may and probably will eventually end up thinking it is a place he is not allowed to go, and create his own mental boundaries by experience. Especially if his toys and water etc are inside, this can become stressful and risky when it comes to drinkable water access.

Den and crate basically mean the same thing in the above 2 images. It depends what your dog's den is structured with.

8. In cold winters especially, try pushing a blanket up to the front of your dog's den, thus more warmth. Don't do this too much in one go however as too much thick blanket can get your dog too warm and possibly even feel a little claustrophobic!

9. This is a vital must if your dog's den is near/next to an electric socket - cover the socket with something sustainable and strong. If you are using a crate as your dog's den, wedge the coverage (we used a strong dinner tray!) against the socketed wall and the wall-facing crate side, to avoid it dangerously slipping out of place.

10. And for our final step of repairing indoor dens for pets, it is on the topic of toys, distractions, and comforts! Placing a toy box next to your dog's den full of his possessions could be a stress risk for your dog, as he tries and fails to reach his much enjoyed toys. This, however, could not be of a problem to your dog, and for in the day, having all your dog's things more or less in one place can even reinforce a good, happy feeling in and around the den.

And some short advice on accustoming your dog to their den (this is very important so that your dog is actually happy and contented with his/her den)...

Try feeding your dog in the den, practicing small-motion tricks like paw and sit inside the den, followed by rewards of tasty food (if that motivates your dog of course), and sitting near your dog whilst he is in his den, reading the newspaper, drinking tea and eating lunch and other casual activities you take out as a human near the den with your dog, then gradually moving away so that he feels more comfortable being in/around/with the den on his own. 

What are you doing for dog house repair month?