Dog House Plans – Sizing Do’s and Don’ts

You know your Dog better than anyone else, so these are suggested guidelines. Some pets have ‘quirks’ in their personalities that you may have to factor in. I had a 135 pound mastiff that refused to go through a doggie door, even if there was plenty of room for him, he would not go through. Generally when you are reviewing dog house plans, an important issue is the opening into the house. With a door or opening into a house, you want the dog to have the pet duck its head and the suggested size here would be three quarters of the dogs height to its shoulder. This will enable them to tuck themselves in with ease but it means that cool air, wind, rain and snow will stay out!

The length and width for inside space are important as well. You can’t select dog house plans based on the breed of dog because they are not all created equally. The pet needs to be able to walk right in, turn themselves around and be able to lay down in their home comfortably without a head or legs sticking out the door. Going too bit has it’s disadvantages which is more significant in a cooler climate. With inside space it will retain heat better if it’s not ‘oversized’. The general guideline for inside measurements is to have it sized approximately 25% larger than the pet.

Naturally if you have a chubby dog or a large breed dog that is still growing you need to take these factors into account. Plans for a dog house should fit your pet and your pets needs. This will be a key point in your building it yourself to make sure it’s for ‘your’ dog, not for just ‘any’ dog. Different size dogs require different amounts of food, different amounts of exercise and they take up a different amount of space.