The Proper Housing for Dogs

When it comes to care of the dog, you need to give him more diversion in the house, give him a cozy and clean bed, provide a safe dog house, ensure proper cleaning, set the right feeding area and place for his neccessities. As a dog owner, you want your pet to be happy, healthy, clean and safe. Follow these tips in taking care of your dog.

Freedom of the House

Even if yours is a spacious apartment, your dog enjoys only a limited space options. That´s why he should be given access to all the rooms in order to give him the opportunity to get all the exercise he needs in a variety of surroundings. There would be times, however, when he should be forbidden in some parts of the house, say, when visitors come, the dog should be kept from the room unless you´re certain that your visitors are fond of dogs. Many people are afraid of or dislike animals.

If there´s anyone in the house who´s sick, the dog must not be allowed in the patient´s room. You should also make sure that he´s not left alone in any room where a window is open unless it´s provided with a screen or other suitable protection to prevent him from going out on the sill and perhaps falling to the ground.

During meals he should be kept from the dining room, and never should he be left alone in a room where food, especially meat, lies uncovered on the table, since the animal may be tempted to steal. A puppy should not be confined in a room alone for a long time where it´s possible for him in his play, or his desire to get out, to damage the furnishings. When a dog is kept in the house it´s necessary to air the rooms more thoroughly. During the airing process in winter he should be kept out of the room.

See: How to Care of the Dog with The Right Exercise

Bed

The dog should be allotted special sleeping quarters rather than be permitted to sleep about on the chairs, beds and other furniture. It´s especially important that he never be allowed to sleep with the children. His bed may consist of a small piece of sheeting folded in several thickness, of a mat made from table padding, or of any material which can be easily washed. Although he´s better without it, a pillow may be placed under the pad or a box may be partially filled with cedar shavings over which the mat may be spread.

Elaborate dog sleeping beds, pads, caves, and covers are now available in the market. The bed can be placed in any convenient corner as long as it´s not in a draft and the dog can have easy access to his pan or paper whenever he needs to.

If the dog is kept in the basement his bed must be raised from the floor in order to protect him from dampness and cold. It will also be necessary to provide much thicker bedding.

Dog House

For dogs that are kept outdoors a kennel in which he can sleep and seek shelter from the storms and cold is very necessary. He will be much healthier if accustomed to this exposure. If you need him to watch the premises, he can do more his duty if he is outside where he can more quickly detect the presence of strangers.

The kennel should be as small as possible to accommodate him comfortably so that when the weather is cold or damp, the heat generated from his body will be sufficient to warm the quarters. It should be built of wood, as stone or cement are too cold, and should be constructed that it can be easily cleaned.

Want professional training for your dog? Doggy Dans Online Dog Trainer.

If it´s not necessary that the kennel is more than four feet high, the roof can be made to lift of it in order to facilitate cleaning. If you need it to be higher, you can construct a door in one end. In either case a small door should be made for the dog’s use, only large enough to permit him in. This may be protected by a curtain of heavy cloth or by a door suspended on hinges or straps, which allow it to swing in either direction so that it will remain closed at all times when the weather is cold, but can be fastened open when warm. The floor should be at least three inches from the ground and slant slightly to the front so that water will drain of it.

The sleeping box should be raised from the floor eight or ten inches. If made full width of the kennel its construction will be much simpler. The bottom can be placed on two cleats nailed to either wall. The front is made to slide between two cleats fastened perpendicular to and in front of the front edge of the bottom of the box. In the front a hole should be made of sufficient size to permit the passage of the dog.

For winter use a cover to be place over the box, completely inclosing it except for the small opening in the front. Cedar shavings make the best bedding. A couple or more cedar covers can be placed on the box, and each time after a floor cleaning, handfuls of shavings can be scattered about. The shavings will help absorb the moisture and their odor which will keep away fleas.

Cleaning

The mat on which the dog sleeps should be washed at least twice a week and if necessary, every day. If he uses a pillow this should be aired and shaken up every day. His sleeping box or basket should be sponged off with a disinfectant solution occasionally. The cedar shavings can be changed once a week. The dog house should have a thorough scrubbing, followed by a good disinfecting, every week or two. When fleas are present the cleaning must be more vigorous.

Feeding

The dog should have a regular place for his meals as well as a regular feeding time. The kitchen is the best place for this. He should not be fed in the dining room during the family meals. The pan or plate on which his meals are served should be removed, with any food which is left, within a half hour after feeding. Water may be put down for him at this time. The dishes should be washed after each meal.

Want your dog to stay healthy? Healthy Food For Dogs, Homemade Recipes.

Toilet

For small house dogs who attend to their functions indoors, a regular place must be provided for this purpose. A pan or paper, conveniently located in either the kitchen or the bathroom, is the most satisfactory arrangement. This must always be accessible and the kitchen makes the better place for this. An ordinary newspaper will be enough and, as soon as it has been used, throw it out.

Need tips on easy potty training? How To Housetrain & Potty Train Any Dog.

A pan filled with either sand or sawdust is often preferred but is harder to clean than the newspaper, and is more expensive. If you prefer this method, the sand or sawdust must be thrown out daily, the pan washed and refilled. When the dog uses the roof, a box of sand or ashes may be placed there for him. This can be changed once or twice a week and will save considerable labor in cleaning the roof. For the dog that has a yard to run in, a small area of ground may be dug up for him. This can be covered from time to time.