Dog kennel insulation

[Dengue]

Hi all, we have a 15 yr old beagle cross that definitely feels the cold. So I covered his 12mm plywood kennel with offcuts of cell insulation material left over from our re-roofing last year, using screws to hold it in position. You can see the pics here:

Harry's insulated kennel - 1 May 2020 - Google Photos (https://photos.app.goo.gl/XaJSaeu4NME9FgGm8)


How good is your Physics? For this insulation to be effective, I now think it really needs to be glued to the box so that the cold night air cannot get between the insulation and the wooden box exterior, which would negate the effectiveness of the insulation. In fact, it would make the insulation a waste of time.

What are your thoughts on this ?

[Chesand]

I lined the inside of our dog's box with carpet which has served well for a few years. When it gets too dirty, we pick a good hot sunny day, hose it out and leave in the sun to dry.
Our Jack Russell cross sleeps inside his cushion anyway.
If there is an afterlife, I want to come back as a dog that lives at our house - looked after, well fed and tucked into bed each night. :)

[rjtwin501]

To keep the warmth inside hang some sort of heavy cloth down on the inside to cover the opening.
Fasten at the top and your dog will be able to push past to get in and out.
You could also make it two or more pieces with overlaps.
Cheers
John T

[Beardy]

Nth Queensland cold??

I don’t think the external insulation is going to change much, ply is already a good insulator. I would be looking more at the bedding and maybe a curtain door
You could also consider getting a heat mat from the pet shop which will work best. Only cover a maximum of half the floor with it so there is a variety of temperatures going on in there and the dog can choose their preferred heat setting

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

:whs:

What's the point of "keeping the night air out from under the insulation" when there's a ruddy great hole in the front of the kennel that lets it straight inside?

A curtain door and, perhaps, some extra bedding would be more effective.

As far as the insulation itself is concerned an air gap is not, of itself, a bad thing. It adds an extra layer of insulation (it's how most insulation works!) so long as it's not 'ventilated.'

I think I'd run duct tape over the corners to seal the joints and pretty much leave it at that.

[Dengue]

Hey Beardy, it gets down to 5degC here some winter mornings. Our houses are not designed for the cold, more open plan to keep air moving in the heat. And we don’t have much in the way of cold weather clothing. Layers??What are they?
So you can see we really feel the old when it hits us:)

I have never heard of a heat mat, thanks for that suggestion. We sometimes throw a hotwater bottle in the kennel when a really cold night is expected. Remember this dog is 98 human years old, and feels the cold

[BobL]

I agree with Beardy.

Our dogs have variety of sleeping spots. Outside under the veranda table they have a hessian bag trampoline thing which they rarely use. In the laundry there is also trampoline that boss dog sometimes sleeps on. Then they both have their own crates with carpet and assorted blankets/pillows etc that they are suppose to sleep in at night time. Boss dog sneaks off at about 7pm for a snooze in bossed dog's crate so when we go to bed we boss dog go into her crate. She usually stays there all night

Bossed dog tends to sleep anywhere, except in a designated sleeping spots. On the lawn, brick paving, or on dirt in the garden. Inside, she likes to sleep on the wooden floor by the front door - I think she likes the smells that come in under the front door, or on the wooden floor at my feet in the study. We have tried many times by putting treats in her crate to get her to sleep there. She goes in - eats the treats and then immediately retreats to the floor by the front door. In the morning she can still be by the front door, or on the sofa, or under the kitchen table or . . . . sometimes even in her own crate.

Recently SWMBO found some pieces of sheep skin and sewed them together into new blankets for the dogs. Boss dog loves her new blanket but still wants to sleep in bossed dog's crate. We've tried the treats again with bossed dog and the new blanket and seem to be having more success with getting her to stay in her crate, well for about half an hour anyway.

And of course if we don't do/say anything they both sneak up onto our bed in the early hours of the morning.

When I pick up the car keys to go to the park, boss dog bounces up and down by the front door in anticipation, bossed dog retreats to her crate. AT the park when it's time to go home bossed dog sneaks off and hides.

Interesting creatures, dogs.

[Beardy]

Hey Beardy, it gets down to 5degC here some winter mornings. Our houses are not designed for the cold, more open plan to keep air moving in the heat. And we don’t have much in the way of cold weather clothing. Layers??What are they?
So you can see we really feel the old when it hits us:)

I have never heard of a heat mat, thanks for that suggestion. We sometimes throw a hotwater bottle in the kennel when a really cold night is expected. Remember this dog is 98 human years old, and feels the cold

LOL

My young bloke spends a lot of time up the top end and complains about the cold here in southern NSW.

There are a variety of heat pads you can get, here is one type I just googled for you PetMat – Simply, the best pet bed… (https://petmat.com.au/) You could also just use the reptile heat pads and place it under the bedding

[Tonyz]

how the 'll do you get Abigail to sleep outside our 2 @#%@ spoodlesare mummies lute darling, the sleep at end if our bed, come with you when going for a midnight wizz, and even snore in unison with her ladyship.
a dog house sounds a good idea

[AlexS]

a dog house sounds a good idea
Just make sure it's big enough for you.:D