Giving Your Dog A Dog Run - His Own Space

If you’re looking for better ways to give your dog access to the outdoors while saving money on fencing, your dog can get plenty of fresh air and exercise in the very safe environment of a dog run, which will keep him contained but give him his freedom at the same time.

Dog runs are affordable, less permanent than fencing and can be moved as needed. Dog runs are also great options for people who work long hours and worry about how their dog will relieve themselves with no one at home. The drawbacks to dog runs are that the dog is confined if your concern is for security and he will not be perceived as a threat. In the dog run, he is also theoretically trapped if someone his negative intensions for him.

But if security is not a concern, the dog run can be a great option for the dog whose owners are physically incapable of walking him or who are gone for many hours in the day.

If you’re considering a permanent outdoor dog run for your dog, you need to consider:

• The dog run should be twice as wide and about five times as long as your dog. To determine width of your dog, measure across his widest part—most likely his shoulders. To measure his length, measure from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.
• Long rectangle shaped runs allow the dog better exercising and running options than square or circular runs.
• Consider the location of the run, protecting him from direct sun, wind or flooding. If he’ll be out much of the afternoon, give him a shady spot.
• If the dog will be out in all elements, you’ll need to cover the run with a tarp, awning or wood roof. Soft covers like tarps will collapse under the weight of heavy rain or snow.
• Many people select to keep the natural grass as the flooring of the run, but you can also have a run on concrete.
• Like you would for a doghouse, make sure that the run isn’t placed anywhere near potential flooding sources like rivers or streams.
• Decide if you want the run hidden behind your house or in view. For security purposes, you may prefer the run be hidden so that trespassers may hear your dog but not assume the dog is contained. Additionally, depending on the type of do you have, do you have to be concerned with someone attempting to steal him?
• If the dog is to be out in all elements, you should consider placing a dog house within the run (and extend the run longer to compensate for the lost space to the dog house.)
• Ensure that the run has no sharp wire ends to cause your dog injury.
• Ensure your dog always has fresh clean water, whether in his dog run or not.
• Make sure that the dog isn’t left out in the run for hours unchecked. If the sun hits just a certain way and he doesn’t have shade, he can suffer heat stroke at certain times of the year. He can also accidentally knock over his water or a bird could soil his water source.

Some people like to extend their runs off their house; that way the dog has nearly free access to his run and the owner doesn’t have to go very far to let him out. Likewise, some people install a dog door going into the run off the house, which allows 24/7 access to the run and keeps access just to the animals in the run.

Though a dog run kennel is a great option for dogs, if at all possible, it shouldn’t completely eliminate walks with his owner. Walking your dog gives you the opportunity to spend some quality time exercising him and you! For some Americans, this might be the only exercise they get!

If you use the dog run with your dog’s best interest at heart, you will have a very happy healthy dog. If you are concerned about the flexiblity part of building a permanent dog run, consider also a portable dog run fence, where you can always dismantle and bring it along with you easily should you decide to change the location of the dog pens.

Next article: Building A Dog Run Easily DIY Style