Your Dog Kennel Can Also Be A Dog Run

If you have a large dog you know how hard it is for him to get any vigorous exercise. If he is a house dog it is probably not possible for him to find a place to run at full speed. Even getting a dog kennel kit might not be sufficient, since many of them are designed to be a square. Your large dog might take three strides and be forced to change direction. Although these kits can be fine for small dogs, the square base can be limiting for medium-sized to large dogs. If you can't fence in your entire yard, then your dog needs a run.

If your dog is to get more than a couple of strides in his run needs to be long, the longer the better. Back in the day, if people wanted to put their dog "on a run," they may have put two pulley wheels on opposing trees or poles and used some clothesline to devise a line with which the dog could be tethered between them. This device permitted the dog to run back and forth with relative ease and freed the owner from worry that his pet would run away. This method of creating a run is no longer advised, if it ever was. We now know that a pet on such a tether is at risk of being attacked or of being stolen, without his having any recourse to flee.

Your dog kennel can double as a dog run, however. Rather than creating a boxy structure in the middle of your property, for example, you might consider building a run along one side of your lot. This run could be narrow and long, perhaps 8 feet by 30 feet, so that he can dash a length up to full speed. If he will be spending any length of time in the run, a dog house and a kennel cover at one end will provide him with shelter and shade. The space around the dog house can be floored with layers of gravel, sand, and small pebbles to provide drainage and avoid flooding, but the rest of the run can have a grass "floor." This natural surface will be the best for his feet and legs while he expresses his joy at having a place to stretch out and run.

Although your dog will enjoy his run, it should not become his home. He will enjoy the exercise that he gets and will be a happier dog when he gets a chance to relax with his family. However, a dog craves the company of his pack, so unless he has a friend to share the run with (in which case it should be wider than suggested), he will grow lonely and perhaps "depressed" if he is left alone too long. Make certain that your dog still gets some good family time. Bring him inside at night to watch television with the family and to enjoy his role as family companion. You've done your job to make him happy, now let him return the favor.

Next article: Advantages And Disadvantages Of A Dog Kennel

  Buy reasonably priced Dog Food, Dog Treats, Dog Vitamins And Supplements, Dog Grooming Aids and Other Cheap Dog Supplies.