I have 3 GIANT breed dogs. (Mastiff, and Great Danes)They all live indoors with me. I am buying my first house and would like to build a dog run. I would hope to have it attached to the house with a doggie door, but anyway it is mainly for them to do their "business" and then they can run around the yard and play. Any suggestion on size and substrate?
2007-04-27 23:28:19 · 6 answers · asked by beanthelovemonkey 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I take my dogs to a fenced in dog park every day and they go to the bathroom in the grass and barkdust. I don't mind if they do their business in the rest of the yard "occasionaly" but want to try and keep it to a confined area, and thought it would be nice to give them access to the outdoors when I am not home.
2007-04-27 23:48:49 · update #1
Ok I am buying a house on a .25 acre, that is fully fenced. This will be a second fenced in area inside a fence and someone is always home. I work nights and have two teenage boys that are not the most reliable at letting the dogs out (or taking them for walks) So the idea of someone stealing my dogs is not an issue but thanks for the concern.
2007-04-28 00:24:48 · update #2
MIne has a layer of mixed ground limestone barn grit and powered lime (like you put on lawns) and a layer of gravel. Scooping it almost daily is critical. The doggy door is through the house wall so they can use the doggy door to go out anytime but I can let them in the entire yard out the back door. AND I can go to work secure that they have two layers of fence between them & the world and are safe but they can still go out .
I have smallish dogs so its only 5 x10 and half of that occupied by a mini deck and stair because my house isn't quite ground level. with your dogs you'll need more....
2007-04-28 00:06:00 · answer #1 · answered by ragapple 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is a great idea, but remember that they may have a different idea about it.
If they like the use of the "run" for checking out the outside they may use the yard as a potty. And vise Vera's.
Remember that a dog does not like to use their own area as a potty because they don't want to step in it. Either place will have to be kept clean.
Another suggestion is during the transition period you could start by taking each one on a leash to a certain area to eliminate and then they will continue to use that area Even off the leash.
Good luck and enjoy your new house.
2007-04-27 23:38:09 · answer #2 · answered by Bea S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have five dogs, three of which are large as well. I have three strands of electric fence around a large area which is connected to my house so you can just open the door and let them go. I have never had a loose dog in the seven years I've been here. Even a moose in the field which they desperately wanted to check out did not lead to anyone getting out. The smallest dog is a beagle in case you are wondering about the current hurting them. I bought one of my dogs from a kennel thta has animals worth in excess of $12,000 and they use the same thing. I'm sure they don't want to take any chances with their dogs and wouldn't use it if it wasn't effective. I consulted my vet before installing it and she said she thought it was a good idea.
2007-04-28 00:02:09 · answer #3 · answered by Born2Bloom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that is a great idea. I have seen that at people houses..Mine is like this in a way they go through my pool area to get to their yard. The one thing I don't do is let them use it when I am not home. Not because of pit bull training like sniffy said.. Dunno where you live at sniffy but here in Ohio they don't use big dogs as taring pit pulls. They really use pot belly pigs or other dogs their size. Any way as I was saying I would be more worried of someone throwing food at them that was poison. That happen to a friend of mine. Or a kid poking at them with sticks. So if I were you I wouldn't let them use that while I was gone. I don't know the size you can use but I am sure there are information on the net where you can do a search. But what you have in mind is a great idea. Just not when you are not at home.
2007-04-28 00:20:47 · answer #4 · answered by china 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nice choice of dogs!
From what I can pick up, they all needs lots of space, so as much as you can give them in a secure area would be great. As for substrate, they are dogs, so give them at least one area that is grass, and another rougher area to keep their claws down in length.
2007-04-27 23:46:38 · answer #5 · answered by Unicornrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bad idea. Leaving your dogs out when you aren't home is dangerous. Too many wackos and nutcases. They like to steal dogs and use them for bait dogs for pitbulls. They'll duct tape their mouth's shut. Giant breeds are a target. They can also get loose, no matter how well you build a run.
2007-04-28 00:10:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋