UKC Forums - anybody up north using barrels?

Pages (2): [1] 2 »
Show all 30 posts from this thread on one page

UKC Forums (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/index.php)
- UKC Coonhounds (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=4)
-- anybody up north using barrels? (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=460992)

Posted by TrueBlue Mac on 11-09-2011 08:14 PM:

anybody up north using barrels?

I am considering using plastic barrels for houses and was wondering how they do in the winter for warmth. How the dogs do with them and do you keep them on the ground or raise them up a little?

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks
Jeff

__________________
Jeff McCarthy
Darlington,WI

Do the world a favor and take a child in the woods so they're not in the streets!

Posted by Scot Crandall on 11-09-2011 08:26 PM:

My buddy uses them on all his kennels and basically the only worry he has is condensation. He drills about a half dozen small holes along the bottom and builds a 2x4 frame that keeps the barrell off the ground, and put custom doors on them, works for him.

Posted by micooner on 11-09-2011 08:29 PM:

no warmth or insulation would never use them, Hell I have found nice insulated dogloos that cost 100 on craigslist for 20 just a thought

Posted by davidlloyd on 11-09-2011 08:48 PM:

ive used barrels for years but this year i have heavy duty wood houses given to me by a retired coon hunter..but my barrels worked great load them with straw and they create insulation... drill a few holes on the bottom and use 2x2s to make an upside down V to keep them from rolling.... not sure on temp ratings but they work better than them plastic igloo houses imo

__________________
GrNitech'Pr' Thunder Guns Ruby2 (TopGunXRuby)

Posted by Rolin Blues on 11-09-2011 09:35 PM:

barrels

Dad & I have used them forever & I'm 64 yrs. old. Never had problem with good straw in them. Even better put on south side of building or big bale of hay on north side of them. Plastic or steel, don't matter.Take care, Ron.

Posted by TrueBlue Mac on 11-10-2011 12:30 AM:

Thanks for the info. I had a few worries since we can have wind chills of 30 below and actual temps of 10 to 15 below for several days.

__________________
Jeff McCarthy
Darlington,WI

Do the world a favor and take a child in the woods so they're not in the streets!

Posted by triker on 11-10-2011 02:39 AM:

i live in the thumb of michigan i have used barrels for years.yes you do have to put holes in the bottom and lots of straw.everything i ever tried to cover the door with they rip off.so i gave up.my kennels are off the ground and i put privacy panels all the way around except for the gates.seems to work fine for me never had a problem.

__________________
TREEDAWG KENNELS

GRCH GRNTCH CARGILLS JEWELL

Posted by on 11-10-2011 03:08 AM:

I'm in SE Minnesota. I started using the plastic barrels last year. My kennels are enclosed on 3 sides with a roof, only open to exposure on the south side.
I put a couple short pieces of 2x4 on the bottom of them to keep them from rolling but other than that they sit on the ground.
I bed them with straw in the winter, and just a few shavings in the summer. I give them fresh straw before any major cold snaps and change the straw out whenever I feel its needed over the winter.
I drilled a couple small holes in the bottom of each barrel for a drain but I'm not sure if it is necessary.
I've put barrels next to my old wood boxes and had the dogs pick the barrel. I'm happy with them and it seems the dogs are too.
What I like best is they are cheap ($15 a barrel but I've seen them for less on craiglist), they are light and move easily for cleaning and they are easy to wash out.
I'd recommend keeping them out of the wind but I know guys who use them in the wide open and push a little snow around them. Keep them bedded good and keep the opening out of the wind and they should be fine.
I'd keep my dogs in a barrel before I'd ever keep them in one of those igloo dog house or plastic dog house sold in stores.

Posted by wildbill on 11-10-2011 01:52 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by micooner
no warmth or insulation would never use them, Hell I have found nice insulated dogloos that cost 100 on craigslist for 20 just a thought

dogloo's are high price junk..

this old dog is 13 1/2 in this picture ,born and raised his whole life in a blue barrell ,,most of it in this one,his choise over a wooden box..he passed at around 14 + - yrs old,,his son has took over his barrell now..

covering them with dirt/snow helps block off the cutting wind and in the extreame cold way up north would be like a yote/wolf den under ground.

__________________
740-255-3087
william(wildbill)saylor
wildbills101@hotmail
wildbills101@yahoo
http://wildbills101.homestead.com/wildbills101.html

Posted by Ron Ashbaugh on 11-10-2011 01:57 PM:

I have used them for years and all the dogs have lived just fine. People who believe they are no good are simply just uninformed or choose to use what they think as opposed to fact as the basis for their conclusion.

__________________
The fun is over once you pull the trigger

Ron Ashbaugh
CROOKED FOOT KENNELS

Posted by cwest on 11-10-2011 02:16 PM:

work fine just have plenty of straw in them heck dogs lay in the snow half the time any way

__________________
chris west

Posted by plentyofpossum on 11-10-2011 02:31 PM:

If you use kennels look at this option. But if you chain it wont help, chain would get in the way of the door.

http://www.k-9kondo.com/categories/K%252d9-Kondo/

Posted by Melanie H. on 11-10-2011 02:54 PM:

Has anyone tried to put a doggie door in one? Like the one's you put in your house door?

I've found a couple that are not the light flexible plastic, but hard plastic that I think might work..

I like the idea of just buying the K9 Condo door (you can get it from LCS) but it is still $70 or $80 for just the door.. Might as well buy the whole kit for that..

__________________
~Melanie Hampton~
OutWest Big Game Hounds

You've only got 3 choices in life, give in, give up, or give it all you got.

Posted by ahinsch on 11-10-2011 03:45 PM:

I built my kennels off the side of my shed and use barrels on the inside of the shed with a K9 Kondo door mounted on the shed. I am really liking this set up, dogs seem to love the barrels, when I had pens inside my old shed with sleeping boxes my dogs were almost always outside, now I can't get em out of their barrels, even in summer they stay cooler than shade tree temps. If you buy the K9 Kondo doors order directly from them, when I bought 3 from them they were less than half what nitelite sells them for.

Posted by wildbill on 11-10-2011 04:18 PM:

nice kennel setup..

those white barrells will work on the inside like that
but if left outside in the sun and cold will shatter in the wintertime if a really large/heavy dog likes to jump/stand on top of them..

the blue is heaver plastic and works better for tie out dogs.and dont chill and shatter..

__________________
740-255-3087
william(wildbill)saylor
wildbills101@hotmail
wildbills101@yahoo
http://wildbills101.homestead.com/wildbills101.html

Posted by TrueBlue Mac on 11-10-2011 05:31 PM:

Andrew wish I had your set up. Looks real nice.

__________________
Jeff McCarthy
Darlington,WI

Do the world a favor and take a child in the woods so they're not in the streets!

Posted by micooner on 11-10-2011 11:14 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by wildbill
dogloo's are high price junk..

this old dog is 13 1/2 in this picture ,born and raised his whole life in a blue barrell ,,most of it in this one,his choise over a wooden box..he passed at around 14 + - yrs old,,his son has took over his barrell now..

covering them with dirt/snow helps block off the cutting wind and in the extreame cold way up north would be like a yote/wolf den under ground.

Thats why I never paid 100 for the dogloo but by the time I drill holes in a blue barrel to drain the condensation and put it up on 2x4's so it won't roll and fill it full of straw to try and insulate or enclose the barrel in a frame I guess I could build a wooden,insulated ,dry nice dog house for ol spot LOL

Posted by intellectualist on 11-10-2011 11:25 PM:

I used barrels once, for about a month. Condensation was bad. Do not waste your time unless you place the barrel away from getting rained on like the guy above.

Posted by wildbill on 11-11-2011 02:31 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by micooner
Thats why I never paid 100 for the dogloo but by the time I drill holes in a blue barrel to drain the condensation and put it up on 2x4's so it won't roll and fill it full of straw to try and insulate or enclose the barrel in a frame I guess I could build a wooden,insulated ,dry nice dog house for ol spot LOL

bad thing about them pretty ,nice wooden dog boxs is ol spot would spend more time in the barrell if one was placed next to it..facts,seen it....

i just drill the holes in the bottom and shovel a grove in the dirt with one end higher than the other and keep it filled with straw,,they will dig the straw out if it gets too warm for them and if ya got a brain dead dog that keeps tracking mud into the barrell stand it on the end and smack it with a stick and it will fall out and add fresh straw,,the white ones will shatter in the winter if you go smacking on them..

$9 for blue barrel + $5 bale of good straw will go a long ways

__________________
740-255-3087
william(wildbill)saylor
wildbills101@hotmail
wildbills101@yahoo
http://wildbills101.homestead.com/wildbills101.html

Posted by coonslayer82 on 11-11-2011 02:44 AM:

Barrel dog houses

i take another barrel cut it in half then cut one half of that half and bolt it to the front of my barrel that keeps the rain and snow out

Posted by ahinsch on 11-11-2011 01:35 PM:

Wildbill, you must have seen different white barrels than what I have, mine are the exact same thickness and hardness as the blue ones.

Posted by ENGLISH 911 on 12-04-2012 05:02 PM:

__________________
I SPEAK & HUNT ENGLISH.

I feed and recommend
VICTOR DOG FOOD
Jason Gregory
419-512-5895

Posted by wildbill on 12-04-2012 06:04 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by ahinsch
Wildbill, you must have seen different white barrels than what I have, mine are the exact same thickness and hardness as the blue ones.

the white ones i have look just like yours,after a yr or so in the sun the white plastic becomes brittle,they look the same as the blue ones but the blue ones must have different additives in the plastic that keeps them from becomeing shatterable..

the local goodwill store sells the blue ones for around $8 last time i checked,and u can put a order in for as many as u need if they dont have enough on hand

__________________
740-255-3087
william(wildbill)saylor
wildbills101@hotmail
wildbills101@yahoo
http://wildbills101.homestead.com/wildbills101.html

Posted by Larry Atherton on 12-04-2012 06:47 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by micooner
Hell I have found nice insulated dogloos that cost 100 on craigslist for 20 just a thought

I have never figured out why they ever designed those dang things the way they did. I have gotten up in the middle of the night to check on dogs when it was 40 below at 3 or 4 in the morning. I have always without fail been greeted with the same sight. The dog has straw completely covering the door.

The problem I see with igloo dog house are the door opening raises nearly completely to the very top of the house.

Now, my question is how can a dog build up heat and maintain it in such a shelter?

Now, to answer the original posters question. Yes, I do use plastic barrels, but I should qualify that. I have the barrels inside the dog building up on 2x8s. I also have K9 Condo metal doors on the building to reduce winds inside.

The important thing to remember with dogs out side is they need to have draft free, plenty of good bedding, and the smaller the compartment the better off they will be. They need to be able to heat up and maintain warmth in their dog house.

__________________
Larry Atherton

Aim small miss small

Posted by Sprice on 12-04-2012 07:59 PM:

I have a friend that uses them and he stands the barrel upright and cuts a square hole in it about 1.5 feet above the bottom and then puts the straw in. The dogs dont kick out any straw and you cant even see the dog unless he sticks his head up, seemed to work really well.

All times are GMT. The time now is 10:53 PM.

Pages (2): [1] 2 »
Show all 30 posts from this thread on one page