Baby, it's cold outside!
How to stay warm and cozy
Since we live in an area of inclement weather it’s become necessary to build a kennel specific to our dogs’ needs because it gets so cold here they often can not even go outside to potty or play, the kennel rooms are large, each having their own litter box, heat lamp, heat pad, blankets, food, water, toys, chews and daily treats during ‘turn down service’. The kennel is fully climate controlled with household windows for fresh air, all weather doggy doors, redundant sources of heat with generator backup and it’s located in our yard across from our home so we can keep a close eye on everybody.
When they aren’t ruling the roost they’re playing and napping in their rooms, where we visit multiple times a day to open the doors, sit and snuggle everybody and let them play in the common area, or invite them to accompany us with farm chores and into the home for lap time and play. We designed our kennel to be a Puppy Palace where the floors are durable yet soft stall mats that can be endlessly rinsed, sanitized, removed and replaced; where a puppy can jump, slip and trip without injury, allowing boisterous, natural play, regardless of the weather. It has a large common area so all the kennels can be left open to allow them to interact with one another, we only separate animals to avoid breeding. It also includes a grooming area for me to pamper the pups and prepare or maintain them for show, and a photography area where we can take updated pictures of the animals in good lighting so prospective buyers have a good idea of their puppies size, color and such as they grow.
Dog vs Mother Nature
In our 15+ years with the breed we've never felt the need for a kennel until moving to such a cold place, the dogs would get chilled so fast playing on the ranch we decided they needed access to an area they could run in to warm up, at will, even when they’re coated in mud. It’s also proved helpful in giving them a safe space they’re eager to enter, for when we’re using heavy equipment or have strangers around, or get home from the pet store and have a lot to carry into the home, they eagerly rush to the door of the kennel wanting to share their new treats with the rest of the pack so we can shuffle everyone into the home without fear of stepped on paws. We don’t have to wipe paws down, worry about if the children may have set something down they could chew, they can run right in sopping wet, shake, wrestle, run and roll as much as they want because it’s their space and specially designed just for their needs.