Types of Dog Houses
There was a time, not too long ago, when the term “Dog House” brought the same picture to everyone’s mind - the wooden box with a peaked roof, and a door cut out of the front, perhaps with the name “Fido”, “Spot” or “Snoopy” emblazoned above the door.
And surely it’s still easy enough to find those types of doghouses in backyards all over America.
But over the past few decades, new types of dog houses, made of materials other than the traditional wood, have become available, and the variety continues to increase.
Yes, today’s potential purchasers of homes for Buster and Molly are offererd a much wider selection of styles and construction materials than their parents were. And considering the speed at which technology increases nowadays, there’s no doubt that dog house construction will continue to develop in a way that takes advantage of new technology.
Of course, there are many of us for whom a doghouse can only be made of wood. The picture of the all-American home usually seems to include the wooden dog house, maybe even painted in the same color scheme as the owner’s home.
But even if you’ve decided on a wooden frame home for your canine buddy, the selection of different styles, sizes, and add-on features gives you a wide variety of items from which you can make your selection.
Of course, another prime consideration is simple strength. It’s absolutely imperative that you have a sturdy dog house. The sturdiness of a well-constructed wooden dog house is well known.
Okay, time to get a little adventurous. Let’s consider something other than wood. What alternatives do we have? Well, let’s take a look…
The most common material, other than wood, that is used in the construction of dog houses is plastic. You can get plastic dog houses in quite a variety of shapes and styles, including the traditional peaked roof, igloos, barns (complete with gambrel roof) and others.
Plastic dog houses have some advantages that might make them a better choice than wood in some situations. They are lightweight, and so are easily moved. They are easily cleaned, both inside and out, with a garden hose.
It is also possible to purchase steel and aluminum dog houses, but these are generally not meant for back yard use. They are typically used by those with specialized needs, so we won’t talk about them here.