I got several questions about the kennel platform, what I used for the decking and how to keep it clean. You can use pine, redwood, or composite decking material. The cheapest by far, and what I used was 1” x 6” pine rough on one side and finished on the other. What ever the material, it is critical that the deck is smooth to facilitate cleanup. Stain the wood properly with a good quality stain so urine doesn’t soak in. I re-stain my deck every year so it stays good and water tight.

As for dog waste on the deck, I store a flat 4” wide drywall mud knife and a bunch of plastic bags nearby. With the flexible knife you can quickly scrape it up, bag it and throw it away. I always clean it up when I go to let the dog out and it only takes 30 seconds. Sometimes in the winter when it gets stepped on or is between the gaps in the boards the poop get frozen and is harder to get out. Then I just use a little stiffer mud knife and it pops right out. I’ve never let the waste build up on the decking; it is so easy to clean up daily that there is no reason. Plus I know the dogs really prefer it clean.

As for composite decking, I think it would be a great surface because it is impervious to water (urine) and sunlight. I would look for the smoothest surface possible so the waste comes off cleanly. If it is rough, even at a really fine scale, the waste maybe difficult to clean off.

It is critical with any deck material, but especially composite decking to not have any edges where the dogs can get at it to chew. The only places on my wood deck that they chew are where one plank has an edge wane defect and they can chew on the adjacent piece. I would guess that dogs would love the feel of chewing on the composite material, so you’ll have to be careful of that. I found that 1/2“ spacing is perfect to discourage any chewing and still allow space for water to drain off and air to circulate.

 

Spring is almost here and you may be preparing for a new puppy. We strongly suggest keeping the dog in the house with you as much as possible to build a strong bond with the dog. Nevertheless, you will need to house the dog outdoors some of the time. We suggest that you don’t leave the dog loose in the yard for a couple of reasons: first, they get board and get into trouble, chewing up sprinklers, digging holes, etc.; second it gives the dog too much independence and often they become their own pack leader; finally it seems to excuse us of interacting with the dog. We subconsciously think that the dog has plenty of room to “run around” so we don’t get the dog out for exercise and interaction. The dog need some time to romp in the yard, but not all day. Therefore, we suggest a kennel run for the dog.

Kennels don’t need to be big, despite the fact that they are often called runs, dogs don’t run in them (if they do, you have some behavior issues that need to be dealt with). Five feet by ten feet should be plenty of room. If possible, we like to have the run facing south to allow the sunlight to disinfect the run. In the summer shade is critical. In the winter, try for as much sun as possible. For this reason, our kennels are movable. We move them into an open area with full southern exposure in the summer and under a huge shade tree with an eastern exposure in the summer.

In the kennel they need some kind of shelter. We use the K-9 Kondo dog den and absolutely love it. They are comfortable in summer and winter, chew proof and well worth the money. Also, we like to provide a couple of different surfaces at different heights for the dogs to climb up on and lay on. This allows them to choose what surfaces are most comfortable based on the conditions, plus, I think that it breaks up the space and gives them a little more mental stimulation over a flat open floor.

As for the fencing, there are a lot of different options out there. We really like the Priefert welded wire kennel panels. We have tried a lot of other chain link panels and they just don’t hold up over time. I have seen some advertisements for other products which looked really good, but I haven’t tried their products: Mason FRP Sani-Kennels (top of the line commercial grade stuff) and Behlen Manufacturing Magnum Kennels.

As for the floor, we don’t believe that dirt surfaces are acceptable. They hold bacteria, are muddy when it’s wet and cold in the winter, plus dogs have the potential of digging out. There are basically four options, concrete, gravel, wood deck, or composite deck. Concrete is a good option, but it’s expensive and you can’t change your mind and move it later. If you build a concrete run, make sure it is well sloped for drainage and provide a underground sump (a large, deep hold filled with gravel). Gravel works ok, it stays dry and helps toughen dogs feet for chukar hunting, but is really difficult to clean. Decking, either composite or wood works well; depending on what product you use, it is often cheaper than concrete. It is easy to clean, keeps dogs warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

We found 6” planks with ½ inch gaps works well for dogs 25lbs and up (toe pad size being the issue). We bought 1×6 planks that were finished on one side, rough on the other (use the finished side up) and saved a lot over finished lumber. If you are building decking make sure the deck size is larger than your kennel all the way around. If you want to be able to move it, build it in 3 or four foot sections. For example, if your kennel is 5’x10’, build two deck sections 3’x12’. Use 2×6’s for joists spaced 18” or 20” apart. Stain the deck with a good quality deck stain that will take the sun. We have used these kennel decks for 10 years with only annual staining and replacing the occasional board. They have worked great.
              See comments for more info.

Odi, the little male German shorthair pup we got from Kojac kennels is coming along nicely, although he has hit his teenage stage and has become much more independent. He has a strong desire for birds and loves to retrieve. He is somewhat sensitive to loud noise, so I am carefully working to desensitize him and get him ready for the gun. His most enduring attributes right now are his cuteness and character. The family just loves him. He makes it easy to want him around.

 

We’ve gotten a lot of snow this year and the dog have loved it. Today we had a good long romp in the fresh snow. It was kind of an ethereal experience because it was foggy and you couldn’t see more that 50 meters, but the morning sun was filtering through and provided a beautiful light for taking photos.

 

I’ve got to say, I made another purchse from Gun Dog Supply today and they are excellent to work with. They are knowledgable, friendly and helpful. They have the best prices I have found any where, they stand behind their products, and have an excellent email tracking system for their shipping. They have consistently been great to work with. I strongly recommend them for any dog supplies or training products.

One of their products that I think is a great buy is their training bumper. Excellent product for a great price. 

 

It’s a muddy spring here. We had 15 tons of gravel delivered today to cope with the mud. Chris, the kids and I spent the morning shoveling gravel. Allie wanted in on the action. (Sorry about the cheesy photo. I couldn’t resist.)

 

At this time of year I am really glad for the kennel decks I have. The dogs are clean, dry and comfortable, when everything around them is a soupy mess. We’ve had a pretty good snow year this year and now everything is melting off. The ground is still frozen about 8 inches down, so the water just sits on the top and the yard is like a soppy sponge. 

We have seen some really poor housing facilities for dogs, and they become much worse during the spring because of wet muddy conditions; dogs chained up in a mud bog, on muddy, poopy ground, and other such. If you’re in this situation, know that your dog deserves better, and there is a better way for a lot cheaper than pouring concrete.

 

 

Title: How To Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves; Taking Advantage of Early Conditioned Learning

Author: Joan Bailey
ISBN: 0-9630127-3-8
Swan Valley Press, Hillsboro, OR

What does a woman know about training hunting dogs?
Answer: A lot! As one of the entry pages states, Joan has been a versatile hunting dog field judge for 29 years, editor of Gun Dog Supreme for 25 years, and the winner of 13 awards from the Dog Writers Association of America (who ever they are). So, she’s been around, she knows her stuff and is a good writer that’s enjoyable to read.

I particularly like Joan’s method of training. That is, start with proven bloodlines, then keep the dog with you as much as possible, take it everywhere, especially the first year, expose the dog to everything. Teach the dog through learned conditioning; “conditioning is learning in such a way that the dog thinks he invented whatever you want him to learn.”

This book is a great read for someone about to get a puppy or is in the first year raising a gun dog. Joan give simple, clear advice and lays out sound principles. For example she gives the following five basic rules:

1. The first and most important concept to remember is that a dog is a pack animal. This means that there is always a leader and the rest are followers. You have to be the pack leader.
2. Always be consistent.
3. Keep your commands simple (one word)
4. Use a command only one time.
5. Never give a command that you cannon enforce.

I have not seen any earlier editions of this book, but I assume that the old (1970’s vintage) photos were from the first printing, nevertheless, the material has been revised and is up to date and right on. This book is not a dog training book per se, but rather a way of thinking about raising and conditioning dogs over their first year to become wonderful companions and great gun dogs. I though it was a great read.

 

 

I just heard what some of the 2008 Utah Governor’s hunting permits went for this last week at the Sportsman Show in Salt Lake. All I have to say is WOW!

       Mule Deer $187,500
       Rocky Mt. Elk $150,000
       Bighorn Sheep $85,000
       Desert Bighorn Sheep $55,000
       Shiras Moose $24,000 

This is hard to wrap my head around.

 

This past weekend was the local Boy Scout winter Klondike campout (our theme was Blue Hawaii). There were probably a hundred scouts, plus leaders. As always, I took several dogs along. There’s nothing better than a bunch of boy scouts for socializing a dog. I think the boys and the dogs are on about the same maturity level, they both will play with each other for hours on end, plus there are lots of boys always swarming around to acclimate the dogs to crowds of people.

We had a great time. After the official Klondike sled race, where the boys pull their sled over a course (our patrol took first!), I hooked up my two best sled dogs and we re-ran the course and smoked our previous time. The boys and the dogs loved it.

It was a great experience for the dogs and the boys. The only misadventure we had was with Blade, the young black lab in the above photo. Blade peed on some kid’s sleeping bag. Luckily, he was from another troop. It made me think of the window decal that was popular awhile back with Calvin peeing on some brand of car. I guess Blade was just telling him what he thought of our sled competition. Luckily it was in the morning, after the kid slept in the bag. Sorry, Kid.