Dog Kennels & Outdoor

An outdoor dog kennel gives a dog shade in summer and a dry, wind-free place to lie while it is out in the garden with you, which is exactly what a lawn does not offer on a wet afternoon. Our outdoor range is deliberately small at the moment, built around a wooden outdoor dog kennel, with the indoor equivalents in dog crates and furniture. The guidance below applies to any kennel you are considering.

Sizing the kennel

Bigger is not better. A kennel works by trapping the dog's own body heat, so a cavernous one never warms up. Your dog should be able to stand without ducking, turn round comfortably and lie fully stretched out, and not a great deal more than that. Measure from nose to the base of the tail and add roughly 15 to 20 cm for the internal length, then measure from the floor to the top of the head with the dog standing to set the height. The doorway wants to be about three-quarters of shoulder height, high enough to walk through but small enough to keep the wind out. Check those figures against the stated dimensions of the wooden outdoor dog kennel before ordering, and if your dog falls awkwardly between sizes, look at the sizes available in dog crates and furniture instead.

Insulation and dry bedding

Wood is a far better insulator than plastic or sheet metal, which is the main reason a timber build such as this wooden kennel stays usable in Northern European weather. What matters even more is that the inside stays dry, because damp bedding draws heat out of a dog faster than cold air ever does. Straw and wood shavings are traditional because they drain and can be thrown away; a folded blanket is warmer but has to be changed the moment it is wet. Lifting the dog off the panel helps too, and there are washable mats in dog beds and mattresses that suit a kennel provided you can dry them between uses. A flap or strip curtain over the doorway holds warm air in, and it is worth putting your hand inside after heavy rain rather than assuming it is dry.

Raised floor, roof overhang

Two details decide whether a kennel stays dry, and neither shows up clearly in a photograph. The first is a raised floor. Legs or feet that hold the base a few centimetres clear of the ground stop rain running in, stop damp wicking up through the timber and let air move underneath, which is also what stops the wood rotting from below. The second is a roof that overhangs the walls, ideally sloped and felted, so water runs off past the entrance instead of down the front and in through the door. Look for both on the wooden kennel, and treat exposed timber with a pet-safe wood preservative once a year. If your garden has no sheltered corner at all, an indoor crate from dog crates and furniture is the more honest answer.

Where to put it

Position does as much work as construction. Set the kennel against a wall or fence that blocks the prevailing wind, with the entrance turned away from it, and choose a spot that is shaded for part of the day, because a closed wooden box in full August sun becomes an oven. Level the ground first or the door will not sit square. Keep the kennel within sight of the house so your dog can still see the family rather than being shut away round a corner, and keep water outside it rather than in it, using a bowl from bowls, feeders and water so the bedding stays dry. On soft ground, standing the kennel on a couple of slabs stops it settling unevenly through a winter.

Shelter, not a substitute

A kennel is shelter for a dog that is spending part of the day outdoors. It is not somewhere to leave a dog in cold weather, and no amount of insulation turns it into that. Dogs are social animals, they lose heat quickly once they stop moving, and puppies, thin-coated breeds, older dogs and any dog that is unwell belong indoors as soon as the temperature drops. Use the kennel for shade, for shelter from a passing shower and as somewhere to settle while you are working in the garden, then bring your dog in. Indoors, the equivalent den is a crate from dog crates and furniture with something soft from dog beds and mattresses inside it, and that is where a dog should sleep.

Petifo is a Swedish company and we ship across the EU with tracked delivery. Prices include VAT, with no extra customs fees on EU orders. If something is not right you can request a return within 30 days under our return policy, and our team is happy to help you choose before you buy.

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Getting the size right

A kennel that is too large never warms up, because the heat it holds is the dog's own. Aim for enough room to stand, turn and stretch out, with a doorway around three-quarters of shoulder height, and check your measurements against the dimensions given for the wooden outdoor dog kennel before you order.

Keeping the inside dry

Damp is the real enemy rather than cold. Straw and shavings drain and cost little to replace, a blanket is warmer but needs changing as soon as it is wet, and a mat that lifts the dog off the boards helps in both cases. Washable options are in dog beds and mattresses, and a door flap keeps warm air from spilling straight out.

Build details that matter

Look underneath and above before you look at the styling. A floor raised clear of the ground keeps rain and rising damp out and lets the timber breathe, while a roof overhanging the walls throws water past the doorway. Both are worth confirming on the wooden kennel, along with a yearly coat of pet-safe preservative.

Siting it in the garden

Wind, sun and sightlines decide the spot. Back it onto a wall or fence with the entrance turned away from the weather, keep some shade over it in summer, level the ground so the door sits square, and leave it where your dog can see the house. Keep water outside the kennel in a bowl from bowls, feeders and water.

Indoors is still the answer

A kennel is for shade and shelter during the day, never a place to leave a dog once it turns cold. For a den your dog can actually sleep in, use a crate from dog crates and furniture with a supportive bed from dog beds and mattresses inside it.

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Outdoor dog kennels: your questions answered

Snug rather than roomy, because a kennel is warmed by the dog's own body heat. Your dog should stand without ducking, turn round and lie fully stretched, and little more: measure nose to base of tail and add about 15 to 20 cm for the internal length. Keep the doorway to roughly three-quarters of shoulder height so wind does not blow straight through, and compare your figures with the dimensions listed for the wooden outdoor dog kennel.

No. A kennel is shelter for a dog spending part of the day outdoors, not a substitute for coming inside when it is cold. Dogs lose heat fast once they settle, and puppies, thin-coated breeds, older dogs and any dog that is unwell should be indoors whenever the temperature drops. Give your dog an indoor den instead, using a crate from dog crates and furniture and a warm bed from dog beds and mattresses.

Whatever you can keep dry. Damp bedding pulls heat out of a dog far faster than cold air does, so straw or wood shavings work well outdoors because they drain and are cheap to replace. A blanket or mat is warmer but has to be swapped the moment it is wet, so keep a spare. Washable options that lift the dog off the panel are in dog beds and mattresses, and they suit a kennel provided you can dry them between uses.

Because both keep water out, and a wet kennel is a cold kennel. Feet or legs holding the base clear of the ground stop rain running in and stop damp wicking up through the timber, while air moving underneath is what keeps the floor from rotting. A roof that overhangs the walls sheds water past the doorway instead of down the front and in. Both are worth checking on the wooden kennel or on any kennel you compare it with.

Against a wall or fence that blocks the prevailing wind, with the entrance facing away from it, on level ground that is shaded for part of the day. Keep it within sight of the house so your dog can see the family, and stand it on slabs if the ground is soft so the kennel does not settle unevenly. Put water outside rather than inside, using a bowl from bowls, feeders and water, so the bedding stays dry.