insydney Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 i live in sydney (maybe you worked that out) in the eastern subs, and digga (ridgeback kelpie cross) sleeps outside, i do have a wooden kennel for him however the nights are getting cooler though not cold yet, so what do you use for bedding to keep them warm on these cold nights? unlike a lot of breeds ridgebacks dont have a thick coat or am i just being too sensitive? and being an obstinate little s*** (6mths old) he rips up almost anything put in his kennel to keep him insulated... so what do you use ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) Does his kennel have a flap on the front of it over the door? Having a place where he can completely get out of the wind will help and that way his natural body heat will help warm the air in there up. You could probably get something to cover it for next to nothing at bunnings. I have a doona that I bought at the salvos for Zero - I think it only cost me about $5 or $10. He's not a demolition expert though and would never rip it up. Have you thought about some carpet for inside his kennel? Offcuts are generally pretty cheap and they're pretty hardy. It might help him keep a little warmer. A friend of mine uses shadecloth for her dog's kennel. Her dog will rip anything up - she's eaten an entire couch nearly - but the shadecloth seems to survive. Edited April 13, 2010 by ~*Shell*~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idigadog Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 We use straw in our dog kennels. I got sick and tired of picking up foam when the shredding monsters decided to trash their beds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 I would bring him inside but if you don't what about trying to get him used to wearing a coat or some doggy Pj's. Hard to rip up what he's wearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake-K9 Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 Just because it's being worn doesn't mean it's safe! If they can grab a hold of any part of it they can manage to chew it to bits! Some carpet inside his kennel - I would line the whole thing including the roof, but if it's nicely sealed and draught-free that probably isn't neccessary - with a nice thick blanket flap over the door to keep the warm air in should do the trick If you keep your eyes open it's possible to score carpet off-cuts for free, and a nice thick blanket (that you should be able to get multiple 'doors' out of) shouldn't cost more than $15 at an op shop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) Ridgies get cold! It was 4 degrees here last night and mine literally slept on top of me to keep warm :D I would suggest you get a crate and bring him inside for the nights instead. Coats or PJ's are a good idea (mine wears a Chilly Dog sweater when the nights start to get really cold), but you dont want to put them on him unsupervised if he is a chewer. If you dont want to bring him in the suggestions already of lining the kennel and putting a flap on the door are good ;) I'm pretty sure you can buy an insulation product that has been specifically designed for lining kennels too. You could also try throwing a heavy blanket over the top. Edited April 13, 2010 by SecretKei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Souff Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) Just because it's being worn doesn't mean it's safe! If they can grab a hold of any part of it they can manage to chew it to bits! Or manage to half strangle themselves in the process! You could get some carpet. Funnily enough, a lot of kelpie type dogs don't seem to feel the cold that much. Those dog beds that are made out of shadecloth material are really tough and you might find one of those is enough, with the dogs own body heat, in the kennel. Trick is to get it to stay IN the kennel! ;) Our old kelpie used to toss all the bedding out of the kennel and sleep on the bare boards - winter and summer. Only used it to lie on in the sunshine!!! Souff Edited to say I just saw previous posters comment that RRs do feel the cold. Thanks! Edited April 13, 2010 by Souff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoL Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 Staffords have a similar short coat. In winter, our outside dogs wear a good coat, their kennels are inside in their enclosed runs with the door 90 degs to the door of the run (to try and eliminate draft (sp?) factor), plus we line them with newspaper and then old blankets. I even went so far as to knit them blankies last year - didn't last long and I will probably just visit the Salvos this year ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenWei Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 When I was house hunting 12 or so months ago, we looked at a house that had a heated outdoor kennel. Not sure how it was heated though, whether it was flooring or air conditioning like you would have in your own home. They had borzois, so they did have hair to keep them warm. A bit off topic but it is an option. Think it was solar powered from memory, and ran off the solar power that heated the pool. Was a very nice house but just had so many trees that dropped leaves and bark!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) If he's not a destroyer of bedding, I'd line the bottom of the kennel with newspaper (nice and thick) and add something like a Snooza wool futon. I would also coat him at night. Edited April 13, 2010 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 (edited) Ridgies get cold! It was 4 degrees here last night and mine literally slept on top of me to keep warm :D I would suggest you get a crate and bring him inside for the nights instead. Coats or PJ's are a good idea (mine wears a Chilly Dog sweater when the nights start to get really cold), but you dont want to put them on him unsupervised if he is a chewer. If you dont want to bring him in the suggestions already of lining the kennel and putting a flap on the door are good ;) I'm pretty sure you can buy an insulation product that has been specifically designed for lining kennels too. You could also try throwing a heavy blanket over the top. Agree with SK. I can't imagine a RR being outside during the cold night-time winter months. My current RR boy doesn't feel the cold half as much as my previous RR girl (bless her cotton socks) did, but he still does notice it at night-time. With the wearing of coats, dogs need to be 'trained' to them to a degree, just as we train them to crates. When the coats are foreign to them it would feel weird and some dogs are likely (chewers or not) to pull at them, and so develops a learnt behaviour. I remember when my boy was a pup and he wore PJ's, he grabbed the rear leg sleeve but would only succeed in pulling himself over . He doesn't generally wear a coat now, only in that I've noticed that sometimes he'd prefer to not even be blanketed. I don't want him to feel overly warm in something he can't escape from. Provided he is in a draft free spot and has the comfort and warmth of a blanket around the back of his body (rather than over) he is happy. When it is really really cold though, he'll appreciate the blanket over him. If you do try 'coat-training' your dog, try giving it a good spray with one of the commercial "stop-chews" (non-scented). But don't leave him to it at the beginning. Be around him and maybe a nice cuddle/snooze with you; a bit of a walk out on the lead; etc. to get him used to it first, until you feel you can trust him to not chew on it. Kal looooooooved her coat. In fact, she just loooooooooved anything warm. Edited April 14, 2010 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 You can always try shredded newspaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insydney Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Does his kennel have a flap on the front of it over the door? Having a place where he can completely get out of the wind will help and that way his natural body heat will help warm the air in there up. You could probably get something to cover it for next to nothing at bunnings. I have a doona that I bought at the salvos for Zero - I think it only cost me about $5 or $10. He's not a demolition expert though and would never rip it up. Have you thought about some carpet for inside his kennel? Offcuts are generally pretty cheap and they're pretty hardy. It might help him keep a little warmer. A friend of mine uses shadecloth for her dog's kennel. Her dog will rip anything up - she's eaten an entire couch nearly - but the shadecloth seems to survive. shell.. thanks for your reply, i was just about to cut up some carpet tiles as a floor base for his kennel, i tried cardboard but it lasted a cpl of days, he looves to tear things up, should have called him rippa... lol for the same reason a doona would be the worst thing, he has already destroyed a cpl of old pillows, and they are far too absorbent and insect friendly. someone mentioned hessian bags which sounds plausible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insydney Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 We use straw in our dog kennels. I got sick and tired of picking up foam when the shredding monsters decided to trash their beds. know the feeling... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insydney Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 (edited) I would bring him inside but if you don't what about trying to get him used to wearing a coat or some doggy Pj's.Hard to rip up what he's wearing. hmm guess thats an option but he's a obstinate little bugga and not sure he'd cooperate, but may be worth a try... i wouldnt dare leave him inside as he is used to depositing enormous specimens around the yard at night that would make any horse proud Edited April 14, 2010 by insydney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insydney Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Just because it's being worn doesn't mean it's safe! If they can grab a hold of any part of it they can manage to chew it to bits! Some carpet inside his kennel - I would line the whole thing including the roof, but if it's nicely sealed and draught-free that probably isn't neccessary - with a nice thick blanket flap over the door to keep the warm air in should do the trick If you keep your eyes open it's possible to score carpet off-cuts for free, and a nice thick blanket (that you should be able to get multiple 'doors' out of) shouldn't cost more than $15 at an op shop... thanks i was just about to cut up some carpet tiles as an internal floor base for his kennel, i tried cardboard but it lasted a cpl of days, he loves to tear things up, his kennel is in a protected area but a door flap is a good idea it will certainly keep the heat in, the roof insulation will certainly help there too, i'll think on that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insydney Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Just because it's being worn doesn't mean it's safe! If they can grab a hold of any part of it they can manage to chew it to bits! Trick is to get it to stay IN the kennel! Our old kelpie used to toss all the bedding out of the kennel and sleep on the bare boards - winter and summer. Only used it to lie on in the sunshine!!! Souff Edited to say I just saw previous posters comment that RRs do feel the cold. Thanks! yep RR's do have a pretty short coat, and he does seem to like wandering around at various times during the night probably because he sleeps so much during the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insydney Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Ridgies get cold! It was 4 degrees here last night and mine literally slept on top of me to keep warm I would suggest you get a crate and bring him inside for the nights instead. Coats or PJ's are a good idea (mine wears a Chilly Dog sweater when the nights start to get really cold), but you dont want to put them on him unsupervised if he is a chewer. If you dont want to bring him in the suggestions already of lining the kennel and putting a flap on the door are good I'm pretty sure you can buy an insulation product that has been specifically designed for lining kennels too. You could also try throwing a heavy blanket over the top. 4 deg bloody hell we have it easy here then, was about 12 last night so i shouldnt worry so much, i'll be sure to tell him that if he whines lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insydney Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 If he's not a destroyer of bedding, I'd line the bottom of the kennel with newspaper (nice and thick) and add something like a Snooza wool futon.I would also coat him at night. lol i may just as well throw it straight in the bin cos thats where it will end up in a few hrs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiesha09 Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 I would bring him inside but if you don't what about trying to get him used to wearing a coat or some doggy Pj's.Hard to rip up what he's wearing. hmm guess thats an option but he's a obstinate little bugga and not sure he'd cooperate, but may be worth a try... i wouldnt dare leave him inside as he is used to depositing enormous specimens around the yard at night that would make any horse proud If you crate trained him he wouldn't be wondering around inside the house. Also if you toilet trained him then it wouldn't be an issue. WOuld be much better for the dog to be inside away from the cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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