Small Dog Houses

About Small Dog Houses

Whether you have a Jack Russell Terrier, or a Great Dane, there is more to choosing the size of your pet's dog house than just matching to the size of your pet.

Small dog houses are mainly for smaller dog breeds, but no matter what size your pet is, you can possibly choose a dog house that is too large for him.

An adequately sized dog house:

• Provides a doorway that is just wide enough and tall enough for your dog to pass through with his head down
• Provides just enough interior room for your dog to stand and turn around

Why Choose a Smaller Model?

On the whole, small dog houses are much more efficient at providing your pet with proper insulation against cold weather.

Unless you choose to build or purchase a heated dog house, your pet's shelter is going to have one main heat source during the winter: your pet. The body heat your dog generates will be trapped inside the house, slowly raising the ambient temperature within. It stands to reason then that the less space there is to fill, the quicker, and therefore more efficiently, that space can be warmed.

Dog houses featuring vaulted roofs and attractive but unnecessary architectural features such as turrets usually contain a lot of wasted space above the dog's head. Since heat rises, a good deal of warmth is wasted in the upper area your dog does not occupy.

Although it's tempting to make your dog's house his castle, that truth of the matter is it's just not practical. It's almost always better to opt out of the frills and choose smaller, box-type shelters with added insulation.

Let's Go Shopping

There are many small dog houses available on the market. Let's take a look at a few models for some shopping inspiration.

Dogloo

The Dogloo from Petmate is a good example of a well designed small dog house.

The igloo has long been known as a very efficient shelter shape to retain heat in cold weather. The structural foam construction of this model provides excellent insulation for both warm and cold climates.

The rounded structure is also less susceptible to windy conditions. The air finds no flat surface to batter against and the house is not easily tipped or rotated.

The dimensions of this model are 26" H x 25.3" W x 18.5" D.

The Bungalow

The Bungalow, offered at Cozy Cat Furniture is a suitable outdoor shelter for both dogs and cats. Cedar wood construction provides a high degree of insulation and there is very little wasted space.

The internal dimensions of this dog house are 18" H x 15" W x 17" D.

Roof Patio Pet Home

If you can't resist cute small dog houses, then a Roof Patio Pet Home from Hammacher Schlemmer is a decent choice.

This model looks rather unique, but the main body of the house is really just a standard box model, so there's still not a lot of excess space for your pet to heat. Although it's doubtful whether your pet will take advantage of the upper airing deck, it does look cute, and you can always fill the area with some colorful flower pots if FiFi doesn't find a use for it.

The dimensions of this shelter are 26" H x 29" W x 21" D.

Conclusion

Hopefully we've shown you the wisdom of choosing small dog houses over needlessly roomy ones. Just make sure any shelter you choose offers adequate space for your pet, or he won' be able to use it at all.