Dog kennel flooring

[Skeeter41]

I just bought an 8'X12' barn set up with 4 insulated dog boxes on the inside. I will be putting two 10X10 chain link kennels together to make their runs. This will make the outside runs each 6'X10' and the two inside runs will be 4'X10'.

My question is. The ground that I am putting this set up is sloped pretty hard. hard enough that to make it level I would have to hire an excavator to bring in a bulldozer to level the ground to make it able to pour concrete. I would also have to cut trees and get a road built for the concrete truck to come. This will be way too costly and something I don't want to do in case I ever move. I decided instead to build a deck for the kennels to sit on top. I am going to make the deck approximately 12'x22'. The back of the deck will be against the barn and will be level on the ground, but the front of the deck will be approximately 3 feet off the ground.

Any suggestions on what I should use for the deck flooring? I was just going to build it out of treated decking boards. Any pros or cons of doing this??

I can't put wire down for the whole thing, because I would never be able to reach to the back of it to clean out from under the deck. I thought about making the first two feet of the deck with wire and the rest decking boards, but will the dogs be smart enough to go out to the wire?? Thanks

[BriarCreekBeagles]

Whenever I build kennels I always put a plywood deck at least two feet by three feet for them to lay out on and 1'' by 2'' galvanized wire for the rest and most always they go over the wire to do there business. I usually build my kennels above ground and they are 3' by 5' but I am in the process of building a kennel that is 8' by 8' with a fold up divider so I can have two kennels 4' by 8' in my barn where I used to keep horses, Converting it over to a kennel. Horses eat more than beagles

[Panther Creek]

I will be using treated lumber on mine, I will put decking where the house is & where i feed. The rest of it will be treated ballisters where they poop. Joeyman did this on his. (See kennel section.) My beagles got to where they won't go in the kennel unless they have to, & then they go in one area. (of course, I turn them out most every nite, if I can.

[S.R.Patch]

Kennels are best if they have a S.E. direction. I use the rain runoff from the roof to help wash kennels, if there's no hardpack under the kennel floor, it best to have a roof over the runs to keep the dropping dry and clean up easier. Direct water away from where you'll be walking and accessing kennels, nothing worst than tromping around in a mud hole...if you set-up the kennel in a way the the slope of the roof and lay of the land takes the water away, you'll save yourself alot of grief and mess...

[GCKYBEAGLER]

I just have a 6'x8' kennel but i have my kennel flooring made out of treated lumber (7'x9'). I absolutely love it cause it is easy for clean up (just take the water hose to it) and it keeps the dogs from trying to dig. The dogs seem to like too. I believe it is the next best thing to a concrete floor.

[SwampBuck]

I just have a 6'x8' kennel but i have my kennel flooring made out of treated lumber (7'x9'). I absolutely love it cause it is easy for clean up (just take the water hose to it) and it keeps the dogs from trying to dig. The dogs seem to like too. I believe it is the next best thing to a concrete floor.

I was told to keep treated lumber totally clear of the dogs, anyone else?

[Panther Creek]

they have quit using arsnic in treated lumber in the 2x stuff but the "for ground contact" posts are still CCA- I guess there were some people that had health problems when they were around it. I've heard alot of guys say they had no problems with their dogs being around it. I would worry about it though if you had dogs that did alot of chewing on it.
Hey, Skeeter, I bet your dogs will figuire out that if they poop on the wire, the poop will disappear. & they would rather poop out there than where they spend alot of their time. Right now, I have each of my dogs in a 5x10 kennel on a concrete pad, & they will wait for me to let em out before they poop (in my yard or on my wife's flowers) or they will go in one area of the kennel. So I'm pretty confident that they won't go on the decking in my new above ground. (Now that I said that, they'll prove me wrong!)

[billy]

I like the artificial deck boards. they are a litle pricey though

[crittergitter]

used 2x6's in mine sprayed on a couple of good coats of thompsons water seal , just hose it out , i love it , dogs love it , no digging , no mud and very few fleas or flies

[Panther Creek]

Yeah, I looked at those TREX boards. Around here they are about 4 times higher than treated, & twice as high as cedar. I'm too poor for that. Bet they would work good though.

[Skeeter41]

Crittergitter, did you just use regular boards and then sealed them with Thompsons or did you use treated boards with thompsons?

Instead of taking the chance with treated I am thinking about using regular boards with water sealer. Any opinions on this? How much more life will I get out of treated boards vs sealed boards?

[crittergitter]

Skeeter , yeppers , just regular old 2x6's, only took a little over a quart to do , and put it on heavy with a chemical sprayer, 2 coats, even if i do that twice a year still saves a bunch on cost, 10 bucks a gallon, been about 6 months now and water and urine still dont soak in

[wildcatfan0309]

I USED UNTREATED PLYWOOD AND CUT IT IN 1 1/4 INCH STIRPS AND PUT THEM A 1 1/4 INCH APART
WORKS GREAT
COULD DO ANY BETTER IN MY OPINON
MY RUNS ARE 3 X 4 BUT ALL TOGEATHER IN THE WHOLE KENNEL IT WAS LIKE 15 TO 16 FEET WIDE BY 4 FEET AND DONE IT ALL WITH ONE 4 X 8 SHEET OF PLY WOOD
NO MESS IN THE KEENEL AND NO SORE FEET

[Panther Creek]

I bet untreated lumber WOULD work just fine. Sooner or later you have to replace a board or 2 anyway. When I was a kid we used to "paint" the wooden floor in a pickup we had with linseed oil. We didn't have treated lumber or water sealer back then. I don't know if I would try that on a dog kennel floor though.

[Nor' Easter]

If the ground is hard and slowped good, why don't you keep them on the ground itself ? That's what I do and I like it. With hard ground you have easy clean up and the slope insure that water will not puddle up. I don't like dogs on wire, it's too un-natural. I know alot of guys do it, but I like them on the ground itself and have had no problems with it.