Is Your Outside Dog House Engaging Enough For Your Pet?

The funny thing about outdoor dog house selection is that it tends to focus primarily on safety. While this is absolutely necessary, you also have to look at the big picture. You can’t just look at the durability and safety of the dog house because ultimately, you’re not going to be living there. Your pet will be living there and you have to look at the selection process from your pet’s perspective.

It’s too easy to assume that factors that are most important to you would also be important for your pet. This is too much of an assumption to make because unless you’re Dr. DoLittle, you can’t interview your pet. You can not just ask your dog questions and you would get the answer you need to make the right choice. A little bit of empathy can go a long way and ensure that your outside dog house selection, makes the best sense for your pet.

One often overlooked factor in the selection of this type of outdoor pet furnishing is engagement level. You see, your dog doesn’t like to get bored. This should not be ear-shattering news because I’m sure you don’t like to get bored as well. You want some variety in your immediate surroundings. You want your surroundings to be scalable and variable enough to prevent you from going crazy.

The same applies to your pet. It has to be engaging enough so your pet can have a truly meaningful and enjoyable life. Sadly, engagement levels are often left out of the equation when it comes to picking out an outside dog house. This is true but it’s no surprise that a lot of pet owners switch from one dog house model to another in the course of their pet’s life-span.

This is not due to the fact that the housing unit fell apart. This has nothing to do with durability. Indeed, it has everything to do with engagement levels. To avoid those unnecessary issues and ensure that you get every dollars worth from your choice of housing for your pet, pay attention to these factors.

Wood Might Not Be All That Hot

A lot of pet owners think that just because they’re putting the housing unit out there then wood would be a great choice. I can see where they are coming from. Wood, after all, is natural. If you’re going to be putting your pet in the great outdoors, then it would seem to logically follow that a housing unit made out of a natural material would be appropriate.

Unfortunately, this is not a slam dunk. Depending on the kind of wood outside dog house you buy, this might even create all sorts of safety hazards for your pet. Keep in mind that wood often has depressions on its surface. These depressions are not harmless if you are unlucky enough to buy a wooden unit with the wrong surface. This might also absorb liquid which can create mildew and fungal issues for your dog.

At the very least, all sorts of fur and debris can pile up and this can invite insects like fleas, and ticks. I hope you don’t need me to remind you that fleas and ticks are bad news. Wood, as appealing as it may be on an intellectual level, may not be all that hot, as far as material choice goes for your pet’s housing.

With that said, bear in mind that there are dog house models that are not only light and portable, but also easy to pull apart and they have non-absorbent surfaces. This is exactly the type of wood dog house you should consider. Don’t consider any other type of wood houses.

Why? These different features ensure that your wooden dog house is not only engaging and has all the accoutrements of the great outdoors, it is also safe for your pet. Best of all, it won’t stress you out because it’s very easy to move around and clean. Keep these factors in mind, after all, you have to consider the amount of work you need to put in along with the engagement level of your pet.

Don’t Underestimate Plastic

Plastic is usually a good choice when it comes to outside dog house models. There are all sorts of plastic units on the market. There’s quite a range of diverse designs. These all combine to provide you a great range of choices. You need as much choices you can get because each dog is different. Your dog might be of a certain breed, but it definitely has its own personality.

Particular dog breeds have certain temperaments, but his doesn’t prevent dogs from developing their distinct personality. With everything else being equal, it’s always a good idea to pick a plastic model that most closely caters to the specific personality of your furry friend.

This is not always a slam dunk, but if you can find the right combination of modularity, portability and light weight construction, you should go for it. Portability is important because one way to constantly keep your pet engaged is to move its housing unit from one corner of your backyard to another.