Does Your Dog Need A Dog House?

For someone who loves their dog, buying a dog house can often make you feel like a cold-hearted failure.

Like you’re betraying your vow to love, honor and obey your puppy (or was that your husband?) and banish your dog into the wild of your backyard.

Or even worse — out of your bed and into a plastic crate. The horror! You love your dog. He should live with you. Your bed is his bed, right?

Yeah. It may be time to get a grip and get over that Catholic-sized sense of guilt you’re holding onto. Come with us into the light, we promise it’ll be okay.

Dog houses get a bad wrap (I blame this on men, who always seem to find themselves in them). But the truth is, dog houses serve a lot of great purposes, both for you and your dog. And hell, in 2008, dog house living doesn’t really look so bad. Get me a margarita and shut the door!

If you’re on the fence as to whether or not a dog house is for you, consult the list below and consider if maybe a dog house isn’t the key to a life of contentment for you and your best friend. You may be surprised to hear about all the great things dog houses can offer!

A Home To Call His Own

If the thought of forcing a dog house upon your dog gives you a sense of guilt, then you’re looking at it the wrong way. By investing in a dog house, you’re giving him his own corner of the world to call home. Whether you’re looking at an indoor dog house or an outdoor house, your dog will come to love his mini digs. You can set it up with his favorite treats, toys, water, food, and a blanket to provide the ultimate crash pad for your pup. You’re not banishing him anywhere, you’re giving him a place where he can feel safe and relaxed. Are you banishing your child when you set him up in his own room? Well, maybe, but your child deserves it. Everyone knows children are evil. (Kidding, parents!)

And when your dog has a space to call his very own, it gives you back your space. Space like your bed.

Owners have been fighting with their pets for bed space every since Noah loaded up the arc with two of a kind and offset the balance. Since then we’ve been stuck in a losing battle for bed space, trying to convince ourselves that we like sleeping diagonally, or that we prefer to sleep scrunched up in the right hand corner of the bed (”it’s good for my neck!”). Dog houses allow us to reclaim our dignity and get a full night’s rest.

And if your spouse is the type to get a little too jealous of your late-night puppy spooning, it may also save your marriage.

Security & Protection

Dogs love to be outside. There’s dirt to roll around in, squirrels to chase, sticks to eat and the wind to bark at. However, being outside without any refuge can leave a puppy scared and uncomfortable.

When outside, your dog gets to run, jump, and play, but he’s also left to encounter some unpleasantries. This includes people who may startle your dog, other dogs or animals that will try to intimidate him, or loud noises that will scare or upset him. By giving your dog a dog house, you give him the perfect place to retreat to instantly make himself feel safe and loved and protected. Dogs who were welped by their mother will especially take to dog houses for comfort. For them, it reminds them of those early months that they spent nestled with their mothers.

A dog house can also be used to protect your dog from the elements like excessive heat, sun, rain, wind, snow and whatever else Mother Nature feels inclined to throw at him. In these situations, giving your dog a dog house simply keeps your pup safe and ensures that he’s well taken care of. Who wouldn’t want that?

If your dog is going to be outside for extended periods of time, a dog house also gives you a safe place to leave food and water without fear that it will be tainted by the elements or neighborhood animals (or those evil children again!).

Training Issues

If you’re having trouble training your puppy or helping an older dog stay independent, then a dog house may be just what you need to get everyone back on track. For example, if your adult dog is having accidents in the house, you can use a dog house to help ‘reset’ this problem by confining him into a smaller space. A dog house is also a good way to save your carpets, your couch legs and your favorite shoes.

Use caution when you start using your dog house as a training facility. Your dog will never take to his dog house if you allow him to associate it with punishment or getting in trouble. Do your best to surround the dog house with lots of positive signals and experiences. This may mean feeding your dog in the dog house, filling it with his favorite toys or surrounding it with familiar smells and sounds. The more “like home” you make your dog house feel to your pooch, the more open he’ll be to using it, and the happier everyone will be.

Once you get over your initial guilt of leaving your dog in a dog house, you’ll come to find that you’re doing it for your dog, not to him. Dog houses give your dog a place to hide when necessary or to play by himself when humans just aren’t cutting it. So to answer our initial question, yes, we think your dog does need a dog house in order to grow up into a happy and healthy pup. In fact, we think you need one too!

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