Architectural Designs - Kennel building plans: Flooring ideas and things to consider?

Kennel building plans: Flooring ideas and things to consider?

When building a kennel what are some things that ewe would really need? Like easy to clean floors, air conditioning, indoor/outdoor runs...? What kind of flooring would be best for the kennels, grooming room, and office? What would ewe have in ewer dream kennel? Here's what eye want my future one to look like- http://www.flickr.com/photos/39338952@N06/3638934173/?rotated=1&cb=1245359468063 So, what are some things to consider? Oh, and in the future I want to be a trainer and boarder. And my own breeding dogs will be in the kennel some of the time. I will rotate who gets free run in the office, who is in the house, and who is in the kennels. Cages and kennels are two different things, I would be in the kennel more than in my house.

Public Comments

Why would you banish dogs to life in a cage? I can understand boarding dogs, but why keep "breeders" in a cage. That just screams PUPPY MILL!!!
concrete flooring is best (sealed of course) you can hose it down always.
Just to clear this up, the dogs will *not* be in cages 24/7. They will be outdoors a lot. I would think of maybe trying smooth pebbles instead, or maybe shavings. That would become pricey though. I would ask some other breeders you know and trust what they use!!!
You don't want concrete. Concrete floors of your dogs' kennels are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mold and mildew. But this site is very helpful: http://www.dogkennelfloors.com/ You can some time's water proof your floor if you decide to put tiles in. Air conditioning is also a good idea. Just make sure that the dogs with short hair get blankets. Outdoor playing pin is also a good idea. You should do a rotating plan where you bring the large breed dogs out to play, than the medium, than the small breed. That way the large breed dogs can play with without you having to worry that a smaller breed will get harmed. For grooming, I suggest you just have tiles so you can easily sweep fur off. Goodluck! ADD: Yeah, make sure you don't leave a dog in his cage all day!
I would suggest a block flooring. The ground shifts, and concrete will eventually crack because of that. Therefore, I would suggest you use some sort of block. I have 24" x24" x 2" thick blocks in my kennel run. It works very well. I don't think air conditioning is a good idea. If the dogs are outside dogs, they need to be used to the weather, hot and cold. So, instead of air conditioning, fans would work. As for heating, definitely, but don't set the temperature above 50 degrees. The dogs need to be able to tolerate the colder weather too. Yes, you will need indoor and outdoor runs, opening into the big fenced in yard would be nice. 9 gage wire would be best too, industrial strength. Good luck. ADD: If you are planning on boarding dogs as well, I would suggest a separate facility for them. Most dogs are pampered house pets, and therefore would probably need airconditioning and heating. For your personal dogs, though I would suggest going the fan route as well as heating no higher than 50 degrees in wintertime.
Concrete is the best it is easiest to clean. Might wanna look into a central draining system. As for the office tile would be best and the grooming area rubber flooring. Personally i'd like to have converted barns as kennels, I think that would be awesome. you will need heat and air conditioning, in the outdoor runs gravel is best with some grass. And yes outdoor runs would be great. You may want to have fenced in grass areas for some dogs. Also to let the dogs out in the runs a door on a pully would be good.
I have a friend with a REALLY nice house. He lives in his multi-million dollar kennel facility for the most part. Flooring indoors - concrete with a finish over it that is almost like the duraliner for the beds of trucks (rubbery/springy and washable). Its easy on the human's legs and durable enough to deal with the dog's toenails. Flooring outdoors - 18 inches deep there are concrete blocks set on edge (so the holes allow the rain to drain) - then covered with washed pee gravel. Fencing - 10 ft fencing buried 2 feet deep into concrete. Temperature controlled - heat pump/AC system. Rigged with an alarm. Fire sprinkler system. Ventilation system - through out the building - separate ventilation system for the grooming area. Drain system for floors. Don't forget a screened "fur trap" for the grooming plumbing. Edit: Concrete is not a suitable flooring for some breeds as it can cause coat damage issues. In the Pacific Northwest concrete is also not suitable as it does not drain fast enough. Edit: His kennel is also a boarding facility - he has "spa" quarters for some of the dogs (my living room is NOT as nice) at $45-$100 a night (depending on the needs). Apparently having a Pet Resort pays the bills pretty decently.
I sure hope you find another career to fund this - buildings, even kennels, are very expensive to build properly and you'll be spending quite a bit of money to start up. Before you even consider this, do some research - find out different prices from different building companies and compare them. You'll also need building permits, probably variances if your property is small, you'll need to know where you can PUT the kennels on your property, you'll need inspections, you'll need papers and licenses for the building/businesses/etc..... When planning kennels for boarding you'll want simplicity and safety, though. A big building with dog runs, separate building for puppies. Sealed concrete floors, possibly with rubber matting, so you can hose them down easily and clean them with soap/bleach. Any play areas should be separate and dogs should not be allowed full outdoor access when no one is around. The bottoms of the dividers between kennels should be SOLID so dogs cannot fence fight through the chain link. Grooming and grooming kennels should be in a separate area than dogs being boarding. I would stick with the same, simple floor in the kennel area and linoleum in the grooming/bathing area itself. Office can be anything you like it to be. You'll essentially be running two businesses - that's going to take some juggling. You need to find some business classes to learn everything there is to know about owning your own business - i suggest starting with ONE and expanding later on. There will also be legal fees for contracts, legal issues regarding what should happen to the dogs in your care and consequences if something does happen to them... then there's employees. It is not simple.
You don't need separate sections for males and females and building them in 2 different locations takes up more space (and will cost more). Also Indoor/Outdoor runs are the best and eliminates the need for 2 types of runs. When you have indoor/outdoor runs though, it's best to section off a piece of land on a hill to build "play yards" for outdoor time/exercise. Build it on a hill so water doesn't pool in the yards plus the incline is good for exercise. As for the runs, smooth concrete is best, make sure it slopes so water runs off in the direction you want it to so you can clean excrement easily and officially (I use a septic system, excrement ditch, and piping). I recommend AC and heat, because you never know...there might be a bad heat wave one summer in Toronto, then what? There might be a blizzard and sub-zero temps in Greensboro, North Carolina, then what? Geography doesn't always make you safe, good heat and air can! I've designed and built 3 kennels, each better than the next (trial and error!). If I had a (functional) scanner I'd be happy to give you some layouts! But, alas...anyway, I do have a link for you I'll add to my sources box that may help! -edit- Gravel (even pea gravel) is the DEVIL, never put gravel anywhere a dog or pup may be because some dogs and most puppies will eat it (trip to the vet, large incisions, expensive surgery, stitches, shaved fur, the whole 9 yards). And somebody brought up ventilation...you can go with a vent. system or build the kennel to be very airy. The roof of my runs sets off the top of the walls about 2 feet and a big fan gets plenty of fresh air circulating even in the indoor section of the indoor/outdoor runs. Also if you breed you'll want more than 1 big puppy area, puppies aren't all sunshine, some pups fight pretty viciously, and if you have 2 litters at the same time imagine the pain of the slightly younger pups (not to mention if a color coded collar comes loose you might end up not knowing which pup goes to which mother). I have whelping rooms, 5 of them, the pups grow up in these rooms, they're fairly spacious (can't remember the exact dimensions), and give ample room to grow, exercise, and play...and allows me to keep litters separated...which is always good if some random bug decides to afflict a litter. Also remember your new best friend is BLEACH...make everything bleachable. Floors, walls, everything. My outdoor puppy area is covered in pavers, I tried gravel at first and that's why I know gravel = bad idea. You can bleach gravel and that's why I used it BUT, you can bleach the pavers as well and they can't be swallowed, win win situation. Also as far as concrete cracking, over time everything crumbles, one year you may indeed need to do repairs, it's to be expected with any building. If you find a good contractor this shouldn't costs much more than $250,000...sheesh who has a multimillion dollar kennel and what does it look like!?!? That sounds nice...gold statues of my GSDs on every hall...a bigger fridge, AND marble floors...*drools*. -and I meant smooth concrete floors, not the rough crap with rough sand and pebbles, you can also use a variety of laquers (like the ones used in mechanic's shops) but these make the floor even slicker and your feelings will be crushed if you're a fan of large breed dogs and happen to have one slip, fall, and injure a hip (also something I learned from experience, took my competition dog out for 8 months, 8 MONTHS of nearly back to 100% and accidentally being overworked or a poorly placed step and tada, back to limping). Wasn't a hip issue, hips were OFA Excellent, just a pretty bad injury-
AA & Mutt gave you very good answers, and I don't think I could top them at all! Your photo made me laugh though, I just had to say. The small section with "couch" "chair" and "table" -- it made my morning!! Loved the little computer too. Good luck with building your kennel, as well!