A crate is a great place for your dog to escape and feel safe. It’s also important that he’s comfortable while he’s in there, especially during the cold winters and hot summers. Insulating your dog’s crate will allow him to sleep well and can also be handy if you travel with your dog a lot. Here are some tips on how to insulate your dog’s crate for every season throughout the year.
Insulated Dog Crate Covers
Keeping your dog warm and safe when the temperature drops are easy with an insulated crate cover. This is particularly true when a dog is wet from a quick dip in a pond. Having a covered crate will also keep your pup safe when you are traveling or giving your dog a comfortable spot to stay when a company is over.
An insulated crate will also help to protect your dog from his own primal instincts, which can be handy when you are traveling, and he is unsure of strangers. Plus, you can keep your dog warm and comfortable when it’s freezing outside.
Insulating a Wire Dog Crate
Helping your pup to retain his body heat, an insulated crate will keep the cold out. Creating a well-insulated dog house that is packed with clean and dry bedding, is important for a dog that needs to spend any amount of time outside. This type of shelter is particularly important for a weaker or older dog as well as a puppy.
When insulating a wire dog crate, you will need the following insulation materials:
Reinforced Foam
One way you can insulate a dog kennel is by installing rigid foam insulation. With this type of insulation, you get sheets that you will need to cut to fit the area. This type of insulation gives you structural support as well as thermal resistance. Once installed, you can then cover the foam sheets with plywood or paneling to keep them protected from your pup’s curiosity.
Dog Carpets
Another item that you can hang in a dog’s crate is carpet remnants. Hung inside the walls of a dog crate, this is actually the most inexpensive way to insulate a dog’s crate as well as keep him warm in cold weather. To make this type of insulation work, you will need a sturdy and strong doghouse with a frame. Then, install cup hooks on the tops of the frame and catch the carpet over the hooks so that it lines the walls and hangs down. Particularly helpful in a dry climate where cold can be a major factor, but you don’t have to worry as much about moisture rotting the carpet.
Tyvek or Typar
You can also wrap your doghouse with a commercial woven synthetic material like Typar or Tyvek. This type of material can block the moisture as well as keep the air warm in your dog’s crate. Make sure to be mindful of the water or rain dripping behind these wraps since trapped moisture is capable of causing the wood to rot.
Insulate the Ceiling
It’s also important to insulate the ceiling of your dog crate to keep out summer heat and winter cold. If you have just a little bit of space, use bubble, foil, or plastic insulation.
Choose an Insulated Dog Crate Cover
An insulated dog cover is particularly helpful when your dog’s crate is outside for use as an outdoor kennel or when you are traveling. It can also be helpful to wind and waterproof an insulated dog kennel with a tightly closed cover. Just make sure you also provide good ventilation to ensure your dog doesn’t suffocate.
Insulating a Plastic Dog Crate
Fiberglass Insulation
Easy to install and inexpensive, fiberglass insulation is a good option for a dog’s crate. It’s that pink stuff that you see in the attic, so you know that it will make a dog’s crate nice and cozy.
It’s an easy material to work with since you can cut it with a good pair of scissors and not a table saw in order to cut it. Just remember that as you work with it, fiberglass insulation can irritate your skin as well as your lungs if the fibers become airborne, so make sure you take the proper precautions as you work with the material.
Reflective Foil
You can choose from a few different types of reflective films that will be able to reflect the body heat from your dog right back at him. Easy to install and affordable, reflective insulation products are a great option for dog crates since they are so effective.
Polystyrene Foam
Also known as Styrofoam, polystyrene foam is probably the most obvious material when you are considering insulating a plastic dog crate. Polystyrene foam has been used in several different insulation products from the drink cooler to coffee cups since it’s super cheap and easy to use.
Just keep in mind that Styrofoam isn’t very durable and won’t last a long time inside a dog crate if it’s left exposed where a dog can chew on it and scratch it. If you do use it in a dog crate, make sure to cut out several panels of foam that will match the size of the floor, walls, and ceiling of the crate. Glue, tape, or staple the panels into their place and cover them with pieces of durable plastic or wood that are similar-sized.
Insulated dog crate covers
An insulation dog crate cover will also work well to ensure that your dog stays nice and warm in his crate. They are a good choice for either plastic or wired dog crates.
Making Your Dog’s Crate Warm For the Winter
Things You Will Need
- Wooden pallet
- Waterproof silicone caulk
- Utility knife
- Bathtub mat
- Nails
- Hammer
- Nails
- Cedar or hay bedding
An outdoor dog will depend on its owner to protect him from the snow, cold, and wind. The body heat from a dog is what typically warms a dog’s crate, so it’s important to consider the size and ability of the crate to retain that warmth. An insulated dog crate shouldn’t be more than three times the dog’s size, which is enough room to turn around and stand up.
A dog crate should be able to last for a few years, but exposure to the sun and rain can take a toll. It’s possible that a dog’s crate can be insulated with common and inexpensive materials using the following steps:
Step #1
Look over the dog crate carefully for any crevices or cracks in the roof, walls, and floors. If you do find any, make sure to seal them up to prevent any possible heat leaks.
Step #2
Measure horizontally across the opening of the dog on the dog crate and note the width and height. Next, mark these measurements on a rubber bathmat and then cut along the lines using a utility knife. Then, nail the bathmat onto the outside of the crate’s door with a nail on each side as well as a nail every four inches in between. A dog will easily adapt to this type of doggie door covering, and it will keep your pup warm inside while keeping the cold out.
Step #3
Next, you will want to use cedar chips or straws to fill in the floor of the crate with these materials, you will be able to insulate the crate’s floor and be able to reflect your dog’s body heat to keep him warmer. And, if there is plenty of cedar chips or straw in the crate, your dog will be able to make a nice warm nest to sleep in.
Step #4
Under the crate, you should place a wood pallet on an area that is level. Under a garage or porch are always good areas, and the size of the pallet you will need all depends on the size of the crate. Look for a pallet that is about the same size or even larger than the crate so it will be able to sit on the wood pallet and stay level.
Turn the door of the crate to face your home or another building. Make sure you place it 1/1/2 times your dog’s length from the wall to allow him enough room to get in and out of his crate while adding the protection of a wind block.
Keep in mind that if it is very cold and you notice him shivering, take him inside. It’s a sign that he is far too cold, and it may even be the beginning of hypothermia, which happens when your body temperature becomes too low and you cannot be able to get warm on your own. If you have a hypothermic dog, he will need the attention of your vet.
Tips on Winterizing a Dog Crate
- Remember that some dogs do not like pushing open a door flap to get in and out of the crate. If you have a dog that doesn’t like this method of insulation, you will need to train your dog to use it. First, hold open the door flap and gently call your dog inside the crate before calling him back out of it. Make sure to give him a few pets and a treat for his good behavior. Continue the training by lowering the flap partially and then finally all the way down.
- After your pup has played in the snow or rain, make sure to use a towel to wipe him off before he goes inside his crate to ensure that his bedding stays dry. Make sure to check his bedding every couple of days to ensure that the bedding stays thick and dry. Remember that the cedar chips and straw can get kicked out by your dog and will also compress over time, so you will need to either add more or change it out periodically.
- If the crate has vents on its top, make sure to close them during the winter so that your dog’s body heat will stay inside the crate.
- If you are looking for a pallet, remember that some businesses just give them away. Contact your local grocery or home-improvement store will look to see if they have any available wooden pallets you can have.
FAQs
Are you supposed to put a blanket over my dog’s crate?
Absolutely cover the crate using a blanket if you have an anxious dog, he seems very cold, has trouble sleeping, or is sensitive to noise.
How do you winterize a dog crate?
Check the crate for cracks that can create any heat leaks. Next, measure the doorway and cut out the measurements that you have taken from a rubber bathmat. Staple this rubber bathmat over the doorway to provide an insulated doorway that your dog can easily access.
Next, create about six inches of cedar chip or straw bedding so that your dog can create a warm and comfortable bed. Make sure that the crate sits on a pallet that is placed on a level area.
How can I keep my dogs kennel warm?
There are several ways to keep your dog’s kennel warm. First, give him enough bedding, especially if there is more than one sharing the kennel space. Beds that are closed-in are a lot warmer than an open-style bed. Make sure to provide enough blankets or even shredded paper, that will keep your pup warm and not hide rodents and pests like a straw will.
Towel off your dog if he is wet and muddy to ensure that his bed stays warm and dry. Also, make sure to check your dog’s paws to remove any ice balls that may have built up between his toes. And always make sure to keep your dog hydrated and fed well with clean and unfrozen water. You can also find heated bowls to keep your pup’s food warm and remember to feed him a little more food in the wintertime to help him keep up his metabolism in the cold.
