EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

My routine has evolved over the years as to how I do it today...I am always looking for the easieast way to clean up the kennels as well...I also kill a few birds with one stone...I let the dogs out to socialize with me and with each other...To me it is important for the dogs to run and play chase with each other and become best of friends...when dogs become best of buddies they tend to work well together in the woods, and they will do whatever it takes to help each other out when they get caught up on the wrong end of a hog/situation...

The dogs get plenty of exercise when let out of the kennels and then when it is feeding time they follow me to the kennel and I give the command to kennel or come...so they learn the commands without any actual training...

 I do have my dogs on concrete...I went and got me a sharp shooter shovel, dug a trench, and ran a 3/4" pvc line out toward the kennels to a centralized location and then Tee'd off to the idividual kennels to minimize the amount of pvc piping needed as well as minimizing the amount of work...then I installed 2 water faucets to each kennel. One faucet is in the kennel about 2 feet above ground level with an auto waterer (lixsit), which I bought at TSC but they can be ordered online...The other faucet I installed on the outside of the kennel about 3 feet from the ground...I drove a T-post in the ground next to this faucet and installed a water hose storage wheel on the post. Then I bought a high quality 100' water hose and some extra water hose fittings/connections at the hardware store, enough to make 3 hoses out of that one long hose...then I bought a water nozzle for each hose...So each kennel has its own water hose for washing down...

I keep a shovel and hoe close by to clean up the dog waste daily and I wash down daily as well...clean kennels keeps the flies down to a minimum...

Ol Roy dog food produces a lot of waste and it smells a lot like catfish bait...draws flies like magnets... 

I also bought a five gallon can with a lid at home depot...I keep it in a centralized location by the kennels...I also buy a big roll of the "better value" 13 gallon kitchen trash bags at Walmart and use them as a liner in the 5 gallon can... and, I shovel up the dog waste every day and I put it in the 5 gallon bucket...I dispose of it twice a week when the trash truck comes buy...

When I have a litter of pups I can turn them out of the kennel and watch them play and explore...I also stage winding and finding situations for the pups...I also set up trailing exercises for them...they also learn to come and kennel up at feeding time...I also fire a cap pistol and they come running cause it is chow time...these training and staged exercises helps me in determining which pup stays and which ones go...and it is not really training...just exposing and conditioning...just going with the flow...the path of least resistance...


it is the best system I have come up with up to this point...but I am always looking for better and more efficient ways...

To me...dry concrete floors are one of the best ways to minimize the pups and dogs from contracting parasites and disease because it is more sanitary than a wet kennel...jmo

Kennels need to be set up in a way that all areas of the concrete can be exposed to sunlight at some point during the day...and like I just mentioned...the sun naturally sanitizes the kennel as well as it keeps it dry...a dry kennel is healthier for the dogs...also need to make sure that the kennel has a shady spot at all times throughout the day so the dogs can move around and follow the shade as needed...

when building a concrete floor for a kennel...make sure to slope it so that it can drain after washing down...

Mr.Reuben , i keep mine on chains . i think its alot easier on their bodys and them stay toned .. the cement in my dad's kennel is hard on his dogs legs , and the tips of their tail stay bleeding for running back and fouth.. but it does keep their pads on their feet tough ..


i spred a bag of Yeild Gaurd pellets all over the yard once ever 2-3 months .. the dirt holds fleas more then the cement .. i also rack at let 2-3 times a year.. i feed Black Gold and the waste is rock by 2 days , and their chain handles that .. Shade is a big must when useing a chain setup .. you can have all the water you want , no shade in 112 degree heat with 100% humdity will strock'um quick .. i also wet their spots when it gets dusty , this clay packs down and almost looks like pavement .. i also check chain, swivel & snapps pertty offten ..get a lil sloppy to feed walking in the mud some times when it rains, but the dogs stay clean guess they stay inside for the most part .. think i might have had to change 4 or 5 in 6 years .. other then the wetting down , Flea Control & racking .. it's very mainence free for the most part ..
My chain setup
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My father is a firm believer in Ol Roy .. he has more waste but he built his kennel on the bank of a cannal .. he hoses off daily and dont have a problem with fleas , it stays very cool and that cement stays real cool .. he sprayes clorox maybe one a month or right before he has a litter of pups ..
Ole man's kennel
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I feed every mornin. Before I feed I clean out the kennels and let the dogs run and play.

Build em big and you get all in one package. 100 ft X 20's on a slight hill.

No shoveling.  Rain gets it all and pens stay sanitary.
Plenty of room to exercise all day. No need to let them out.
Fleas you can hit em couple times a year with Ortho Tree and Shrub and zero fleas even sand.  
Can put multiple dogs in each pen to pair for hunting if you want.
Hot wire around bottom keeps diggers and climbers in check.
Great for puppies as well.

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I used chains and cables for about a year. Then I found a pretty good deal on some chain link kennels and I still have them. Now I just bought some steel kennels that I will post pics of later. My mountain cur that I had on a cable the week before I took him hunting I put him in a 5x10 chain link kennel  and when I took him hunting he was stove up and couldn't run after a couple of hours. Texashogdogs and Corey Capps can testify to it he rode on Corey's 4 wheeler for probably half of the hunt. Not trying to get off topic or anything.

your only treating a couple times a year for fleas? soon as it started getting warm my started digging holes to lay in and out came fleas, so we had to get Comfortis pills, to heck with fighting it this year

I have some 20 ft chains, some cable runners 30 ftt.  some dirt pens 20 by 40, some kennels 10 by 20 on concrete. All have benefits , I have to clean the concrete daily if have more than one dog. I feed the 24/20 sportmix so clean up is easy, and dogs are conditioned to go in one corner and I can wash down . I have a large perimeter fence around all the dogs and let several dogs out at a time to run and socialize.
Crap goes 5 gallon bucket, it does not usally smell too bad as dung bugs and chickens were it out whats left I burn with diesel when pile gets big.

Flys are bad this year several types of flys biting flies. on my equines, calves and dogs, gnats too.
Keeping a dog clean enviroment, ESPECIALLY FRESH WATER and FRESH FEED are important for its health. You see dogs rol in nastyu crap, eat gross dead carcass, but you never see a dog sleep in its own mess it is has an oppertunity to makea choice to do otherwise.

I need to build me a perimeter fence around my kennels so i can let them out to run. If i let them out right now while I'm cleaning they will haul tail and i'll have to go run them down either in the neighbors trash or somewhere down the road.

that perimeter fence is super nice...lots of good training made easy during cleaning and feeding time...but we have to be smarter than the dogs and pups...  ??? ;D :)

quick story... but first...when I first had the cedar fence built around the kennels...I requested the south end to be  6 ft. chainlink so the dogs would catch a breeze...I did this because I don't have backyard neighbors... otherwise it would have been cedar...

once I had the perimeter fence I would feed the dogs and pups as usual and then turn them out and then clean the pens...well when it was time to put the dogs up they ran from me and I had to chase them down..this opens a big can of worms...the dogs learn that they can outrun you and then when I gave chase and caught them they became leary of me...just an incredible chain of events...but all negative...  ;D

Then my light bulb turns on...let the dogs out and let them work/play off that edge... pet and socialize pups and dogs...when it is time to put them up they are very hungry...so I walk out there with the bowls of food and they come running...so as they are running to me I whistle, maybe give a hand signal and as they run in to the kennel I said kennel up...man that was easy... ;D :)
 From then on the dogs were happy and I was happy...just killin lots of birds with one stone...you youngsters don't need to go thru all that...anyone at one time or another...on this ethd board can trigger your switch and get you to thinking... :)

so that is how I came up with my signature...

Yep Krystal the Ortho tree and shrub contains a heavier concentration of the active incecticide than the Bayer brand. Cant pronouce it. But used it last year only three times and it zipped em all out completely. 

Good stuff.

I keep all mine in 10x20 kennels with dirt floor with the exception of a couple in the backyard. I was shoveling poop everyday. I just recently had 3 acres of my place fenced in and now I let them all out every evening to run about for a few hours. I think they all hold there poop til I let em out now. Makes it nice for me and they get plenty of exercise.

I use that one too but I have noticed that TSC carries the same product for 1/2 price but with a generic brand... 1.47% instead of the  0.747%...

I'm with you on the chains JUG! I keep most of them on 15-20' chains, and they all have more muscles than most dogs I see. I'd like to think that helps them out in the long run... Plus we have custom swivels that DONT teather up thanks to my hunting buddy. I spray the yard down one every other month, and hit the dogs with bayer or something similar once every three and we're good. Other than that, just consistantly working them on the weekends and feeding them on a regular basis works for me and seems to keep them pretty happy...  ;D

I use all types of ways to keep my dogs. Large pens, small pens, chains, running loose, and inside the house.
My schedule is 2 hours cleaning, watering, and I feed all of the dogs that are not beeing worked in the morning. Work with and excersize the dogs for the next few hours and then go hunting with the dogs in the evening. Get back and feed the dogs that havent eaten yet. Many more things going on but that is close to it. I have on property 54 dogs and it is a full time job that never stops.

I let the dogs out every evening to run and play and exercise. We live on an island so they can run in the woods and I don't have to worry about them wandering off. We built the kennels next to a 10 acre pond so I just wash the pens in the pond. I formed concrete slab with a
3 1/2 inch pitch so it dries in minutes of washing them down. It takes me about 5 minutes to wash 3 slabs down and feed and water .
It use to take 20 minutes to wash slabs when I was feeding Diamond. Dogs looked great on it but it was a bittch to wash down the slabs.
Switched feed and now it only takes about 5 minutes to wash all kennels spotless.
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I have a series of Behlen 5x10 kennels. On the rear roof I laid the extra panels I had left over on the roof. Then zip tied shade cloth from lowes on there. To top it off I got a battery powered sprinkler valve on the hose faucet. It's been pretty mild so far but when the heat gets cranked up I set it to run for about 20 mins every 2 hours between 10 am and 7 pm. On the floor is the horse trailer mats from tractor supply. I feed extreme dog fuel so the waste is rock hard the same day. Except after a good worming LOL. My secondary containment is my back yard fence. That's where they sniff each other while I scoop poop. Best thing I've got is my feeding system. May can post a pic tomorrow but you don't have to enter the kennel to feed which gives me peace of mind when I'm gone for work and someone else is feeding my dogs.

I've only got two female pups right now, both about 1 yr old. I live on a 1 acre fenced in  lot in a citified neighborhood, and I keep them both in a 16x20ft pen for the most part. My yard is completely fenced in, but only with 4 ft chainlink. Didnt take one of my dogs too long to figure that out, so now I have hot wire around the top and bottom of my chainlink. Now neither of them will come within about 5 ft of the fence.First thing I do when I wake up in the morning is let them out to run for a bit while I shower and get ready for work. When I head back out in the yard with the feed cups, they run back to the pen, where they stay all day. When I get home from work around 6pm, I let them out, and usually put them back up around 9 pm. I rarely have to clean up poo in the pen as I think they have learned to wait until they get turned out to go.  I am in the process of gathering materials to build 3 20x20 pens, with Tposts and field fence becuase I plan on adding another dog, and 3 is all we are supposed to have within city limits.   If I lived out in the sticks all my dogs would be on chains. But with having neighbors close by, I dont want anyone bitchin about me keepin my dogs chained up all day.  I also take my 2 pups to my inlaws house which is out in the sticks to run them two or three times a week if I am not hunting. I'll hop on the 4 wheeler and usually run them 4-6 miles on the backroads at a time to try and keep them legged up.

I am about to build new kennels. Do y'all agree that dogs on concrete have joint/endurance issues? Or is that simply an opinion? Thanks for any feedback that you all may have.

Mine are in 5x10 kennels. I let them out to run and play etc. While I scoop out the poop. I feed extreme dog fuel so it usually hardened up. Instead of concrete I got the horse trailer mats from tractor supply and built the kennels over that. I think it was cheaper than concrete. It doesn't toughen up the foot pads like concrete and I also have to trim nails sometimes but it works for me for now. Also installed a mister system on a timer.

Concrete hasn't been a problem for my dogs...been using it for a long time now...the pros are many...

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I have a combo. I have 4 6x10 pens on concrete with block between them so they cant see each other unless they are in the boxes looking out or on  their hind legs, cuts down on fighting and barking when i have females in heat and Puppies with a nursing mother so she does not get stressed. The boxes built on the back so they have the whole area . The entire kennel under roof with my feed in a drum at the end. I bleach the kennels once a week and clean the water buckets a couple times a week. Concrete is easy to keep sterilized and zero flea problems and cool in  the summer when shaded. I feed in the evenings when it cools down and hose out everyday, that is a Must. I also spread lime once a month behind kennels. I have 3 dogs on axels with 12 ft chains. They can get 360 degrees and not get tangled and stay muscled up and in good shape. All have dog houses are under trees with shade. Doing flea pills this year for the first time ever due to the dry year and the problems. I like to alternate dogs from the chains to the kennels. helps keeping them is shape and their nails nice and short. Ivermectin every month on the first day, 7-way booster shots every Jan with rabies shots.. Feed Diamond Hi-Energy and Raw chicken and Jack Mackeral depending on whats going on.

MAGNUM, DO YOU CUT THE BLEACH OR USE FULL STRENGTH HOW LONG DO YOU LET IT SIT? AND DO YOU TURN DOGS BACK ON RIGHT AFTER RINSE?

JUG, do u ever get mounds from the chains? thats what i've always had a problem with, and next thing i know the yard looks like abunch of pitcher mounds

I usually pour about a quarter of a 5 gallon bucket with bleach and fill the bucket with water to the top and after it sits a minute i pour that bucket in the pen floor and while i scrub the buckets  out i let it sit and then rinse them out. My dogs will stay in their boxes while i have a hose on but as long as you can rinse their feet shortly after they will be fine. So yes  they are on it right after i rinse them. Another thing i do is pour about 1/4 of a cap full of Bleach in the 5 gallon water buckets. Have done it forever , was told by a oldtimer about it and it made sence since city water has clorine in it. Helps keep them clean and in the summer makes it harder for the mosquito larvea to develop in the water. 

THANK  YOU

I use to wash my kennels with bleach, BUT I don’t no more--- I fnd out that bleach and the ammonia in the urine react and eat up metal like it was candy ---so now--- I use a product called OdoBan it’s pretty cheap to at $9 a gallon I get it at homedepot, I think it makes something like 32 gallons, I bought a sprayer (kind one would use for bugs) spray it and leave it, I dont rinse at all, smells pretty nice too it comes in a few different sents, I find that the eucalyputs is teh best one by far.

If you read the label it has a 99% kill rate on parvovirus to add to the benefits list.

http://www.odoban.com/ (http://www.odoban.com/)

Yeah, was about to give a heads up for those of you that want to use uncut bleach to clean with... When it mixes with the pee it will make you not see right or smell right for week or so... I burned my sinuses cleaning out a garage after I had a dog in it after a surgery. That was some pain that I've never felt before... See below...

Likely Chemical Reactions from Mixing Bleach and Ammonia
The bleach decomposes to form hydrochloric acid, which reacts with ammonia to form toxic chloramine fumes:
First the hydrochloric acid is formed:

NaOCl → NaOH + HOCl

HOCl → HCl + O

And then the ammonia and chlorine gas react to form chloramine, which is released as a vapor:

NaOCl + 2HCl → Cl2 + NaCl + H2O

2NH3 + Cl2 → 2NH2Cl

If ammonia is present in excess (which it may or may not be, depending on your mixture), toxic and potentially explosive liquid hydrazine may be formed. While impure hydrazine tends not to explode, it's still toxic, plus it can boil and spray hot toxic liquid.

2NH3 + NaOCl → N2H4 + NaCl + H2O


So in other words... REALLY NOT GOOD AT ALL!  8)

I also use H2O2 (1oz hydrogen peroxide per 3 gallons of water) on my water buckets to keep them bug and green free.

I just spent a boat load of money on my new kennels and want bleach no where near them  ;D ;D ;D.