Make Your Dog Pen A Happy Place

You would be amazed at how many dog owners describe their dog pen as a gravel or paved enclosure with a chain link fence. I would describe that as a prison not a play area. If your dog spends any time outside in a play area, you want to make his stay there pleasant. The pen I described above can only lead to boredom. And boredom leads to things like chewing, digging, nuisance barking, loss of appetite and stool eating. So let's make our dog pen into a dog play pen.

The first thing you want to do if possible is screen the area away from busy streets and passersby. You can use standard green slats that fit between the chain link, or even shrubbery. While it won't eliminate the problem, it will reduce views that disturb your pet and encourage barking and fence running. Inside the pen, a ditch or row of stones or even flowers can help keep the dog in the center of the pen.

Gravel is good for footing, but grass and cement can also be OK at times. Cement tends to lead to paw sores and cuts on the pads, so if your pet will spend a lot of time in his dog pen, avoid this. Grass on the otherhand is pleasing and comfortable for the dog, but it will wear out. It will require a lot of upkeep on your part. Perhaps best is a grass pen with gravel along the sides of the fencing. the gravel will prevent the grass from being destroyed.

If you leave your dog alone on a daily basis, each day introduce a different item into his dog pen. Always keep his favorites out there, but rotate the others for variety. Also rotate food and water in different locations of the dog play pen. If you prune your trees, put the limbs in there for the dog to play with. A large cardboard box is also fun for your pet. I know the tree limbs and box will be shredded meaning clean-up for you. But it's worth it to your pet.

You can toss a few fresh fruits and vegetables in there occasionally for vitamin rich toys. Bones are great too, but there's a few guidelines there. First they should be large marrow bones. They must be large, solid, and definately uncooked. A dog left alone with a small bone can reduce it in size fast, and then it's dangerous. You risk the bone lodging in his throat or mouth.

Your dog house does not have to be elaborate, but it does need to provide protection from the elements. In the hot summer months, it's a good idea to repaint dark houses white to reflect sunlight and heat. Your pet should also have some other options for shade besides the house. Trees obviously are best, but a planter of bushes is also good. Just be sure to prune the lower branches and wrap the trunks in tree tape to keep your dog from destroying them.

One final possibility is providing your dog with the ultimate play thing - another dog. Many owners of chronic diggers, barkers, chewers, and house wreckers find that adding another pet reduces this bad behavior. Of couse this opens up a lot of new work for you. You need to be sure that the new dog does not mimic the bad behavior of the one you already have. And that means more training from you. But for dogs who stay long periods of time in their dog pen, a companion often changes frustration and boredom into fun and play.

All you're really looking to do is make your pet's time in the dog pen a pleasurable time. And that means making it not just a pen, but a perfect dog play pen. One he'll enjoy going to.

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