How to Build a 4-Run Free Standing Dog Kennel

If you're the owner of a bustling kennel and are seeking to accommodate more dogs, a 4-run free-standing kennel may be your ideal choice. With four separate dog-runs derived from one simple layout, a 4-run kennel is an efficient way to comfortably house multiple dogs. Better yet, a 4-run kennel's simplicity promises a straightforward and inexpensive setup that can be undertaken by kennel owners who have no prior construction experience.

Things You'll Need

  • 8 30-lb bags concrete mix
  • 16 50-lb bags sand
  • Shovel
  • Wheel barrow
  • Broom
  • 14-18 units chain link fence
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Instructions

    • 1

      Dig out a space at least 5 inches deep, 20 feet wide and 10 feet long with a shovel. Make sure your space is flat with good drainage. Ideally, it should be as close as possible to the indoor component of your kennel. Spread a 1-inch depth of sand across the entirety of the excavated space.

    • 2

      Dig holes for the chain link fences that will divide the kennel runs. There should be a total of 15 holes, and each hole should be between 4 and 6 inches in diameter. Along the perimeter of one of the 20-ft lengths of your dug-out area, dig one hole every 5 feet, beginning in one corner and finishing in the other. Repeat this for the opposite length of the space's perimeter. Then, down the middle of the dug out space, dig one hole every 5 feet as well. The net result should be five rows of three holes, spread out every 5 feet across the entirety of the dug-out space.

    • 3

      Place the posts of chain link fence units into the holes. Each unit of fence should be 5 feet long, with one post on either end. If your kennel run is not connected to the indoor component of your kennel, you should enclose the entirety of the space's perimeter with chain-link fence. If your run is built up against your indoor kennel, both 10-foot lengths should be fenced in, as well as one 20-foot length. The other 20-foot length will be enclosed by the wall of your indoor kennel. The interior of your 20-by-10-foot space should be subdivided into four runs. Place walls of chain link fence, perpendicular to the 20-foot lengths, every 5 feet. A total of three walls will be needed to create four runs. Each wall will require two 5-foot-long units of fence.

    • 4

      Place two bricks around each of the fence posts to hold them in place.

    • 5

      Mix 1 part concrete powder with 3 parts sand into a wheelbarrow. Pour water into the wheel barrow and mix it into the powder and sand with a shovel. Continue to add water until the sand and powder are assimilated, and the concrete solution takes on a gooey, but not watery, consistency.

    • 6

      Pour a concrete slab 4 inches deep, 25 feet wide and 10 feet long into the excavated space. As the concrete begins to fill in the holes, remove the bricks from around the fence posts. Once the dug-out area has been filled with concrete, smooth out any clumps with the back of a shovel.

    • 7

      Sweep down the concrete surface with a broom to smooth out any inconsistencies.