How to Build a Barrel Doghouse

Barrels make excellent dog shelters because they mimic the curved sleeping hole many dogs would dig for themselves in the wild. Barrels are available in a number of sizes and materials and you should select one to fit the dog. The addition of a base to provide steady support of the barrel and a door are all that are necessary to create a dog house, according to the website All About Dog Houses.

Things You'll Need

  • Barrel
  • 2 landscape timbers
  • 8 5-inch pole barn spikes
  • 8-foot long 2-by-6-inch board
  • Power saw
  • Pet door (optional)
  • 2-foot square 1/2-inch plywood (optional)
  • 1/2 pound 2-inch deck screws
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Place one landscape timber at the front and one at the back of the barrel perpendicular to the long sides of the barrel. Set the barrel in place and place segments of landscape timbers on top of the ground pieces at a point they contact the barrel on each side. Nail the landscape timbers together using 5-inch pole barn nails. Run 3-inch galvanized screws through the barrel into the landscape timbers at three contact points on each side to hold the barrel securely in place.

    • 2

      Cut four half-moon shaped pieces of wood with the same curve as the barrel. Fasten these pieces to the interior of the rim of the open end of the barrel with 2-inch galvanized deck screws. Fit a round piece of plywood, with an appropriately sized opening for the dog to move through, into the open end of the barrel by running two 2-inch galvanized deck screws through the plywood into the previously attached half-moon pieces. The half-moon pieces serve as an anchor to hold the plywood. Optionally, add a hinged dog door to this opening.

    • 3

      Build a platform on the top of the dog house. Cut two half-moon shapes into 2-by-6-inch boards to fit the curve of the barrel. Attach them to the top of the barrel with 2-inch galvanized deck screws run through the barrel into the boards. Cut and place a piece of 1/2 inch plywood to fit above the flat portions of the half-moon braces. Attach with 2-inch galvanized deck screws.

    • 4

      Cut ventilation slots or holes in the barrel. The size and number will vary with the climate of the area.