How to Build Dog Pens

Dog pens are fenced-in outdoor areas built to confine your dog to one area while allowing it to walk and move freely. They usually are smaller than an entire fenced-in yard and safer than chaining or tying up your dog. Dog pens are not intended to be used for extensive time periods, but instead are meant to provide a safe area for your dog to stay and relieve itself if you must leave it unattended.

Things You'll Need

  • Dry, level ground in shade
  • Chain-link fencing
  • Chain-link posts and hardware
  • Prefabricated chain-link gate
  • Fast drying cement
  • Shovel or post hole digger
  • Gravel
  • Dog house (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Determine how large you want the pen to be. A larger dog will need a larger pen. Some municipalities have requirements regarding pens; for example, the state of Connecticut requires that an outdoor dog pen be at least 4 feet wide, 8 feet long and 6 feet high. If you plan to put a dog house inside the pen, make sure that it will fit.

    • 2

      Mark the boundaries of the planned pen with spray paint.

    • 3

      At the corners of the pen's outline, use the shovel or the post hole digger to dig a hole that is 2 feet deep and 18 inches in diameter. Dig another two holes in the middle of the longest sides of the pen, making sure that there is one area where the distance between two posts is the same width as your gate.

    • 4

      Set a fence post in each hole and surround with 4 inches of gravel to stabilize. The posts should each be 6 feet above the ground.

    • 5

      Mix the cement according to the directions on the package and pour it into the holes, surrounding the fence posts. Let cure for 48 hours, or according to package directions.

    • 6

      Attach the chain-link gate to two posts using the gate mounting hardware. Make sure the gate is low enough to the ground that your dog cannot crawl under it.

    • 7

      If you are planning to include a dog house that cannot fit through the gate door, place the dog house inside the pen at this point.

    • 8

      Attach the chain-link fencing material to a corner post with fence ties. Roll and stretch the chain-link out to the next post and attach again. Continue this process until the entire pen is fenced in.