How to Build a Hay Doghouse

Your dog needs a warm, dry place to sleep if he will be kept outside. Old hay, which does not have enough nutrients left to be used as animal feed, will make your dog a good home. Recycling old hay into animal pens is an efficient use of resources.

Doghouses should be just large enough for your dog to enter and exit while standing and small enough to keep warm with its own body heat. A concrete floor makes this hay doghouse easy to clean with just a garden hose and a spray nozzle.

Things You'll Need

  • 8 to 10 bags of instant concrete mix Water source with garden hose Hoe Large metal washtub Trowel 4-foot-by-8-foot-by-1/2-inch plywood sheeting 2-inch-by-4-inch-by-24-foot lumber 8 to 12 bales of old hay Gravel Lawn roller 2 cold weather-insulated pet doors
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Build a footer frame from 2-by-4-inch lumber. The footer should be at least 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. Make sure footer frame is level. Fill footer with gravel. Use a water-filled lawn roller to compress the gravel until it is packed and level.

    • 2

      Fill footer with concrete, making sure it is level. Use a broom to texture the concrete to within 3 inches of the outer edge of the footer on all four sides. Smooth the remaining 3 inches all the way around. Allow to dry 4 to 5 days.

    • 3

      Lay hay bales end to end in two parallel rows. Use one bale high and one bale long for small dogs, such as Lhasa apso or Pekingese. Use one or two bales high and two bales long for medium dogs such as Shiba Inu or greyhounds. Use two or three bales high and two or three bales long for large dogs such as Great Danes or mastiffs.

    • 4

      Cut a plywood sheet to fit the dimensions of your doghouse and set it aside. This will be your roof.

    • 5

      Mix four or five bags of instant concrete and cover the entire doghouse inside and out with concrete. While concrete is still wet, lay roof on top of the rows of hay bales and cover with more concrete. Allow to dry 4 to 6 days.

    • 6

      Attach cold weather-insulated pet doors at each end of doghouse. Make sure doors open in both directions, in and out. Lay a body pillow or carpet remnants on the doghouse floor. To clean the house, open both doors, remove carpets and pillow. Spray with hose until clean. Allow to dry completely before closing doors.