How to Build an Igloo Dog House

Even the heartiest dog needs shelter when left outside for more than a few minutes. They need relief from the heat in summer and help keeping warm in winter. Igloo doghouses are especially fun in the winter. By making one out of lightweight polystyrene foam, you can easily store it for the summer months, while providing a more summer-appropriate shelter. This igloo shelter is most appropriate for small to medium dogs due to the size of the containers used.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 large polystyrene fish or meat shipping containers
  • Bread knife
  • Soap
  • Plastic string or zip ties
  • Gray acrylic paint
  • 1/2-inch paint brush
  • Rubber mat or rug
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wash the polystyrene boxes with soap and water and allow to dry.

    • 2

      Remove and discard the top of the box. Cut the elevated rim, on which the lid used to sit, off the boxes with the knife so that the units fit together flatly.

    • 3

      Place one box on top of the other, open ends facing each other to form a large box with no opening.

    • 4

      Cut eight small holes, about the size of a quarter, three inches down from each corner on the long sides of the box. These holes are for ventilation as well as for strapping the igloo together.

    • 5

      Tie the two halves together using plastic string or zip ties. Slip the tie into the hole on one half of the box and straight up to the hole on the other side of the box. You want the connection to hold firmly but not so tight that it will cut into the polystyrene foam.

    • 6

      Cut an arched entrance hole for your pet on a short side. The hole should be large enough to let him in and out easily, but not much larger in order to block as much wind as possible.

    • 7

      Use pale gray paint to hand-draw the imitation joint lines of ice blocks normally used to construct igloos to further the illusion of an authentic igloo. While you want the lines fairly straight, you should not draw it as a grid, but rather paint the outline of round-cornered rectangles the shape of an ice block, one at a time. If there are any white sections between joints after doing this, fill them with the grey paint. Paint larger blocks on the bottom and smaller blocks on the top.

    • 8

      Place a rubber mat or piece of carpeting inside the polystyrene foam box to weigh it down and protect the foam from your pet's claws.