How to Heat a Dog's Pen

Cold weather can pose a real hazard to your dog, especially if you live in an area where winter temperatures regularly dip below freezing. Dogs are susceptible to frostbite and can suffer unnecessary misery if they are left outdoors without adequate protection and a good source of heat during the winter.

  1. Evaluating Your Dog Pen

    • Before you can start making plans for how to keep your dog warm inside his pen during cold weather, you need to evaluate your dog's pen. Some dog pens are going to be much, much easier to keep warm than others. For example, if your dog pen is made out of wire fencing and has no solid walls or a roof, it will be very difficult to keep warm in a cold climate. A doghouse that is positioned inside the kennel can be kept warm to a point, but your options for safely heating a doghouse are fairly limited.

    Providing Shelter

    • Your dog's pen needs to protect him from the wind and weather. Before you get started working on heating your pen, make sure the walls and roof of your pen are sturdy enough to block out severe weather elements, such as wind, rain and snow. The walls of your pen serve a dual purpose of blocking the wind while also holding heat in. If your kennel doesn't have permanent walls, you can construct walls using plywood or even by wrapping sheets of plastic or tarps over the openings in your kennel. You will also need to make sure you have a roof that does not leak. You can make roofing using traditional shingles or even just by securing sheets of metal over the top of the kennel.

    Heating the Pen

    • Outdoor heating pads can be placed in a dog pen to provide warmth for your dog. Some people also choose to use ceramic space heaters. Ceramic space heaters stay cool to the touch because their heating mechanisms are located internally; however, you will have to place the heater somewhere in the kennel where it can not be knocked over. In some cases, heat lamps may also be useful for keeping your dogs warm while they are in their pen. Regardless of the method you choose for heating, make sure all items are in good physical condition and that any electric cords are positioned so that they are inaccessible to your dog.

    Make Smart Choices

    • A heated pen can provide adequate shelter during mildly cold weather, but if temperatures truly begin to drop, then you will need to take further measures to protect your pet. The best place for your dog to be during extreme weather is inside your home. Texas A&M University advises that pet owners bring their dogs inside once temperatures reach 45 degrees. If you cannot keep the temperature in your dog's pen adequately warm, then you need to bring him into your home so he can stay warm with the rest of your family.