How to Make Soft Dog Houses

A soft dog house can be an ideal dog house for easy transportation and for indoor needs. These soft structures are a wonderful way to make a dog comfortable and happy. Making a soft dog house is simpler than making a more permanent structure, but it does have its down sides as well. Dogs that are nervous in cages, puppies that still chew or dogs that dig are best placed in more permanent dog houses to avoid ruining the soft dog house. However, most dogs are cozy and content in a soft dog house, especially when the house is indoors.

Things You'll Need

  • Nylon mesh
  • Canvas or tent material
  • Bendable wire
  • Velcro
  • Pad
  • Measuring tape
  • Scissors
  • Sewing kit
  • Pliers
  • Pins
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use the measuring tape to measure the height, length and width of the dog. The door to the dog house needs to be large enough for the dog to easily fit through, so the height and width measurements should be taken and written down. Plan to make the door slightly larger than the dog so that the dog will not feel cramped. The length measurement makes sure that the dog house is large enough to fit the entire dog without difficulty.

    • 2

      Make the frame of the dog house out of wire. The wire should be tough, but also easily bent. A soft dog house is similar to a tent. Bend the wire to form the bottom frame and then bend more wire around the base frame going up to form the rest of the frame. A square shape or tent-like dome shapes are the easiest options for a frame. The base frame should be either square or triangular, depending on personal preference. Use pliers to bend the top wire parts to the base by completely circling the bottom wire.

    • 3

      Cut canvas or tent material to fit around the wire. Make sure there is enough material to completely wrap the wire and have extra material for sewing the rest of the soft materials. Typically, you should have approximately 1 inch or so of extra material after wrapping the wire. Make sure the canvas is wrapped under the wire and the two sides match up evenly. Pin the material close to the wire and then sew up the canvas or tent material with a needle and thread close to the wire. The canvas should be able to fall open once the stitching is completed without exposing the wire.

    • 4

      Pin canvas to the bottom of the house. This will form the floor. Measure the frame of the tent and then cut the canvas or tent material to the size of the frame. The exact size will differ based on the size of the dog. Slip the ends into the middle of the canvas that surrounds the wire and pin the through all three materials. Make sure the bottom is pulled as tightly as possible and that it slips into all of the sides. Pin the bottom going through all three layers.

    • 5

      Form three walls out of nylon mesh. Take the wall measurements and cut the material. Slip the mesh into the top canvas fabric around the wire and pin it in place, then work on the sides. Remove the pins at the bottom one side at a time, place the wire mesh into the area, pulling the side tight and repinning. Do the sides at the bottom one at a time to avoid loosening the bottom of the dog house.

    • 6

      Sew the mesh and the bottom. Make sure the needle and thread go through all of the materials.

    • 7

      Add the door. Attach Velcro to the materials, putting one side of the Velcro on the soft dog house and sewing it and then adding the other side to the material used for the door. Nylon mesh or canvas can be used as preferred. Sew only one side to the dog house so that the door can be simply pulled open. Hem the other three sides of the door to prevent fraying fabric.

    • 8

      Place a pad or dog bed in the soft dog house so that the dog will be comfortable.