Corral or fence panels have long been a mainstay of country life. They’re a great way to keep livestock in and unwanted guests out. Now, you can apply that same idea to your suburban country lifestyle and dog ownership with kennel panels. We have some tips to get yours started.
Where will Your Dogs Roam?
Decide where you want to contain your furry friends. Then measure the area where you’ll need to add fencing.
Instead of spending the weekend building a cedar or chain-link fence, employ panels instead. Behlen kennel panels are four feet wide by five feet tall. Gate panels are the same size, but give you access to the area with a pre-built door. We ran panels from the house to the good-neighbor fence to create a dog run on the side of the home. All it took were three kennel panels and one gate panel. The home’s original fence contained the dogs on the other end.
Once your corners are secure, panels often tie together quickly and easily with wingnuts and prefabricated brackets.
Control the Dirt, Mud, and Yuck
Creating a dog run alongside your home or other pre-determined area means you can control where the dogs “do their business.” By adding bark chips (avoid mulch, as the smaller pieces can splinter and harm pets) to the area, you can also cut down on the dirt and mud brought back into your home. The best bark chips to choose from include:
- Pine chips (inexpensive but washes away easily)
- Cypress chips (stays in place, but restrict water from reaching soil)
- Cedar chips (pricy but beautiful)
- Fir chips (great option for drier climates)
- Alder (affordable and works well in most regions)
Bonus Option: any form of rounded pea gravel is another smart choice for dog-run areas. Avoid sharp or jagged gravel. If you cannot walk barefoot on it, your pet will have a hard time too.
Warning: Stay away from eucalyptus mulch and dyed or treated chips as these can be toxic for dogs. Additionally, do not add mulch (finely chopped bark chips) to an area where dogs will frequently visit. Mulch has a tendency to leave splinters in paws.
Want to add another layer of mud and dirt protection? Place a carpet runner inside the door where your dogs will be going in and out. If the dog run will be on the side of your home, consider using the garage man door. The carpet will help clean their paws as they enter the garage. This can help reduce the amount of dirt brought into your home.
Coastal Has Fence Panels
You’ll find kennel panels as well as kennel doors and everything you need to get yours ready to go at your nearby Coastal. Looking for something a bit more rugged for the ranch or acreage? Check out the many benefits of panels and mesh fencing.
