Barrell Rack

I got a couple dogs here that are problem dogs...will not keep a house, will not keep feed pans...pain in the ass to keep water bowls...(anyone got any GOOD suggestions for water bowls??? I've even done the 55gal barrells cut in half and I got 2 bitches that will still flip them)...well heres a barrell rack I made, so far so good...dogs haven't tipped them, and so far suprisingly enough, they aren't chewing them to death either. Also, since a couple of these dogs won't keep food pans, I've fed them on top of the rack on the plywood....just wanted to share...ooo and don't laugh lol this is the first one I made, the next one I did came out a little straighter lol
BB

 

For water bowls, we use square, concrete flower pots about 1 foot wide by 1 foot deep. We sealed the bottom hole with silicon and no problems yet. We even had one dig out from under it and it is still standing without being flipped over (might I add he stands on top of it and jumps on top of his dog house.) It only has 1 side that it is setting on, the other side is held up by the dog house its self.

 

concrete has to be the best. Go to wal mart and buy the big plastic feed/water dishes then go to your local home depot ;/ lowes and buy really fine concrete. go home mix it up really well just beyond the point of it looking and feeling like wet sand. turn the plastic dishes upside down (u will easily see were to add the crete) fill it in using a small square trowl and then stick the tip of the trowl verticly straight don and pump it up and down to make sure u get all the air out and then let it sit dor a day or 2 to make sure it sets up and cures completely. then u could pop the dish off and use the concrete bowl or just leave it on as a liner. they wont be light and u wont have any more problems with them tipping the food/water dishes.

the dishes at wal mart cost like 3-4 bucks and are big enough to hold a whole gallon of water.
the concrete (make sure it is really fine concrete) shouldnt run u more than 5-6 bucks topps.

it is really cheap and should last u a lifetime.
MMK

 

Make it: $8.00 Minimum for 1 holding 1 gallon of water from Walmart.

or

Add Silicon: $12.00 Minimum for 1 holding 3 gallons of water from Walmart

 

I've made the concrete bowls...and these 2 still end up flipping them by the end of the day...I like the flower pot idea...that would be bigger and heavier...
BB

 

Concrete Water Bowl........

You can make a concrete bowl as big as you want. All you have to do is build a plywood box with a 2x4 frame on the outside...Use screws from the out side to hold it together.... Now don't make the box no taller then 2 feet, if you do it'll be harder for the dogs to drink the water out of it...You can make the box as long and as wide as you want.... In doing that, there will be noway for a dog to knock it over...If you have a blue barrel like the one pictured above, you'll notice that there marked so you could cut them into 3 parts..OK, cut it at the first ring from the bottom...Pour some concrete in the box you made, put some chicken wire in the concrete and pour a lil more over it..Now put that barrel in the box, put a ring of chicken wire around the barrel, but make sure there is a space between the barrel, chicken wire and the box... Now pour the concrete around it, use some cut 2x4's to hold the top of the barrel from caving in...If you mix it wet, it will fill in nicely and you wont have to put anything in the concrete to try and get the air bubbles out. BUILD IT CLOSE TO THE DOGS CHAIN SPACE....If you have the money buy fast crete, its fast setting concrete, It sets in 15 minutes...In around 10 minutes you should be able to pull the barrel out. In 20 minutes you can take the box apart. After your done doing that, tip it on it's side and wash it out a few times...Now your ready to put it in the dogs chain space, once you start to move it you will know why I said build it close lol....If you do this, this will be the last water bowl you'll ever pay for, for your dog.......Have Fun........YIS

 

Our Dog Houses

Barrels have never really done it for us. They let way to much air in during the winter and "WE THINK" they get to hot for the dogs during the summer months, also the dogs seem to think there big toys...So these are some Pic's of the dog house's we use..In a couple of the pitures you'll notice that theres heat lamps in the houses for the winter....Let us know what y'all think......YIS

 

Our Dog houses

Here's more of the Pictures and a few of Congo in his new house....

 

The roof of the dog house's lifts off, as you might of notice. Here is what they look like when there done....Notice how the dog house is mounted to a pallet...Most of the time the dogs don't like to come out of there house's. lol During the winter (some of our yards are in the snow also) they stay nice and warm and in the summer they stay nice and coooooool. Oyeah, just so y'all can get an idea of how big the house is, thats a full sheet of plywood for the roof.......YIS

 

Thanks for the tip on the big ole concrete bowl..sounds like thats probably what I'ma have to do....

As for the barrells as dog houses, they've worked well for us...maybe because it doesnt' get extremely cold here, but I like them and the dogs seem to as well. Good looking houses you built.
BB

 

Alot of good information sharing in this thread guys good job. I personally have always used barrels because of the climate down here in Florida they just seem to work better, you just have to make sure what was in the barrels before you use them. I also frame them out also with overhang all the way around.

 

We got a good hookup for barrells here, the barrells we get only had vinegar in them...nice and safe...I personally like the barrells...and they are easy to clean
BB

 

BNK you got a real nice dog house.....for me though in these piney woods of east texas the barrels are tops.....they are cheap, easy to clean and disinfect, i take a little circle template about a foot across and use it to mark the hole then cut it out with a sawz all.....the hole only needs to be big enough for them to get in.....i have also had a problem with wooden houses and bugs.....spiders, fleas, and fungus like ringworm all are worse on dogs with wooden houses.....partly the climate down here with it being hot and humid all the time....too keep rain out i cut part of another barrel and make a little awning piece and screw it over the top.....

 

bnk shoot me a blueprint for those dog houses if u have the time i would like to build one of those ones. been looking for another design for a while.
MMK

 

Cool idea.......i like it!

 

Great houses.........I'm lucky......there's a 76 year old man whos retired and he build my houses for me for $35 and he supplies the WOOD! I couldn't buy the wood for that. He builds me 2-3 every winter. We have an 1800 square foot basement that we have set up part of for whelping in the winter. Don't lose too many dogs that way.

 

BigTex, I'm with you on this! We are also in a area where the humidity is pretty bad, and wooden houses don't do well by us. Some of the first houses we had were wood and we got rid of them all to get barrels. Try to disinfect them often, so it's nice having barrells..and they are cheap to replace! LOL

Hey, has anyone tried the "barrel holder" made by Dogtown???

 

BNK...those are some kick ass dog houses!!!

 

I might just have to use some of these Ideas thanks Guys!!

 

ByeBye thats a nice barrel rack.
Im trying to make some something like these http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=99124 http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=39873 but I havent been successful.I need to know what kind/size of screws(do I use screws or someting else?) should I use to attach the wood to the front end of the barrel.I made one with screws and the screws went through the barrel :mad: