Shed for dogs

[ohio hunter]

I am in the process of building a shed for my 3 dogs. 3 dog runs will be on the outside of the shed, all on the same side. There will be 3 openings in the shed for the dogs to go in out and and the dog houses will be inside the shed. I am doing this primarily to get the dog houses out of the weather in the winter. The dog houses are all insulated in the walls, floors and roof. I am not sure how much room I should give the dogs in the shed, in addition to the dog houses. Does anyone else have a similar setup and if so are there any pics?

I will have 2 windows on the shed to be able to open in the summer time. Should i put the dog houses outside the shed in the summer? Also, I do have a roof over the outside runs and put tarps and plywood around the dog runs to block wind in the winter.

[Tecumseh]

Twosetters from this site has a nice setup. From the pictures I saw he has it attached to his house but you can probably make a free standing structure based upon his setup. Hopefully he will see this and chime in or send you a PM.

[WHViz]

I have outside runs (6 x 12), each with a door going into a building. Inside is a 4 x 4 pen for each run. I dont have dog houses inside, only have resting benches as the building is heated. The dogs are rarely out there anyway
;-) ...since they are house dogs, but the 4x4 pens seem to be plenty of room inside the building for them, if and when we use the kennels.

[ohio hunter]

Thanks for the input. The runs are 6 x 13 each and the shed will be 12 x 18. I will be storing all my dog stuff in the shed (food, boxes for the truck, straw for winter, etc...) My dogs are outside at all times and don't come in the house so the dog houses will definitely be in the shed. I was afraid if I make the inside area too big for the dogs, they may go to the bathroom in the shed. The dogs do get out of the runs but are in while I am at work.

[hehibrits]

I will try to get pictures today of my set up. Similar to what you describe, 3 runs outside/inside connected via two way door, heated floor pad (got them in 1970 and they still work great, stainless, 4' X 4'). Two dogs per run in the winter to gain body heat and make sure the inside pen/box allows easy access to dogs, as most of my work is done off the inside. Concrete floors really help in clean up and sanitation.

[ohio hunter]

I will have a concrete floor in the shed (as are the runs). While I have 2 drains in the shed, part of the concreted pad was existing and the slope isn't quite right for the drains. So, if they each get approx. 6 x 3 or 4 in the shed, will I likely have a problem with them messing in the shed?

Also, should I put the dog houses in the outdoor runs during the summer? Not sure how hot it will get in the shed during the summer months.

Looking foraward to seeing pics of some of your setups.