# Shelter For Your LGDs??



## drdoolittle (Sep 16, 2019)

Many of you know I just acquired 3 LGDs, a GP female and her 2 pups (their father is an Anatolian).  I have a large kennel within my livestock area just for them.  It has a heavy tarp covering the top and tarps all the way around the rear and sides (only the tarps on the back half are down right now, the tarps on the front half are rolled up).
I made a "dog house" inside the kennel (back half) out of straw bales with a tarp over them.  My husband thinks they need a better shelter, an actual insulated dog house (shed is more like it as big as they will be).
The dogs are in the kennel while I'm at work during the day and loose in our large fenced backyard all night (the fence runs from the back of our house all the way to the fence of our livestock pen.  
Eventually, we will have an opening in our livestock fence (one that can be closed when needed) and tge dogs will have access to both yard and livestock pen all night.  There will also be a similar opening in their kennel gate for them to come and go.
I don't yet feel comfortable with them loose in the livestock area without supervision (not because of their behavior, but because my mini horse is a BRAT!).  And I also don't want them loose in the backyard when no one is home.....anything could happen and people have been stealing dogs out of their fenced yards.
Anyway, I'm just wondering what shelter others provide for their LGDs.....or do they just go to the barn...


----------



## Southern by choice (Sep 17, 2019)

Barn. Our dogs live full time 24/7 with their livestock so they sleep with them, eat with them.


----------



## Beekissed (Sep 17, 2019)

Don't bother with an insulated dog house....they don't even like to be in a dog house.  They like to be out where they can scent and see everything. 

I built a very nice, insulated dog house that would house two dogs but left the whole front open so he could see his whole range....he'll use it on the very coldest days...maybe.  Usually not...usually only if he's tied on his run in that area and mostly not even then.  Usually he sleeps on his dog bench all winter, no matter how cold it gets or just out on the ground. 

Much like sheep, they carry their barn on their backs, in the form of the wonderful double coat they have.


----------

