Help with building a dog kennel

Looking at a job change which will require me to leave my lab alone for about 8 hours a day. Any one that could help me with any suggestions as to building or buying a kennel for her such as dimensions and flooring I would greatly appreciate it.
 
i built mine out of treated lumber and livestock panels.the floor is 2x6's and the frame is 2x4's supported by 4x4's on the corners and in the middle.the 4 by's extend up higher in the front than in the rear and a metal roof is attached.the whole pen is off the ground.i didnt like the idea of the dog being on concrete day in and out so i went this route.i also left about a half inch space between the flooring boards for any drainage.my dog rarely relieves herself in the pen so cleanup is not an issue.i use a plastic 55 gallon drum with a homeade door for her house.dimensions are 5x15.
 
Here is what we've done. We have Mason Kennels, 4x10 on a pressure treated deck. I was concerned about toe nails catching between deck boards so I butted them up against each other. I originally got the kennels with a hole in the back for an extenal dog house. I know have the panels to plug the hole and have internal dog houses. The kennels sit inside a feneced dog yard.

This system has worked great, including the 2 years while training dogs professionally. The Mason kennels are 10/11 years old and look brand new. They are expensive but, will last YOUR lifetime. They are made in OH so I drove to factory to pick them. The deck is about 7 years old and we moved once so I disassembled it and moved it. We haven't had a nail caught, any major chewing of deck boards and any clean up has been easy. There has been some chewing of the dog houses but, with a plastic house it is minimal. Wooden houses are a different story. Asphalt shingles too!

By placing the kennel inside a small fenced yard you have extra protection from your dog getting loose and you keep loose dogs away from your dog. Also, most dogs can hold it for 8-10 hours. As soon as you let them out they will want to go. Keeping them in a small confined area makes clean up easier.

For a roof we just use a heavy duty tarp you can get from TSC. Held down with wire ties has worked great for me. Maybe replace a couple a year. With gusts up to 65 mph yesterday we had no problems at all. Heavy snow has not brought tthem down but, you do need to clean them off. I would have build a roof but, being in town that would have required a building permit. I already pay the city enough taxes!

Good luck,

Tom Wall
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Mainly was concerned about what to do about the flooring. We live in the South so it gets hot here. So far I think that a wood flooring will be the way that I go.
 
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