Floor Surface for Outdoor Kennel

[Allie Oop]

We are in the process of building an outdoor kennel. I've gotten bids on the fencing portion (6 x 12 x 6) and found a great elevated wooden doghouse big enough to easily accommodate two dogs. Now, I need to decide what to put on the ground. I originally thought a concrete slab, but my hubby thinks that would be too cold and wants to put down these nifty little plastic panels he found in the Cabelas catalog in the hunting dog section. We've ruled out soft floor surfaces (BCs are way too fond of digging). Do you any of you have an outdoor kennel and, if so, what do you have on the ground?

 

We really want a second dog, but two big crates just won't work in our house, so we are building an outdoor kennel for the 4 - 5 hrs. on weekdays when we aren't around. We've got an ideal spot (tree shade in the summer and sun in the winter) and it's in a corner against a 9 ft. cedar fence, so there should be a good wind break. It's a bit mucky out there yet, but usually the snows we get in February and March don't hang around too long and things may be dry enough to start work out there soon. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[MaggieDog]

My parents made outdoor kennels for Maggie and their dog. We used packed clay, a layer of wire fencing, then pea gravel/river run as a topper. Once we got through the first round of rain, the gravel has stayed nice and clean, though we do top it off a bit since it gets packed down easily. My parents dog is a digger and hasn't been able to get out in the year that we've had the set up.

 

Also, you might want to consider 2 dog houses instead of one; despite the fact that the dogs could share the dog house at my parents', Maggie is pretty darn good at keeping Gryffin out of it if she wants - not good in single digit temps.