For those of us that already own dogs finding a place to keep them can be as easy as a fenced backyard. But what if the backyard doesn't have a fence or one day your wife and kids come home with a cute puppy but you have no place to keep the new family addition. Fencing in the entire backyard can be cost prohibitive but keeping the little guy in the house all the time is not a good idea either, particularly if he grows up to be a big dog. The answer to the problem may well be to build a chain link dog kennel.

This type of kennel is not difficult to build. Of course before you build your dog kennel you will have to formulate a plan and decide how big the kennel needs to be. The size of the kennel will depend on the size of the dog when he is full grown. A small dog will obviously only need a small space but a bigger dog will need plenty of room to move around, not to mention the size of a shelter or dog house in the kennel. The height of the fence needs to be considered carefully for bigger dogs because some breeds have the ability to easily jump a four foot fence.

After you decide how big to make your chain link dog kennel the next step is figuring out where you will build it and what materials you need to build it with. There are different types of chain link fence out there with different spacing between the wires and different heights that can range from three feet to ten feet. Planning ahead will make certain that you choose the correct materials before you start building your dog kennel because you don't want to have to tear it down and start over after you find out you didn't make it big enough for that cute little puppy that's now over one hundred pounds.

When choosing the posts for your kennel you can go with the standard metal posts that most chain link fences are built with or you can choose landscape timbers. Metal posts will have to be cemented into the ground which means the kennel will be permanently located in the position you have chosen. Landscape timbers don't necessarily have to be concreted which gives you the option of moving the kennel or even taking it with you if you move.

Building your own chain link dog kennel can be done rather quickly and easily if you plan correctly. It is also cheaper then hiring someone else to build it or buying a pre-built one.