If you decided to have a dog house for Fido, remember that not every dog owner has the time or skills to design and build a dog house from scratch. Assistance abounds for people who want to build a special home for their pet, but who have one or both of these limitations.

Doing a keyword search on the Internet will reveal many sources for dog house blueprints, or woodworking plans for dog house designs. These special plans can range from simple box-like structures to custom-designed dog mansions that rival the homes of the highest-paid celebrities. Many times, free dog house blueprints are also available to download from the internet, you just have to do some researches.

For those dog owners who have neither the skill to design a workable dog house or to build one on their own, "build it yourself" dog house kits are also available, both online and from a variety of retail sources. These house building kits may be available at pet supply stores, feed stores, or building supply stores in your area. Most of these “do it yourself” kits are designed to be as simple as possible, while still providing adequate shelter for your dog.

The primary advantage to build it yourself dog house kits is that they gather all of the materials that you will need together and put them into a single, organized pack. There is a far smaller possibility that the cut pieces will not fit together or that the connectors will not hold them in place because they have all been designed to work together as a complete unit.

A second advantage is that it is time saving, reducing the amount time required compared to traditional building. As the wood has already been cut and, frequently, all the parts have been marked with numbers or letters intended to guide you through the construction. In some kits, the pieces even have pre-drilled guide holes drilled at the proper connection points.

Build it yourself dog house kits are relatively easy to put together within a relatively short time. From opening the box to sorting out the parts to fastening on the roof the average dog house kit may take as little as two or three hours to put together, even for the architecturally challenged. Once the house is together it is up to you to customize the house for your own dog, through an attractive paint job, shutters, or other accessories.

The cost of a build it yourself dog house kit is somewhat more than that of buying a dog house from a department store or pet supply store. It also costs only about a quarter of the amount that a professional carpenter might charge for building a similar house. If you are willing to invest a few hours of relatively pain-free craftwork, you may be able to save hundreds of dollars for a similar result.