Many people love to have their pet living in the home with them but often that leads to lots of problems from chewed furniture to stinky wet carpets. Having a good quality kennel solves all the problems.

Man's, or woman's, best friend is happy in the kennel and your home is relieved of the doggy odor, countless molted hairs and teeth marks on your favorite armchair.

Making sure your loyal friend is happy means that you have to put some effort into making a good dog house for them to sleep in. There are many styles and designs of dog house plans, some are free and some not.

If you choose to use free dog house plans there are some basic requirements you should keep in mind. You really must make sure that the plans give a full list of all the required materials. Equally important is a cut chart. You have to know exactly how to cut all the pieces so that everything is ready before you start construction.

If you browse about on the internet you will find many free dog house plans but all too often you get exactly what you pay for. Poor quality incomplete plans with no part list or cut chart usually turn out to be an expensive mistake.

Investing a few dollars on a good set of kennel plans will probably end up saving you money in the long run. You'll get a far better designed dog house and save a lot of time in construction.

Something to bear in mind when buying the wood, especially if your dog likes to chew the furniture, is to make sure that the materials are not pressure treated with insecticide. These dangerous chemicals kill bugs that try to feed on the wood but don't do your dog any good either.

Use only natural materials when constructing the wooden dog house and if you paint it, make sure it is a non toxic brand.

One point to remember is not to make the kennel too large if you live in an area that has cold nights in winter. A large kennel will not warm up with the dogs body heat and be uncomfortable for your friend.

If you design it yourself or decide on some of the free dog house plans online, make sure you have a good sized door so that you will have access to clean the kennel from time to time.