Cedar Dog House Reviewed

by Steve Johnson

If you have ever searched the Internet for "dog house", or "wooden dog house", chances are likely that you've run across several websites advertising a cedar dog house.

Most of these websites offer the same line of cedar dog houses manufactured by Blythe Wood Works, a company located in South Carolina that claims to be the largest manufacturer of cedar dog houses in the United States.

The biggest benefit of a wooden dog house is that wood acts as a great insulator against heat and cold. But the use of cedar means the house will resist wear and tear from the elements much better. Cedar is also know for its ability to deter certain insects like fleas and ticks.

We purchased the medium sized dog house for this review. Our dog Max, a 17 pound Beagle/Chihuahua mix, loves a good hiding place when seeking shelter from the mid-day sun. So this would make a great retreat for him.

Instead of buying the dog house directly from Blythe Wood Works, we purchased it from one of their online affiliates, Adams All Natural
Cedar. The medium sized house was listed at $299.00. We decided to include the insulation for $125.00 and the floor mat for $22.95. Total cost was $446.95. [Editor's note: Prices for the features listed here have since changed to $332.00, $104.00, and $22.00, respectively. Shipping within the lower 48 is still free, so the total price is now $458.00.)

Purchasing the house through Adams is actually cheaper than buying it directly from Blythe. Blythe sells the house for $349.00, with the insulation for $109.00 and the floor mat for $19.00, for a total cost of $477.00.

As soon as we placed our order online, we received an e-mail acknowledgement from Adams All Natural Cedar. About 8 days later we received another e-mail explaining that our order was completed and shipped. A few days later we received it.

The product came in two boxes. After unpacking the boxes, we found the dog house in 8 pieces, including 4 walls, 1 floor, 2 roof panels, and 1 roof cap. There was also a set of screws, the floor mat, and assembly instructions.

The insulation was already installed within the pieces. The insulation is a thin, 1/8 inch thick piece of Therma-Ply. Adams All Natural Cedar says on its website is that's actually 1/4 inch. But it's actually 1/8.

Installation is fairly easy. You will need a #2 Phillips screwdriver, preferably a power screwdriver. It would help to have someone else hold the panels together tightly when screwing the pieces together. Otherwise, the instructions are pretty straightforward, and come with illustrations. Each of the pieces come with pre-drilled holes, making it dummy-proof. Just about anyone can assemble this.

We found the design and structure of this dog house to be top quality. It's clear that a lot of planning and refinement went into it. The base board rests on top of Wolmanized, pressure treated framing, to prevent against rotting. The panels are framed using 2x2 diagonal Spruce beams. All screws and nails are galvanized. The door way comes with a clear vinyl hanging door to keep the draft out.

Our particular house was put together very well. The beams and panels all fit squarely together. The whole house has a solid feel to it. But then, when we placed our order, we explained that we would be writing a product review.

If we were disappointed in any way, it was that the roof is not detachable. Both Adams All Natural Cedar and Blythe Wood Works make the claim that the roof is detachable. But in fact, it is secured into place with several screws, hardly making it convienient to remove. But to their credit, the roof panels are designed in a way that you can leave them in place unsecured and they won't fall off and will still keep the weather out.

The floor mat is a 1 1/4 inch thick piece of closed cell foam. Closed cell means that fleas and ticks cannot penetrate. We highly recommend getting the floor mat. It helps keep the floor insulated from the ground. The mat is cut to fit the floor perfectly. We actually placed Max's sheep skin dog bed on top of the floor mat.
dog house

Overall we are impressed with what Blythe Wood Works has created. It is definitely pricey, considering you can buy a plastic dog house from your local pet shop at 10% of the price. But then who wants to see that unsightly chunk of plastic in the back patio? Even the wooden dog houses from other manufacturer's don't match the quality of Blythe Wood Works.

But perhaps the best review comes from our dog Max. It took only a matter of minutes for him to jump into his new house. Of course part of the reason for that is because we put his dog bed inside of it. But after having his house for a week, he clearly loves it. He'll be getting a lot of doggie dreams out of it.

If you plan to keep your dog for the rest of its life, and who doesn't, then give it a great house.

Steve Johnson is the publisher of DoggieNews.com,a daily news magazine for dog owners offering news of pet products, reviews, announcements, and the pet industry.