New to cold weather

[Brian S]

I recently moved to Connecticut from southern California where the lowest temps were around 39-40 at night. My beagle would stay in our patio room when it got cold or in the garage when it rained. All the other times he would camp out in the dog house. Its been nice here so far but the cold weather is right around the corner. What do you northern folks do with your dogs when it gets cold out. He's been an outdoor dog and his beagle funk keeps him outdoors according to my wife. We have a room in our basement that I had considered for him. But I will need to train him to use a box with kitty litter.
Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks
Brian

[bayedsolid]

I use 50 gal plastic drums. You can use the metal ones but I prefer the plastic ones for the dogs. If you can get the ones with both ends closed works best 'cause you just cut a small opening on one end to fit the dog. The smaller the better because there won't be as much heat loss. If you get one with only a bottom in it then just take a few scraps of wood and custom fit them to one end. Dogs don't need a very big hole to be able to get into it. Feed stores sell giant bags of pine shavings for just a few dollars and they work great for insulation and padding. Fill up the barrell half way and you have a pretty happy camper for a dog. If you feel the need, you can fasten a scrap piece of tarp or an old sweatshirt to cover the opening in the cold part of winter and it will keep the opening closed after the dog crawls inside. Some dogs like it and some just rip it off right away, but it's worth a try. Just depends on the dog. Dogs put off alot of heat so with the 12 inches of shavings under them and no wind getting through, the barrells stay pretty darn warm even in winter weather and they're totally waterproof. Good luck.