In our last article, we introduced an insulated dog kennels of he Czech brand RAFABO with the possibility of heating with built-in underfloor heating. We also explained the importance of choosing a kennel size. Your dog needs plenty of room for a free turning and comfortable lying. A bigger kennel than you need for your pet dog is bad. If you've read carefully the last time, you know that the dog would have run out of heat and the dog would have a problem with self-heating of the kennel.
Measuring your dog
So how to choose the right size? The first step is measuring your dog in the so-called withers. The height at the withers is defined as the point where the imaginary line between the upper ridge of the two blades, the spine and the muscular armlet is intersected above the spine. You can also find the definition of "the highest point of the upper line of the dog", which may be misleading for some breeds (eg the Czech Terrier). The dog must stand upright when measuring, not sit. The following photos could be helpful.
You are also wondering how best to measure the dog. The professional method is using a sliding scale of the so-called drawer that is perpendicular to the ground. You get the most reliable result with this tool. It is mainly used if you participate at exhibitions.with your dog.
This is where absolute precision is expected, and some measurements from the eye are unacceptable here.
To measure the RAFABO kennel, you'll need a tailor's meter, but do the measurements with the utmost precision. The behavior of your dogfriend plays a big role throughout the process. If he/she creeps, bumps, bends his/her head or shows aggression, it will be harder for you to get the right height at the withers. Also, make sure that the dog is not standing in any hole or ridge, and there might be a few centimeters deviation. So how did you handle it?
We hope you managed to do it without any problem and now you can find what your dog's breed is. At the withers we distinguish dog breeds of dwarf (35 cm), middle (35-50 cm), large (50-80 cm) and giant, growing at the withers of over 80 cm (for example Irish Wolfhound or St. Bernard).
Available sizes
In our carpentery workshop we thought of all the dog friends, so you do not have to worry that you will not find the right one. RAFABO kennels are currently produced in three available sizes, M, L and XL. The following table shows the range of dog height at the withers for given dog size kennels.
Table of dog sizes and available R A F A B O kennels:
Which kennel should you choose based on a dog breed? For even easier selection of our RAFABO kennel, we have created a list of dog breeds and the ideal kennel size associated with them. The list is predominantly orientative and serves as a tool to always measure your dog. Find it HERE. If we compare the division of dog breeds according to a height at the withers with our size division of dog kennels, size M is suitable for dwarf and medium breeds, some medium and large breeds need an L-size kennel and giant breeds or some big breeds require a XL RAFABO kennel.
Certain dog breeds have their minimum and maximum average height at the withers at the range of our sizes M, L and XL, so it is absolutely necessary to measure and then select the most suitable kennel size. These are, for example, American bulldogs, Aries shorthaired pointer, Belgian shepherd, Briard - French shepherd, Finnish spike, German shepherd and many others.
For dwarf breeds such as Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Dachshund, and Bulldog, you can freely choose the smallest type of our shed without a measurement, and the M size. Doberman or Golden Retriever will certainly thank you for the large space that provides an XL shed.
If you hesitate, do not be afraid to contact us. We will be happy to give you advice and answer your questions.
R A F A B O team