Which dog houses are better, wooden or plastic?

Your pet deserves the best things in life, but that doesn’t mean they can climb on furniture, rummage through the trash, or chew on your shoes. Yeah, sometimes that dog just needs to get out. But that doesn’t mean it has to be some kind of punishment. Dog houses, including wooden and plastic models, can be comfortable homes away from home for your furry friend. Wooden dog kennels are a traditional and classic option, but plastic dog kennels have grown tremendously in popularity in recent decades as an alternative building material. So whether you need an upgrade or are buying a dog house for the first time, here are some things to know about the most popular materials.

What do wood and plastic offer?

Wood is a natural building material that offers unique characteristics not seen in other materials such as plastic, stone or metal. For example, some woods like cedar and cypress give off natural fragrant aromas. More importantly for dog houses, some woods, like cedar and teak, produce natural resins that act to repel all of nature’s insects, including a dog’s worst enemy, also known as fleas.

Plastics are a unique material in the way they are worked and molded. Plastic can be manipulated in any number of shapes, designs, sizes, colors and textures. Consider plastic the chameleon of the construction world, which in turn spawns some of the most creative dog houses. Wooden houses just don’t have this ability to transform so dramatically.

Which will keep your dog warmer? And cooler?

The insulating properties of wood and plastic will keep dogs warmer in the winter and cooler in the warmer months. However, plastic might have a slight edge in this category. While wood has a certain amount of natural insulation, in extreme temperatures additional padding may be required to supplement it. Plastic dog houses are created so that tiny air bubbles are placed along the plastic walls. Air bubbles trap hot and cold air as needed and create a protective airtight seal throughout the dog house. On the contrary, it can be argued that this means that plastic dog houses do not breathe as well as wooden dog houses.

Which shows better craftsmanship?

To compare the actual work and attention to detail that goes into building these dog houses, the wooden ones always win. That is due to the nature of the materials. The wood is natural, cultivated, harvested and often worked by hand. Plastic is synthetic, it is made of chemical compounds and it is built impersonally in factories.

Where can you put them?

Both wood and plastic are fine to use as outdoor dog houses; wooden frames are made from the same strong hardwoods found in other types of patio furniture, while plastics are naturally waterproof. Specific polyester blends used in things like outdoor furniture and dog houses are also more durable than other types of plastic.

Which is easier to assemble?

For ease of assembly this goes for plastic dog houses. Wooden dog houses often come unassembled (which is consequently cheaper to ship since it can be packaged in smaller units). Plastic dog houses usually come pre-made because they are not put together the same way. That said, it’s usually pretty easy to put together wooden dog houses, and companies make their instructions user-friendly so anyone can do it. There’s also the benefit of working with the materials yourself, as you get a better idea of ​​how things are put together, so if something needs to be fixed or replaced, you have a better idea of ​​how to go about it. At the same time, you know exactly how strong a structure really is, because you’re seeing and working with the materials that hold it together.

Ok, but which one costs less?

This question is often the most pressing, and especially now in our tight economy. When it comes to actual price, the winner is plastic dog houses. Wooden houses use a slightly more expensive material, which must also be transported from the forests in which it is mined. All of this requires hours of labor, plus the labor required for handcrafted pieces. Plastics in general provide a cheaper alternative to other materials, especially natural materials. Just remember that plastics aren’t as durable as wood, so you’ll likely need to buy a new dog house every few years, so the costs balance out a bit over time.

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