# Best Insulated Dog House/Whelping Box (Also easy-made flirt pole)



## APASA (Dec 27, 2010)

We came up with this idea, and can't believe we hadn't thought of it sooner. Some of you may have already had this idea, but I haven't heard of anyone else using it. 

If you know anyone who's deep freezer has gone out call dibs if they no longer want it. 

The lighter weight Chest style works best, but any deep freezer with removable racks and a good sealing lid will do. 

If it is the stand up kind lay it over so the lid is facing up.

Remove any racks or pieces from the inside that could be removed by your dog.

Make sure there are no wires or removeable parts accessable from the outside including the power cord.

The ncut a square in the side big enough for your dog to fit through.

I always lay a piece of thick felt like stuff down in the bottom. I make the piece just a bit to big so that the edge fold up about an inch or two on all four sides. Then cut about a one or two inch slit from the tip of each corner inward so the fold up edges will work properly when you come to the corners of your deep freeze. 

In the summer this is plenty. (Sometimes a light sprinkle of cedar shaving will help ward off fleas and provide a lil cushion)

In the winter add more shavings and maybe some straw. 

For a bitch with pups do your bedding however you like best. 

The benefits are it makes a nice roomy den like area for the dog/mother

But it also has the easy access lid on the top so you don't have to crawl through the hole on the front if you need to reach a puppy. 

This plus the felt piece make cleaning a breeze! I pull out the felt with shavings still on it and dump them in the trash or burn pile. Wipe the inside down with your favorite cleaner (sweep or shovel out any spare shavings first) and replace felt with fresh shavings. 

I keep extra felt pieces because I'll power spray mine and hang em to dry. 



For the flirt pole, I buy a horse whip from the feed store. The long buggy whips are fun, but the smaller quirks work just as good especially for smaller areas or travel (or in the house lol) 

Unfold the popper from the end. This gives you a nice lil hole in the end. Tie and rag or their favorite toy to the end and get to flirtin. The whips are pretty durable themselves, and its easy to replace or change out the toys on the end. I like to use **** hides and leave the tail on them. If you don't have access to catchin a **** for the hide Atwoods sells coonskin caps with a real **** tail for like 7 bucks. These work great on the end of the pole. The whole cap looks similar to a young **** runnin across the ground and my dogs are totally fooled lol. (then again they'll chase their own leash if I point and say get it)


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## Firehazard (Dec 4, 2009)

APASA said:


> We came up with this idea, and can't believe we hadn't thought of it sooner. Some of you may have already had this idea, but I haven't heard of anyone else using it.
> 
> If you know anyone who's deep freezer has gone out call dibs if they no longer want it.
> 
> ...


:goodpost:!!!!!

those deep freezers work for all kinds of good stuff.. bait wells, keg coolers, feed storage (dogs, stock), and dog houses too... what will they think of next? :clap:

Love the horse whip idea, its what I started with... still in my Okla storage 7yrs later and 2300miles away....


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## Princesspaola21 (Oct 30, 2012)

Wow that's a good idea. I already have dibs on all of my friends and family's old chest freezers lol but I use them to store feed.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## APASA (Dec 27, 2010)

Haha yeah, I guess a large, durable, insulated box has many good uses. 

We don't have an Idaho winter, but when does get a lil nippy my hounds love their houses. You outta see the look on their faces when I open the lid to check on em. Their like "WTF? Lettin' out all my heat! Shut the door" It's funny. Bug has learned to make a wall out of her hay to block her doorway. I'll stick my hand in past it and it snug and toasty in there. Even the cats will bunker in with the dogs. And when I discovered the horse whip Idea I was like *headdesk* Because i did have.... a 8ft piece of 1" pvc with an ol jeep antenna vet wrapped/zip tied/duct taped to the end (had to re-rig it a time or two) with a piece of deer hide tied to the end of the antenna. It was ugly, heavy, fell apart, and bulky. But.. It worked until I bought everysize horse whip they make, and one for each vehicle, plus one for the house lol. I take a dog with me everywhere and I'm always talking to ppl about dogs and when they ask about training I pull it out and say obedience starts with exercise. Then let the games begin.

Well princess p, if you ever get an extra you know what to do with it.


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## Kazi (Aug 5, 2015)

APASA, 
Can you post pictures of your whip for a toy please. I am trying to make some toys for my puppy.


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## jttar (Jan 31, 2013)

Kazi said:


> APASA,
> Can you post pictures of your whip for a toy please. I am trying to make some toys for my puppy.


 Welcome to the forum Kazi. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a response from APASA as they haven't posted here in over a year.

Joe


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## APASA (Dec 27, 2010)

Kazi.. Here are some pictures I took today. I've stopped using the whole **** skin cap. It's heavier than I like, and the more dogs flirt, the better they get at it. So a lighter lure has become necessary for our dogs. That being said.. I will occasionally break it out to get an adult dog that has never flirted to show some interest. The size of the cap is more enticing to them it seems.. I'm not entirely sure.. But the more a dog flirts the less lure they need. To be honest.. mine will flirt with a broom, fishing pole rod, or even a long stick. 
The pictures show the whole flirt pole.. as well as some close ups of a lure. One is a piece of dress sock. We were on the road to a show in Michigan and I forgot to put flirt pole back in the truck after cleaning it out for traveling. So we picked one up on the way.. the dress sock was left over in my bag from a previous and the match to it was no where to be found. So I tied it to the end of the whip and it works great.

I can't tell you what the other lure (on the shorter whip) is a combo of.. it's just the remains of several lures that have been chewed/torn off.

Hope this helps and that my reply hasn't come too late.


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