why are dog kennel ventilation systems important?

03-30-162 mins read

One challenge we overcame when constructing Man’s Best Kennel®, was combining plenty of ventilation and structural integrity.

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One challenge we overcame when constructing Man’s Best Kennel® was combining plenty of ventilation and structural integrity.

If you have been following us any amount of time, you know Gunner Kennels is a company that doesn’t compromise when it comes to pet safety and comfort. We take the time to perfect every detail of our dog crates the first time around. That’s why when people ask us if the crate has enough ventilation, we can say with certainty that it does.

Both G1™ crate features 10 windows on the kennel’s sides, a vented door and three rear windows, and all designs allow for ample airflow.

The windows and door work in tandem with the crate’s double-walled, rotomolded plastic construction to maintain a comfortable environment in most conditions.

When it’s hot, the extra layer of material between your dog and the outside helps block the sun and humidity. Another feature is the rubber feet. In addition to keeping to crate from sliding around in the back of a vehicle, the rubber feet raises the crate off the ground, which limits conduction from adjoining surfaces, such as hot pavement or the bed of a truck.

Think about it in like this: When you go the beach on a hot day, the sand is scorching. So you lay down a towel to sit on. This helps, but soon the towel gets hot as well. So you sit in a chair and get off the ground to be more comfortable. Same principle applies to our kennels. We did temperature tests on a hot day last summer using our crates and others on the market.

The ground temperature was 118 degrees. We placed five kennels on the ground and under the sun. Using an infrared thermometer, we measured the interior temperature of the crates. All three crates not made by Gunner Kennels were over 100 degrees inside, and two of the three were warmer than the ground itself (122 and  135 degrees). Our kennels, two G1™ Intermediate crates read 85 degrees (with a SeaDeck Kennel Pad installed) and 95 degrees (without a SeaDek Kennel Pad).

See video of the test here.

Now we don’t recommend leaving your dog in any kennel unattended for an extended period of time under any conditions, let alone extreme temps. We did this test to show that a dog crate’s ability to keep a dog cool in hot temperatures is not just about how much ventilation there is. It’s important, but insulation of the crate and separation from the ground is also a factor. As the test shows, our kennel design fares the best in keeping the inside of the crate cool.

Again, all this said, it’s still important to use common sense when traveling with a dog in extreme temperatures. We are working on a kennel fan that will be ready by summer, but you still want to be sure you stop often to give water and walk your 4-legged passenger.

Never leave a dog unattended in a crate when it’s hot, even if he is inside the vehicle with the A/C running. If the air conditioner fails, heat exhaustion can occur rapidly. 

Consider installing a wireless temperature sensor on the interior top of the crate that allows you to monitor the temperature from the cab of your pickup truck on long trips when the temperatures are really high.

Our customers have reported that a Gunner Kennel keeps their dog cooler than any other crate they have used. There have been no complaints of inadequate ventilation.

We did not sacrifice the safety and structural integrity for the proper ventilation of our dog crates. There’s no doubt that the G1™ Intermediate and Large are the strongest plastic dog crates. Thanks to the scrutiny of every detail of the design, we also know it will keep them comfortable under normal and reasonable use.

If you order a kennel from us and think otherwise upon its arrival, you may return it to us for a full refund if it’s new and unused and is accompanied by a copy of the receipt provided with the original purchase. That’s how confident we are that you will love everything about our dog crates.