Dogs love hanging out with their humans, but sometimes they also appreciate a space that they can have all to themselves to chill, feel safe, and maybe catch up on some napping.
People make all kinds of dog houses, pads, and forts for their dogs, and some are far more intricate than others. Depending on your skill level, you might find some of the following doggy hangout spaces to be too advanced for your tastes, but others are very simple and easy do-it-yourself projects.
Here are eight cool dog pads that you might want to try making for your pup.
1. Under-The-Bed Bunker
If you have a lot of unused space under your bed, your dog might be happy to take up residence and make sure the area stays monster-free.
The people in the video above went all out to make the space very comfortable, even going so far as to install running water.
Your dog may not need so many bells and whistles. A small, sectioned-off space with a comfy bed may do just fine, but the amount of work you want to put in is up to you.
2. A Home In A Van
Apparently some people are downsizing their lives and choosing van homes instead of full houses, and others just want a moving home-away-from-home, but they aren’t about to leave their dogs behind.
If you’re fixing up a new vehicle, maybe you can take a lesson from This Moving House and put a built-in dog pad in your traveling home.
3. Box Fort
The box fort has always been a classic for kids with some imagination, and dogs can enjoy a good box fort, too.
The guys in the video above went all out when it came to building a box dog mansion, but you certainly don’t need to make something so extravagant. This is a great project that even kids can enjoy, as it only requires some cardboard and tape.
You may want to supervise cutting with sharp objects, but otherwise, kids can have a good time making and decorating a box fort for their pup.
It’s not meant to be a permanent dog home, but it will be fun while it lasts.
4. It Lives Under The Stairs
You may have a small storage area under your stairs, or you may find that there’s space there that’s going to waste. Either way, consider using that place for a dog pad.
You may need to use some carpentry skills, but plenty of people have made dog houses under the stairs that look great. You can decorate it with dog-themed wallpaper and put a nice bed in there for comfort.
5. Kid Castle Is Now Dog Playhouse
Your kids may have outgrown their plastic playhouses or castles, but you don’t have to throw them away if you have a dog.
Dogs can use these kid castles as places to chill outside and enjoy the nice weather. If you have a pup who likes to spend a lot of time outside with you, give them a place to relax in the shade while you sit in a lawn chair and soak up the sun.
Just toss in some cushions or a dog bed and a bowl of water and you’ve got an instant dog house.
6. The Classic Pillow Fort
A pillow fort is pretty easy to set up, and it’s also easy to take down if you want a doggy safe place that can easily be removed and put out of the way when it’s not being used.
Pillow forts can be as simple or as elaborate as you like, and your dog will probably just appreciate having a nice, soft place to lie down.
7. Indoor Kids’ Tents
Small indoor kids’ tents are fairly easy to set up and don’t require you to put any stakes through your floor. You just pop them up, and they’re ready to go.
If your kid doesn’t fit in their tent any more, then you can re-purpose it as a sweet dog house. You can put also some toys and a comfy dog bed in there and make it nice and cozy.
Isn’t recycling great?
8. Start From Scratch And Go All Out
Some people are really, really handy. There are plenty of tutorials online that teach you how to build a dog house out of wooden pallets or other materials, but it’s up to you how far you want to go to give your dog an awesome hangout space.
You can be as creative as you want.
The guy in the video above went all out and laid out the dog house virtually on his computer to have a plan. He cut, drilled, assembled, and stained a huge dog house for his pup, and it looks amazing.
There are certainly plenty of easier solutions for giving your dog a place to relax, but this guy definitely has something to be proud of with all the hard work he put in, and I’m sure his pup loves it.
Does your dog have a cool hangout space? Have you ever made a pad for your dog to relax? Then let us know in the comments below!
