In dog breeding, the following types of animal keeping are used: yard, apartment, group and field. Group keeping of dogs is practiced, in particular, in kennels.
A kennel (or factory) of purebred dogs is created on the basis of a breeding stock; to form a kennel, a dog breeder (or a group of them) must own at least one breeding female (producer) registered with a cynological organization that is part of the Russian Cynological Federation (RKF). A private kennel can be organized by an individual over the age of 18 who meets at least one of the following requirements: to have the title of an expert cynologist, to graduate from cynological courses, to have at least three years of experience in dog breeding. A collective kennel can be organized by a group of dog breeders – a group of individuals from the age of 18 who voluntarily united to work in a kennel. A nursery organization can create a legal entity – a state or other organization, association.
Dogs should run, walk, actively communicate with their fellows and, of course, with their owners. They should lead a happy dog life. Dog kennels must be kept in good conditions. Such conditions for breeding should be created so that not only the exterior of the dog, but also its character, its behavior and its health correspond to the standard.
The purpose of this work is to consider the rules for keeping dogs and caring for them in group keeping (in kennels).
General information about the group keeping of dogs
The area required for group keeping depends on the number of dogs and the type of their service. When determining the size of the area, the needs for sites for the construction of main and auxiliary structures and in places for walking and practicing with dogs are taken into account. The most convenient area is on the slopes of the terrain, on forest glades and forest edges with natural protection from damp and cold winds, not flooded by rain or melt water. The soil is desirable dry, coarse-grained (sandy and sandy loamy), with a high groundwater horizon.
The distance from dog breeding buildings to residential and industrial buildings is determined by the existing veterinary and sanitary and fire safety standards.
For better access to sunlight, the buildings for dogs are located in the northern regions with a facade to the south, in the southern regions – to the west.
Water is taken when there is running water, from the network and columns, when it is not – from spring and artesian wells. Flowing water bodies can only be used if the water intake sites are not polluted (sewage, etc.).
Drainage grooves and sewer wells should be provided along the front of the dog walks. Protective green spaces are desirable in the form of one common strip or single-row plantings near structures.
The location of the dogs is enclosed with a solid fence of at least 2 m. To avoid digging and escapes of dogs, the fence is somewhat buried in the ground, for which a groove is dug up to 20 cm deep under the fence and filled with broken brick, ladle, edge-on brick, rubble or fascinator with backfill . Fences are built from local materials; at a height of up to 1 m from the ground, a mesh or wire is pulled into 3-4 threads. The fence can be replaced with a dense green plantation 2-3 m wide from acacia or wild rose bushes.
To protect animals from cold, precipitation, winds, dampness and extreme heat, to keep dogs without a leash and to prevent the introduction of infectious diseases by stray, neglected animals and wild animals, various types of buildings are needed. For buildings, local and cheapest materials are used, widely using waste and wood substitutes. All structures are structurally light, mainly frame type on supports (foundation) of pillars-chairs – wooden, brick, concrete, etc. The depth of the foundation depends on the composition of the soil, the level of groundwater and the depth of soil freezing in the area.
Walls and partitions can be plank, fibrolite, clay-wattle, etc.
The roof is made from shingles, board, slate, clay-straw, etc. The angle of inclination of the roof is set depending on the material from which it is made (on average 20-30 °). Floors must be durable, waterproof, easy to disinfect, have low thermal conductivity and must not be slippery. Logs under the floors are carefully treated with antiseptics. The least durable floors are adobe and rammed soil. Giving dampness, cold and dust cement floors in dog breeding are not used. The slope of the floors towards the facade is 1-2°, depending on the length of the span.