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5 DIY Puppy Pen Free & Easy Plans (With Pictures)

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By Nicole Cosgrove

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppy inside play pen

If you’ve decided to build a puppy pen, you will need plans to get you started. You most likely have an idea of what you want, and these five plans in this article are here to help you get started. They range in skill levels from beginner to advanced, so you can find the one that will hold up to exuberant puppies and keep them safe and secure.

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Top 5 DIY Puppy Pen Plans

1. Instructables Living Custom Dog Pen

DIY puppy pen
Image Credit: Instructables

Instructables Living has plans for a large puppy pen with vinyl flooring. It is an excellent project for the beginner carpenter and can be an easy weekend project. It has a chicken wire fence surrounding the floor and looks like a professionally made pen when finished.

The pen’s size is 4×8 feet with two walls (you use the interior walls of your house for the other two), but it is easily customizable if you want four walls or a larger or smaller pen.

Skill level: Beginner

Materials
  • Plywood
  • Screws
  • Staples
  • Lumber
  • Chicken wire
  • Linoleum

Tools
  • Chop saw
  • Circular saw
  • Cordless drill
  • Staple gun
  • Box cutter
  • Other miscellaneous small hand tools


2. Making It Work PVC Puppy Pen

Making It Work put together a YouTube video on how to build a puppy pen for your home. The materials are listed in the video’s description, and it’s a project that is fine for beginners and could be accomplished in one day.

The video is concise, and they make it look easy to build the playpen. They also place links for the materials that were bought, but you can find many of them at your local hardware store.

Skill level: Beginner

Materials
  • PVC tees and elbows
  • PVC pipe
  • PVC couplings
  • Vinyl
  • Lumber
  • Drywall screws
  • Galvanized brackets
  • PVC pipe clamps

Tools
  • Saw for PVC
  • Hand saw
  • PVC primer and glue
  • Utility knife
  • Straightedge knife
  • Screwdriver


3. DIY Temporary Dog Pen, by Rottiepawz

Rottiepawz shows you how to build a puppy playpen using wire storage cubes and cable ties. It is a very basic pen that works well as a temporary structure. Once your puppy gets bigger, it may not keep them confined since it is not high quality nor heavy duty. But you can assemble one quickly, and the materials are easy to find.

Skill level: Beginner

Materials
  • Wire storage cubes
  • Cable ties
Tools
  • Scissors


4. PVC Pipe Dog Pen by Dreamydoodles

DIY puppy pen
Image Credit: Dreamydoodles

Dreamydoodles has instructions on how to make a cost-effective pen that is durable enough to hold up to enthusiastic puppies. This pen doesn’t have a floor, and it’s recommended that you place a heavy-duty plastic tarp on the floor and secure it to the pen with tape. This pen can be a weekend project, and it is well-suited for those who don’t have a great deal of experience in carpentry.

Skill level: Beginner

Materials
  • PVC pipe
  • PVC corners
  • Crosses, Caps, and T’s
  • PVC glue
  • Plastic tarp
  • Duct/masking tape
Tools
  • PVC pipe cutters
  • Tape measure
  • Rubber mallet


5. Dogsaholic Play Pen Area

DIY puppy pen
Image Credit: Dogsaholic

If you want a wooden pen that will last several years, this plan by Dogsaholic is a great choice. You can customize the pen to the size you need. It must be placed outside because you bury the corner poles in the dirt and secure them with cement. It could be modified if you want to have an indoor pen.

Skill level: Advanced

Materials
  • Chain link fence
  • Chicken wire
  • Wood stakes
  • Wooden posts
  • Cement
  • Door hinges
  • Gate
  • Hinge assembly

Tools
  • Wire cutters
  • Screw gun
  • Wood screws
  • Shovel
  • Tape measure

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Conclusion

You can find several sites that allow you to buy dog pens online, but not many on how to build them. We hope these five plans will inspire you to make a puppy pen yourself. All these pens can be customized and adjusted to fit your needs so you can build the perfect pen for your puppy.

See also:


Featured Image Credit: Amber Aquart, Shutterstock

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