This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

We've got a dog that likes to be outdoors - but not to the extent of
wanting to be in a kennel*. It has free access inside through a dogflap,
but likes to lie outside and listen to the noises of the night, and a
little bit of birdsong occasionally in the early mornings.

Are any of the "slab" insulating materials like Kingspan suited to being
laid bare outside without protection, not soak water like a sponge - yet
be dense enough to not crumble particularly easily (polystyrene could be
messy) ? FWIW it's a large labrador**

I'm just thinking if any of it might be suitable, I might pick some up,
throw it on the patio, and see if I can encourage it not to get too cold
:-}

* / ** she's the biggest labrador bitch the vet had ever seen (_not_
overweight, just very tall) and was stunned to find it weighed over 45
kilos even as a youngster (before she got to full adult "filled out a
bit" size) - she's half as tall again compared to an average lab :-}

TIA :-}

On 2007-03-16 00:38:46 +0000, Colin Wilson
o.uk said:

This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

We've got a dog that likes to be outdoors - but not to the extent of
wanting to be in a kennel*. It has free access inside through a dogflap,
but likes to lie outside and listen to the noises of the night, and a
little bit of birdsong occasionally in the early mornings.

Are any of the "slab" insulating materials like Kingspan suited to being
laid bare outside without protection, not soak water like a sponge - yet
be dense enough to not crumble particularly easily (polystyrene could be
messy) ? FWIW it's a large labrador**

I'm just thinking if any of it might be suitable, I might pick some up,
throw it on the patio, and see if I can encourage it not to get too cold
:-}

* / ** she's the biggest labrador bitch the vet had ever seen (_not_
overweight, just very tall) and was stunned to find it weighed over 45
kilos even as a youngster (before she got to full adult "filled out a
bit" size) - she's half as tall again compared to an average lab :-}

TIA :-}

I had a piece of the stuff stacked outside for a couple of years and it
didn't disintegrate and neither
did the foil come off. It became quite soaked with rainwater but that
didn't seem to be a problem.
I slung it out in the end, but it was still reasonably OK.

A bigger problem might be the slobberador doing just that on it or chewing.

Either way, having once had a similarly scaled black labrador (dog), I
suspect that this sheet would not be a long term solution - would
probably disintegrate

Colin Wilson wrote:

I'm just thinking if any of it might be suitable, I might pick some up,
throw it on the patio, and see if I can encourage it not to get too cold
:-}

Well it won't soak up water, and should last reasonably well outside
left to its own devices (the exposed edge will harden a bit with UV
exposure).

The biggest problem I would have thought would be sharp pointy bits
(which if yours is anything like ours, probably has plenty) that could
puncture the foil coating and ultimately erode the surface.

Perhaps your best bet would be a bit of the stuff designed for warm deck
roofs. This is a layer of insulation board with a thin coating of ply
bonded to it. This will probably withstand the effect of twinkle toes
tapping away!

--
Cheers,

John.

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\================================================= ================/

The biggest problem I would have thought would be sharp pointy bits
(which if yours is anything like ours, probably has plenty) that could
puncture the foil coating and ultimately erode the surface.

Thanks for the replies - I didn't realise it had a foil coating...

On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 01:53:30 -0000, Colin Wilson
o.uk mused:

The biggest problem I would have thought would be sharp pointy bits
(which if yours is anything like ours, probably has plenty) that could
puncture the foil coating and ultimately erode the surface.

Thanks for the replies - I didn't realise it had a foil coating...

Yep, I was going to suggest, on a simialr note to above, some sort of
hardwearing weather resistantish protective coating, hardboard with a
sheet of some sort over maybe? Should keep all the bits together then
as well.
--
Regards,
Stuart.

Colin Wilson wrote:
The biggest problem I would have thought would be sharp pointy bits
(which if yours is anything like ours, probably has plenty) that could
puncture the foil coating and ultimately erode the surface.

Thanks for the replies - I didn't realise it had a foil coating...

Its quite a tough plasticised foil - usually on both sides (unless you
get the insulation bonded to some other substrate like ply or plasterboard)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Colin Wilson wrote:
This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

We've got a dog that likes to be outdoors - but not to the extent of
wanting to be in a kennel*. It has free access inside through a dogflap,
but likes to lie outside and listen to the noises of the night, and a
little bit of birdsong occasionally in the early mornings.

Are any of the "slab" insulating materials like Kingspan suited to being
laid bare outside without protection, not soak water like a sponge - yet
be dense enough to not crumble particularly easily (polystyrene could be
messy) ? FWIW it's a large labrador**

I'm just thinking if any of it might be suitable, I might pick some up,
throw it on the patio, and see if I can encourage it not to get too cold
:-}

* / ** she's the biggest labrador bitch the vet had ever seen (_not_
overweight, just very tall) and was stunned to find it weighed over 45
kilos even as a youngster (before she got to full adult "filled out a
bit" size) - she's half as tall again compared to an average lab :-}

TIA :-}

Labradors in general and most large dogs are well adapted to sub zero
conditions.

Ors even likes to splash in the sea in winter...he comes out shivering,
but soon warms up by running around.

A brisk walk in summer gets him overheating..he runs into the pond and
stands there for ten minutes..

If the silly bitch wants to lie outside, let her. She knows here own
well being better than you do.

In message , Colin
Wilson o.uk writes
This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

We've got a dog that likes to be outdoors - but not to the extent of
wanting to be in a kennel*. It has free access inside through a dogflap,
but likes to lie outside and listen to the noises of the night, and a
little bit of birdsong occasionally in the early mornings.

Are any of the "slab" insulating materials like Kingspan suited to being
laid bare outside without protection, not soak water like a sponge - yet
be dense enough to not crumble particularly easily (polystyrene could be
messy) ? FWIW it's a large labrador**

Why not do the job properly? I have some insulated steel roofing panel
offcuts free to good home:-)

Ideal for a trendy, slate blue finished, dog kennel.

regards
--
Tim Lamb

On 16 Mar, 00:38, Colin Wilson
o.uk wrote:
This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

We've got a dog that likes to be outdoors - but not to the extent of
wanting to be in a kennel*. It has free access inside through a dogflap,
but likes to lie outside and listen to the noises of the night, and a
little bit of birdsong occasionally in the early mornings.

Are any of the "slab" insulating materials like Kingspan suited to being
laid bare outside without protection, not soak water like a sponge - yet
be dense enough to not crumble particularly easily (polystyrene could be
messy) ? FWIW it's a large labrador**

I'm just thinking if any of it might be suitable, I might pick some up,
throw it on the patio, and see if I can encourage it not to get too cold
:-}

* / ** she's the biggest labrador bitch the vet had ever seen (_not_
overweight, just very tall) and was stunned to find it weighed over 45
kilos even as a youngster (before she got to full adult "filled out a
bit" size) - she's half as tall again compared to an average lab :-}

TIA :-}

An oddball question hopefully means oddball answers are acceptable...

How about making her a small deck? Perhaps the insulation board could
be put within/beneath it too.

Our cats like to sit on 'anything' that happens to be in an otherwise
bare area. Hence if I built a foot-square deck on my patio it'd get
sat on, guaranteed. Dunno about dogs though?

Mathew

Mathew Newton wrote

Our cats like to sit on 'anything' that happens to be in an otherwise
bare area. Hence if I built a foot-square deck on my patio it'd get
sat on, guaranteed.

And they sit there radiating an air of "This is MINE." g

--
-blj-

On 2007-03-16 12:57:16 +0000, Brian L Johnson said:

Mathew Newton wrote

Our cats like to sit on 'anything' that happens to be in an otherwise
bare area. Hence if I built a foot-square deck on my patio it'd get
sat on, guaranteed.

And they sit there radiating an air of "This is MINE." g

It is, and don't forget that you are merely a member of their staff.

On 16 Mar, 00:38, Colin Wilson
o.uk wrote:
This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

We've got a dog that likes to be outdoors - but not to the extent of
wanting to be in a kennel*. It has free access inside through a dogflap,
but likes to lie outside and listen to the noises of the night, and a
little bit of birdsong occasionally in the early mornings.

Are any of the "slab" insulating materials like Kingspan suited to being
laid bare outside without protection, not soak water like a sponge - yet
be dense enough to not crumble particularly easily (polystyrene could be
messy) ? FWIW it's a large labrador**

I'm just thinking if any of it might be suitable, I might pick some up,
throw it on the patio, and see if I can encourage it not to get too cold
:-}

* / ** she's the biggest labrador bitch the vet had ever seen (_not_
overweight, just very tall) and was stunned to find it weighed over 45
kilos even as a youngster (before she got to full adult "filled out a
bit" size) - she's half as tall again compared to an average lab :-}

TIA :-}

How about a camping mat ?

Rob

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2007-03-16 12:57:16 +0000, Brian L Johnson
said:

Mathew Newton wrote

Our cats like to sit on 'anything' that happens to be in an otherwise
bare area. Hence if I built a foot-square deck on my patio it'd get
sat on, guaranteed.

And they sit there radiating an air of "This is MINE." g

It is, and don't forget that you are merely a member of their staff.



Mine has taken to lying on the spaghetti junction of cables behind the
tv, which is slightly more convenient than the computer keyboard.

How about a camping mat ?

Not a bad one - and I may even have one kicking around (that hadn't
occurred to me) :-)

Mine has taken to lying on the spaghetti junction of cables behind the
tv, which is slightly more convenient than the computer keyboard.

Our other mutt (now 14) knows how to ID the mouse cable on my wifes'
machine, and it gets a good tug whenever she's been on the computer
longer than the mutt likes :-}

An oddball question hopefully means oddball answers are acceptable...
How about making her a small deck? Perhaps the insulation board could
be put within/beneath it too.

It's not an oddball answer by any means, and could well be a winner !

Ors even likes to splash in the sea in winter...he comes out shivering,
but soon warms up by running around.

Ours is a bugger for water too - the older one was as well once, but had
a couple of real close shaves aka didn't realise how deep and fast
flowing a section was and got washed downstream, having to be rescued by
grabbing the collar and dragging her out half-strangled in the process -
she now stays clear of anything deeper than paw-deep :-}

If the silly bitch wants to lie outside, let her. She knows here own
well being better than you do.

I know, i'm probably getting a little soft with them now they're getting
older :-}

This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

Thanks for the replies guys, it's given me a couple of ideas :-)

Why not do the job properly? I have some insulated steel roofing panel
offcuts free to good home:-)
Ideal for a trendy, slate blue finished, dog kennel.

If you're in the Liverpool area, I might even take you up on that :-)

On 16 Mar, 22:56, Colin Wilson
o.uk wrote:
This is probably one of the strangest posts i've ever made, but...

Thanks for the replies guys, it's given me a couple of ideas :-)

Hey - thanks for the query. It's the humour funnies like this create
that make this NG a good read.

Rob

Hey - thanks for the query. It's the humour funnies like this create
that make this NG a good read.

You want to see the one i've just had someone repost from a linux
mailing list from several years ago about pet alligators !

Stuart Noble wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:
On 2007-03-16 12:57:16 +0000, Brian L Johnson
said:

Mathew Newton wrote

Our cats like to sit on 'anything' that happens to be in an otherwise
bare area. Hence if I built a foot-square deck on my patio it'd get
sat on, guaranteed.

And they sit there radiating an air of "This is MINE." g

It is, and don't forget that you are merely a member of their staff.

Mine has taken to lying on the spaghetti junction of cables behind the
tv, which is slightly more convenient than the computer keyboard.

Mmm, meet our new PITA kitten:
http://img.photoamp.com/i/CCYzCnk.jpg
(and the welts on my hand are not diy-related for once...)

Lobster wrote:
Stuart Noble wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:
On 2007-03-16 12:57:16 +0000, Brian L Johnson
said:

Mathew Newton wrote

Our cats like to sit on 'anything' that happens to be in an otherwise
bare area. Hence if I built a foot-square deck on my patio it'd get
sat on, guaranteed.

And they sit there radiating an air of "This is MINE." g

It is, and don't forget that you are merely a member of their staff.

Mine has taken to lying on the spaghetti junction of cables behind the
tv, which is slightly more convenient than the computer keyboard.

Mmm, meet our new PITA kitten:
http://img.photoamp.com/i/CCYzCnk.jpg
(and the welts on my hand are not diy-related for once...)

I think you might have a small leopard there.
Time to dust that keyboard :-)