10 dog houses that are better than your actual home!

published 21 November 2016

We treat our pets as part of the family, so why not show our dogs that they are truly man's best friend by giving them a room - ie kennel-type hideout - of their own? Nice idea, right? But there are always some pet-parents who take things that little bit further, as these extreme dog house designs show. Some of these pooch properties are bigger - and better maintained - than a standard (human-sized) rental in the city, and make us feel like we're the ones in the dog house!

1 Beware the (life) guard dog

We are in PUPPY LOVE with this Lifeguard Hut dog house.
Ok, so Baywatch proved we couldn't live in a lifeguard tower but, if we
had a beachside property, boy would this be our inspo for the pool
house in the garden. Light, bright and full of fun, this dog is clearly
having a ball and we want to join in!

2 The Taj Ma-howl

You may have been on holiday to India and visited one of the Seven Wonders of the World but, we all know, you can't live in it! Your eyes do not deceive you though. This is, in fact, a dog-sized replica of the Taj Mahal. Made with architectural foam and stucco, to meet your specifications, this detailed abode comes in at a cool $40,000! Better hope your puppy doesn't decide it's a chew toy...

3 The Rover

More humble than the Taj Mahal, however you can hardly suggest your dog would be living rough (sorry) in this cute campervan design by Italian designer Marco Morosini. We'd quite like a permanent holiday home. Just saying.

4 Pedigree Chums

multi floor dog house with bone shape swimming pool

If dogs did property ads, this one would read: Modern open-plan home with large roof terrace, sizeable garden and outdoor swimming pool. In human terms that's a big old house, so the dog who lives here is on to a real estate winner.

5 How Does Your Garden Growl?

This dog house features a unique, eco-friendly 'living roof' or veggie patch, as well as a contemporary hanging planter fashioned from water bowls. Plenty of people dream of a rural retreat, but just look how happy this owner is!

6 Beverley Hills Dog

Classical features, a portico with stone columns, red brick walls, a tiled roof and... air con, running water and lighting? If this is just the (custom-made) kennel, we can't even begin to imagine what this puppy's owners' house looks like. All we know is, it's a bigger version of this!

7 Bow-wows Style

Modern Design purists will love the Bauhaus style of this dog house. They might even try to fit inside this pad with its streamlined surfaces, glass panels and jaunty red-painted accents... although we wouldn't recommend that. Leave it for the puppies - or, with those all-round views, the guard dog - to enjoy.

8 Toto, we're not in Kansas...

With its wooden cladding, plantation shutters and porch (minus swing seat), the Outback Savannah Dog House could easily be renamed the Little House on the Prairie. Although, we think this is actually bigger than the real prairie house!

9 Space Crufts

Created as part of a project designed to highlight how we treat our dogs, this futuristic dog house has plenty of shelter, jazzy 'green' decor, what looks like a solar panel for a roof, and a modular kitchen... ok, it's a built-in bowl station, but that counts as a breakfast bar in our books. Roof over head, food, water - what more can we ask for?

10 The Wright Stuff

Who wouldn't want a one-of-a-kind home dreamed up by a famed architect? Frank Lloyd Wright designed this dog house
in 1957 as an addition to one of his architectural gems in California,
after the owner's son asked him to save his dog Eddie from the cold
winter nights. Built from the same materials as the house itself -
Phillipine mahogany and cedar - the irony was that Eddie the dog shunned
the triangular house, preferring to shelter on the front step!

Passionate about pooches? Learn how to kit out your home for dog grooming

Ginevra Benedetti has been the Deputy Editor of Ideal Home magazine since 2021. With a career in magazines spanning nearly twenty years, she has worked for the majority of the UK’s interiors magazines, both as staff and as a freelancer. She first joined the Ideal Home team in 2011, initially as the Deputy Decorating Editor and has never left! She currently oversees the publication of the brand’s magazine each month, from planning through to publication, editing, writing or commissioning the majority of the content.