# Truck bed dog box... fan?



## JeepnTX (Aug 8, 2006)

I'm in the process of building a box for my tracking dog, and I'm planning on having a 12V fan for circulation on it. So, as far as the fan goes...
Which way would work best? A pusher fan blowing INTO the box from the top, with air vents up higher to circulate the heat out? Or a puller fan on top with vents towards the bottom to draw air THROUGH the box? I'm about to order vents and a 12V fan, just want some opinions first.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

would draw air thru the box, less dust and hair stirred up for the dog to inhale and get respiratory issues.


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## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

Better not even use a fan, if you depend on a fan to cool a dog and make the box wrong you could kill your dog and some idiot will turn you in to animal control and you could have felony charges filed, bad idea, just buy an aftermarket dog kennel or copy one, nobody needs a fan for a dog unless its a showdog or something. What it you run the dog hard and he is hot and somebody hits the fan while its raining and then he gets sick from the airflowing full of rain??? Dont reinvent the wheel.


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## JeepnTX (Aug 8, 2006)

blackhogdog said:


> Better not even use a fan, if you depend on a fan to cool a dog and make the box wrong you could kill your dog and some idiot will turn you in to animal control and you could have felony charges filed, bad idea, just buy an aftermarket dog kennel or copy one, nobody needs a fan for a dog unless its a showdog or something. What it you run the dog hard and he is hot and somebody hits the fan while its raining and then he gets sick from the airflowing full of rain??? Dont reinvent the wheel.


So the guys with the professional hunting dog trailers and the guys that came up with the Super Pro fan system were wrong? Huh, never thought of that...

I apologize for not having it in the budget to spend $500+ on a box that will get used less than 10-15 times a year, and for having the time, materials, and know-how to build something of my own.

The way I see it, if the dog gets run hard (which she more than likely won't since she's not a birddog), I would rather put her in a box that has moving air and is cooler than a box without a fan.

BUT, the main purpose of the fan would be for air circulation. I'm not going to put it by a space heater so it can spread warmth in the winter, and I'm not going to hook it up to an A/C system.

Why don't you sit in a metal box outside without a fan and tell me if you'd want one or not?


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## grandpa cracker (Apr 7, 2006)

I "heard" that blowing warm air on a dog is worse than no air flow at all in the
summer months.
Guess it would depend on what kind of box the dog was in ? Back in the late 60`s,
we ran coyotes on the Red River and rabbits with Greyhounds in pasture (flat land).
The coyote dogs were transported in a wooden framed, wire mesh box with hay
as the bottom in the back of a truck. The greyhounds were just held in the back or
walked until a rabbit was spotlighted or jumped. 
In warmer weather, the coyote dogs were transported in said box with air allowed to flow freely. In cooler weather, there was a tarp put over the box with just the 
wire mesh doors exposed.
Are you guys talking about fully enclosed metal boxes with only slits for air ?


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## Slimshady (Jan 11, 2005)

You should pull the air, not push. 

I customized a RK tool box for a single hole kennel and can bolt a small squirrel cage fan to the side pulling air from around the back and front. Velcro'd a small digital remote tempature sending unit to the underside of the box and never had a problem even in low 90deg temperature. I love not having to load a kennel every time I want to work a dog or go somewhere. Also can safely lock the dog for peace of mind when in a store or a restaurant. You should be fine as long as there's plenty of fresh air. Good luck with the project!


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## grandpa cracker (Apr 7, 2006)

Slimshady said:


> You should pull the air, not push.
> 
> I customized a RK tool box for a single hole kennel and can bolt a small squirrel cage fan to the side pulling air from around the back and front. Velcro'd a small digital remote tempature sending unit to the underside of the box and never had a problem even in low 90deg temperature. I love not having to load a kennel every time I want to work a dog or go somewhere. Also can safely lock the dog for peace of mind when in a store or a restaurant. You should be fine as long as there's plenty of fresh air. Good luck with the project!


Seems like common sense would tell a person what`s best for the dog.
However, I don`t have a working dog in the sense of hog hunting or birds.
I transport my dog in my van with a weak ac but plug in a little fan to
blow into his crate. If he is hot from running or exercising, I let him cool off slowly in some shade with a little water before loading him up.
I mean, nobody wants to do anything to hurt their dog.
I`ve seen some of those metal containers , do they come with an air circulator or do you have to put one in , or both ?
Sounds like you have a good set-up, Slim.


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## nbell (Aug 18, 2010)

I repaired a pro dog trainers trailer the other day . It used boat bilge blowers to pull the air out


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## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

JeepnTX said:


> So the guys with the professional hunting dog trailers and the guys that came up with the Super Pro fan system were wrong? Huh, never thought of that...
> 
> I apologize for not having it in the budget to spend $500+ on a box that will get used less than 10-15 times a year, and for having the time, materials, and know-how to build something of my own.
> 
> ...


 Never mind, you need that Super Pro Fan that they sell for high fenced tracking dogs, I dont how we ever made it home without one down here for 45 years.....


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## Zereaux (Jul 18, 2006)

blackhogdog said:


> Never mind, you need that Super Pro Fan that they sell for high fenced tracking dogs, I dont how we ever made it home without one down here for 45 years.....


Wow...a great contribution to this thread.

JeepnTX,

Pull the air out, build the box right, stay away from idiots that might turn
you in to animal control (put a lawyer on retainer just in case), don't let anyone mess with the fan if it's raining, tear down the high fence, and
ignore the haters...

Good luck with your project.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

Every box I've seen (or at least every one that I paid any attention to) blows out, and fresh "replacement" air sucks in through vents on the sides. The main point is not to be having a fan on the dog, but to make sure you don't get stagnant air heating up in the box.. That being said, I'd certainly agree that you want to build the box where it'd stay reasonably cool WITHOUT the fan: someday you'll be on a trip and that fan will keel over between stops: you don't want your dog cooking for three or four hours until you notice it's not blowing any more..


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## JeepnTX (Aug 8, 2006)

It will be sufficiently vented to where the dog will be fine without the fan, the fan will just be extra so if its really hot it'll just be that much more airflow.

Gettin' through the day with Tapatalk.


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## 2salty (Jul 8, 2010)

I have a two hole Deerskin box with the exhaust fan. The way it's setup is it pulls air through the vents on the doors and sides and blows the hot air out of the top. If you don't get the hot air out the dogs can and will overheat especially if you have been doing water work in the summer because that water insulates them then it gets steamy making them even hotter, even having the fan I always dry my dogs off before I put them back in the box.


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