German Shepherd Doghouse (Silly Solutions)

Hello!

My name is Peter Otoshi, and in my high school’s Computer Aided Design course I had the opportunity to design a doghouse for the German Shepherd. This dog breed often experiences pain in its legs and constant hip pain, as well as a bloated stomach from its deep chest. My goal was to create a brand new doghouse specifically for the German Shepherd in order to better address its health needs. After brainstorming possible solutions to the breed’s unique health issues, I began prototyping using TinkerCad.

My initial idea was to create a rounded design (German Shepherds are prone to hemophilia) with a narrow opening to prevent the dog from rolling around and having bloated stomachs. I also eliminated the step into the doghouse to help German Shepherd that have hip dysplasia.

I later added in a back door for the dog to exit out of instead of having to difficulty maneuver inside the narrow design.

My major change was adding a ramp to the doghouse on both sides. I designed a textured ramp to provide the German Shepherd’s front legs with better grip in ascending and descending. This design also allowed me to incorporate a removable top for the owner to refill food and water dishes, which would otherwise cause the Shepherd to have a bloated stomach.

This project was both enjoyable and challenging as I had a very specific problem to solve. TinkerCad definitely helped me envision different possibilities beyond the typical doghouse appearance.