Dr. Page: Light is very beneficial and important. Your dogs need to be exposed to a certain amount and type of light each day in order to maintain their overall production and emotional well being.

Dogs are affected by light: the total amount oand intensity of light available; by the ration of hours of light to the hours of darkness in a 24 hour period; and by the type of light (wavelengths) they are exposed to.

Light affects many aspects of a dog's life. The dog's biological clock or circadian rhythm is set and controlled by the relative periods of light and dark to which it is exposed. Dogs that remain in darkness for extended periods of time each day may develop plysical as well as emotional disorders. Light plays a major role in the development of vision in puppies. Prolonged darkness during the stage when a puppy's eyes first open can lead to permanent blindness.

Darkness inside the kennel promotes the growth and spread of many disease causing germs and the increased infestations of insects and rodents.

Eventhough your dogs may have access to the outside a certain amount of supplemental lighting inside the kennel is needed each day; especially during the winter months when the natural daylight is shortenend. Dogs should be exposed to a minimum period of 12 to 14 hours of light each day in order to maintain their normal biological clock or circadian rhythm. This is very important in order to maintain normal reproduction cycles and emotional well being. A good rule of thumb is to supply enough light intensity inside the kennel at the dog's eye level that a person can read a newspaper without difficulty. Most types of artificial lighting are acceptable but fluorescent lighting is the best overall source of light for inside the kennel. A timer is good to use to help control the length of time the lights remain on inside the kennel.