Having your dog feel secure, comfortable and safe in their environment is important to you. So you'll want to put some thought into his 'den' as you start looking into dog houses, dog kennels and dog crates.
Your home situation will dictate which of these doggie hangouts you should have. If you don't have a backyard fence, researching dog kennels should be the priority over dog houses and dog crates. Outdoor dog kennels will give your dog the chance to run around outside and still avoid any run-ins with neighbors or their dogs while you're away.
If your backyard is fenced in, researching dog kennels may not be necessary, unless your dog turns out to be hyperactive around groups of people, in which case you may want one for when you're having people over who don't feel like being tackled. If your dog turns out to be well-behaved, you'll probably be fine just looking into dog houses and dog crates.
If you plan on your dog staying primarily inside when he's not getting his needed exercise, you'll want to look at dog crates over dog houses or dog kennels. While dog crates get a bit of a bad rap, essentially because they're cages, dogs tend to love them as they cater to their den-like tendencies. If you put a nice bed in the dog crate along with some toys and food, your dog will have his own little palace.
