I have 2 Siberian huskies that love to run the fence line in my backyard. Because of this, grass does not grow along the fence line and they end up tracking mud into the house on rainy days.
My question:
What alternate material(s) can I place down so as to cover the mud and also have it be a little easier to clean off their paws?
Is there material that will be easy on their paws? Because if it is too hard on them and they don’t like running on it, they will simply create a new mud run just shy of the new material.
FTR, we constantly go on dogwalks and dogparks, but my backyard faces a busy intersection that is very active with dogwalkers, bikers, joggers, etc., therefore my dogs love running alongside the fence when all these people happen to pass by.
We have a doggie door that allows my dogs full in and out access to the backyard and house. I realize that I could limit my dogs access to the backyard during foul times, but the backyard is their domain and they love playing in the rain as much as the snow, so I am trying to find a reasonable and more cleaner compromise.
How long is the fence run that you’re talking about?
You could certainly look at an artificial turf (astroturf) solution, but it would be costly.
I’ve seen people use indoor/outdoor carpet remnants but it doesn’t look very good.
You could put down some kind of bark product or mulch, but it will end up all over your lawn and in your house. If they are running and barking and upsetting people who happen to be walking by with or without their dogs you might want to train them not to do it anymore and then lay down some turf…
Even if you weren’t on a busy corner they would still patrol the fence. The edges are like magnets. My tiny ones do it too and theirs nothing for them to see except our neighbors’ empty backyards. Every dog I’ve ever known does it.
I thought about AstroTurf too. You can sometimes get discontinued carpet samples (big squares) from flooring salesmen. Also there’s always stepping stones, paving a cement walk, or resodding periodically. The cement is probably the only sure fire solution, although pretty permanent.
I believe grass is best but that’s not standing up to the traffic. Concrete is a good choice but it gets hot and you’ll probably want to put a cover/roof (tarp, thatch) over it. Pea gravel is another choice but it can/maybe be hard on a dog’s paws. However, we’re talking about Huskys, which were bred to overcome hardships. Snow, ice, rocks, wolves… (What? You call this a challenge? What else ya got? Bring it on, sucka!)
A friend of mine once recommended Rupturewort as a ground cover for a dog run. I don’t have a fence so I never followed thru with his suggestion but the idea stuck with me.
You need to know your Hardiness number to see what plants are recommended for your area.
To my knowledge, no one is upset. But even if they were, that is not my problem. I have a 6ft tall reinforced black aluminum fence separating my private property from the public sidewalk, as well as a 15ft easement between the fence and sidewalk. With a solid physical barrier separating my dogs from others, I would actually laugh if someone complained to me about dogs running my own fence line and barking at them or their dogs during their morning, afternoon, or evening walks. Really?!?!? My dogs cannot physically get to you. Just keep on walking and have a nice day!
Thank you SO MUCH for this suggestion! This may be exactly what I am looking for!