What's the best material for a dog run floor?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I have a dog. I also have a lawn which is getting destroyed by the dog. Because of the way my yard is configured, I am able to put up a railing and gate on my deck which will prevent my dog from getting onto the grass to dig and, eliminate. There’s a small area (about 12 feet by 4 feet) between my garage and fence that I would like to turn into a place for the dog to do her business. It wouldn’t be a dog run per se, just a place for poopin’.

I was wondering if anyone on the board had any suggestions about flooring for this area. Currently, it’s just dirt, so I can pretty much put anything down. From my limited research on the web, the most attractive options seem to be:

  1. Pea gravel. I’m concerned that this might be hard on her feet, and that it might be difficult to train her to go on since she is used to grass. On the plus side, it’s relatively cheap and easy to come by.

  2. Rubberized mats. I’ve heard that some people have used them with some success. The ones I’m referring to would be the type used for flooring in stables.

  3. Pea gravel covered with indoor/outdoor carpet. I’m sort of leaning towards this idea. The pea gravel provides drainage, and the carpet (which doesn’t have a backing) seems more like grass to the dog and makes the leavings easier to pick up.

Any thoughts?

ETA: sorry if this is in the wrong forum - feel free to chastize me if necessary. :slight_smile:

2

Wait…it’s just going to be a place for her to poop? Why even bother putting anything down? If you use rubber mats, they’ll have to be washed. If you use pea gravel, sooner or later it’ll have to be hosed down. Indoor/outdoor carpet? Good heavens. You’re making SO much more work for yourself.

Just leave it as dirt. Really.

ETA friendly smilies —> :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

3

You’re probably right. I was just a bit concerned that pee + dirt =smelly pee mud, which would get tracked into the house.

4

No, you want concrete.

Leaving it as dirt is a horrible idea, it’ll smell and the dog will get muddy, and it’ll be difficult to clean.

Look at what kennels use. They use concrete for a reason. It’s so they can scrape off the big hunks and hose down the rest.

With a 12x4 area, it’d be easy enough to get a couple bags of sacrete, mix it up in a wheelbarrow and pour it.

5

We have 1/2" (or is it 3/4") rock for our dog run, about 4" deep. It’s not hard on the dogs’ feet and there is plenty of drainage. It works great.

6

Thanks for the replies. I think I’ll try the gravel for now and see how it works. I don’t want to put anything as permanent as concrete in if I can avoid it.