# Dog run substrate



## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

We are making a smallish dog run off the sunroom door (into which we will install a dog door) so the dogs can have their own 'kennel' for when we put them to bed, or leave during the day. I wanted a nice, secure place for them to be able to get out and potty without it being the entire yard (it's 3 acres fenced and a LOT of things for them to get into). 

We can't do concrete, so that's out. It's very slightly sloped, but I am going to go out and work on that some today to level it some. I am thinking mulch or rock. I worry about rock eaters, though, as my mini poodle pup likes to pick up rocks. Also it's very hard for my chihuahua to walk on rocks. She's a 3 legger with tiny feet and not terribly stable! Grass wont grow in the area, as it's shaded. It was previously a flower garden area but now it's nothing but red clay!

Should I put weed block under it to keep it from getting red/muddy? I would hate that mess in the house! The nice thing is the sunroom is part of the house, but easily gated off, so they have their own luxury boarding suite 

WDYT?
Thanks!


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Wood chips or pea gravel?


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

that's a tough one. If you do any sort of "movable" substrate, like gravel, wood chips, and the like, be prepared to replace a chunk of it if a dog ever has a loose stool.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Fake grass/astro turf....we got ours at Lowes


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I am very interested in the fake grass. Home Depot has some here, but it may be out of our price range.

Just measured the area. It 9.5 feet by 23 feet. DH agrees we should put in a french drain for rinsing purposes and then we will see which way is more cost effective (gravel or fake turf). 

Inked Marie, is yours the lawn looking type or the really short green indoor/outdoor stuff?


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Shamrockmommy said:


> I am very interested in the fake grass. Home Depot has some here, but it may be out of our price range.
> 
> Just measured the area. It 9.5 feet by 23 feet. DH agrees we should put in a french drain for rinsing purposes and then we will see which way is more cost effective (gravel or fake turf).
> 
> Inked Marie, is yours the lawn looking type or the really short green indoor/outdoor stuff?


The green indoor/outdoor stuff. Our kennel is 12x24 and the grass was about $200 at Lowe's. We used bricks to hold it down around the inside of the kennel.


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

we have a concrete run but vangie insists on grass so we put down an area with the astro turf. it gets dirty and smells and ms vangie wont use it. we wash it with dawn and a hose but if i had to do it again, i'd try rubber mats (like from home depot or online,) they can be hosed easily and i dont think would retain the odor as much as the fake grass. (we went as far as bricking an area and sodding it. nuts, i know) 
and then she still pees on the lawn.
shoot me.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

That would be a tough one. It does seem like the rocks and woodchips might be a tough one because of the fact that your dogs might swallow them, especially since they are both small. I would hate for that to cause a blockage or anything.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I know  and I can't just have it be red clay. Imagine that on a rainy day. Holy cow!
I'm hoping that if we put in a french drain, we can use something like Odoban and rinse it weekly. The GOOD news is that it is not the ONLY place I will have them potty. When I am home and able to supervise, they can go out in the big yard, that's fine. I wanted someting for the days when we are gone several hours in a row and a safe place to potty them at night (we have skunks, *****, fox, deer that come in the yard at night and I don't want risk disease or injury or STENCH). 

I think we may do part astro turf, part pea gravel and hope that nobody eats the gravel. 
I have the area cleared of all the garden stuff (pachysandra is a total B to get up!) Need to dig the trenches for the french drain that will go out to the big yard, away from the dog yard/pool yard. Then some landscape fabric I think, topped with ?? pea gravel and turf?


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

That would get pretty messy if you just left the clay. That would be terrible to come home from work to have to clean up. Haha. And that does sound like a pretty good possibility.


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

I was at a friends house yesterday visiting their border collie puppy. They have a 14 dogs. (used to be 17) In their small backyard where the dogs go, the have about 2 inches of gravel under indoor/outoor carpeting. My friend says it has changed their lives, it used to just be a mudpit. 


Joe


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

We ended up putting in a french drain, then landscaping fabric, then 4" of pea gravel down along with some stepping stones. Will go with this for now, VERY interested in the fake grass, and may install that overtop later on when we have some more $$ saved up. 

 Now to just put in the little fence section and the dog door


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