Need ideas for outdoor dog area

[SueAndHerZoo]

Hi there.
I do dog rescue and foster and always have at least 4 dogs at my house. We have a pet door that leads to a very large fenced-in yard which they always have access to but after years of trying to make it both human and dog-friendly, I'm losing the battle. I built two ponds out there, an outdoor turtle habitat, and a garden but the dogs have pretty much destroyed everything. Not to mention, what used to be an "all grass yard" has turned into pretty much a mud-hole. I had a landscaper come in and build me a stone path at the route the dogs ran the most and now the dogs avoid it and have created a new mud-path. ANYWAY, I have a smaller fenced in area off of the pet door that I let them access when I'm not at home and I would like to make that their PRIMARY area and maybe start saving my back yard. The area is about 20 feet by 20 feet and is made up of old cracked pavers in he center (used to be a picnic table there) and then grass/weeds/dirt around the edge of the pavers. There's also a garden area against the house but I don't mind losing it.

If I hire someone to come in and turn this into a dog area, what should I do about the ground surface? I want the center to be some sort of textured stone (pavers, concrete?) so that they can wear their nails down while playing but I also want an area for them to dig, an area to lay in the sun, and a designated area for pooping and peeing. I have SO many questions and would love your thoughts and feedback:

Should the hard surface be in the center with earth around the edge or should I split the area half and half?
What material should be on the ground: mulch? pieces of rubber? sand?
What would I want out there for them to enjoy? An elevated platform? A tube to crawl through? a tent for shade? (keep in mind, most of the dogs I rescue are seniors).
I don't really need an area for food or water because they have plenty of that right inside the pet door in the house.

I realize they will still need to be walked and run in a larger area and that can happen after I get home from work but I want to start limiting their access to the entire back yard and try to make it habitable for humans again.

Would love any thoughts or suggestions, especially as to what to have poured/laid on the ground and how much of what, etc.
Sue

[chrystel]

Hi! I don't have much ideas, since i live in an apartment.

First, thanks for rescuing!!

I think some people here started using "fake grass" ...

In my opinion, I would split the area 1/4 hard surface by the door, and 3/4 other surface further out.
If I had a yard, I would:

* Put a sand box. They usually use it for their business.. think about giant litter box for doggies. Very easy to clean up
* Put a pond, very shallow, but that way they can enjoy it in the summertime.
* A shaded area would also be needed.

* I don't think they would do a tunnel ontheir own, but I believe they like a low table so they can climb on...

those are my ideas..

good luck!!

[LILYLARUE]

First off, thank you so much for doing rescue work, especially for the seniors!

You definitely have some great plans! Do you have a doggy daycare around you? If you do, they would be a great resource for you as far as types of ground cover, ideas on layout and what isn't going to work. They may also have literature from businesses that specialize in this type of dog friendly landscaping that you could utilize for your own design.

I would stay away from mulch and rubber - both have the potential to be eaten by the dogs and cause blockages. I would choose sand or small round gravel personally. In my yard, I have brick pavers where the dog's path is. It is much more comfy on their paws, they use it always and does the trick on their nail trimming. In another area, I have 2x2' cement pavers creating a 10x10' patio,they are white and very inexpensive, that are laid out with 4" of space in between. I have used paver sand in between so I can rinse off the urine and it will run in between into the ground underneath. You can also plant grasses or mosses in between for a more designer look. Also allowing the rinse job well.

I would definitely have some type of pergola, doggy size, built and then plant some ivy that will quickly cover the top keeping the underside cool. You could build that on one quarter or half of the paver section. I know some dogs like to lay on the warmth of the pavers, some like the pavers cool. It will give them both options.

A nice shade tree in that section would be nice too. There are short trees that will shade without taking over the space horizontally or vertically.

Keep in mind, you don't want to fill the space too much. There is always the potential of a dog spat if they are confined into small areas and if a dog is in one area, others may not be able to pass through because there isn't enough comfortable passing space. Remember to keep the dog door area clear, so they can pass through without having to squeeze by or step over a laying dog.

Since you will be using this space for them while you are not there to monitor, I wouldn't put anything in there that could harm the dog or cause spats or spacial issues. I would utilize the larger area for those types of things so you can monitor and also to use the equipment for training. Don't want them to get bored with fun stuff, keep it for special occasions.

Again, daycare would be a great resource - see if the owner will give you a tour so you can ask questions about decisions they have made on certain design features and why. You can get downsize some of your ideas to more definite ones by asking them why they chose things and why they avoided others.

I hope I have helped a little bit. If you chose to use a landscape designer, make sure who you chose has dogs themselves and have a grasp on what works in their own yards and what won't work. You want an expert in dog zoned areas, not someone who is only looking at the aestics of the design.

[SueAndHerZoo]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts - I REALLY appreciate it! Sometimes we get stuck with an idea in our heads and can't see anything else so you helping me brainstorm really opened up my ideas and re-started the creative thinking.

I love the idea of having a large sand area but I'm a little confused by it. I have read several articles that suggest homeowners to provide a sand box for the dogs to dig and play in. Yet others say to provide a sandbox for them to relieve themselves. I have to wonder which is more likely because we certainly don't want them using it as both! I really don't know if my current dogs would use sand as a place to relieve themselves but wouldn't it be great if they did?!?!?!

I'm not sure about a pond in their area.... I already have two that I struggle to maintain so a third might be a bit much. But I could reserve a spot for a tub or child's wading pool to be filled and emptied as needed.

Paver sand..... don't know what that is but I can't wait to find out! And leaving 4 inches inbetween the pavers..... I would have never thought of that..... you don't find that to be too much "earth" exposed which gets muddy? Maybe once I research paver sand it will make more sense to me.

The only reason I was thinking of making the play area in the center with the outside border being the "relieve yourself" areas is because all the dogs seem to always gravitate to the furthest boundary of our property to do their thing..... they are so polite. But I guess creating just one side of the square as a "bathroom border" could work... as long as it's the furthest from the house.

These are exactly the kinds of thoughts I was hoping for - thank you so much, and if you or anyone else has more to add, PLEASE do! I probably won't do this for another month or two so I have time to plan.

Sue (and her zoo)

[LILYLARUE]

Paver sand is a grey fine sand that you sweep into the cracks of pavers, then once it it settled into the cracks, you spray it down with water and it compresses into a soft cement. It still allows drainage but doesn't sweep or blow back out of the cracks. It's easy to fill new holes with more sand and water again. Easy to maintain. That's why I did it that way, cause I am unable to really do a lot of yardwork.

I don't use sand boxes cause we have a lot of cats in the area and it would become a big litter box. LOL You can dig a hole about 3' x 3' and 2' deep (or a round one) and fill it with sand for the dog's to dig. But plan on any sand in a box or hole to be strewn outside the boundry and kill off the grass. They do make boxes that have a ledge around it for the kids to sit on, that will help keep the sand within the box, but then the dog has to be inside the box to do his play digging. I don't think they are really big enough to house a boxer or two. LOL

Ponds are difficult to maintain with dogs. They go in it dragging dirt and debris. They also drink it, so it will need to be filtered so it doesn't breed bacteria. Seems like a lot more maintenance than the value of it. I just use a plastic baby pool so I can easily clean and maintain it.

I almost wish I was a dog to come play at your house! Sounds like dog heaven!

[SueAndHerZoo]

LOL Funny you should say that about coming to play at my house.... all my friends and family tell me (and others) that when they die they are coming back as one of my dogs.

Hey, I spoil them all and always have their utmost health and happiness foremost in my mind, well before I consider my own needs. And why? Because they deserve it, d@mn it!

That's really interesting about the paver sand.... can't wait to ask my son if he ever used it - he did a lot of landscaping in high school and college. It really sounds like a great solution.

Regarding a sandbox killing grass? I won't even attempt to have any grass in their play area. That's the main reason I want to give them their own haven - so that MAYBE someday I can have grass in the rest of the yard again. I have looked into fake grass, though, still waiting for a rep to contact me so I can see how insanely expensive it would be.

Thank you for your time and thoughts.... this is starting to sound like an exciting future reality!
Sue