Yard Space Question

I would like to get everyone's opinions on this topic.
What is ur favorite yard space material, example: sand, rock dust, etc... and why

 

good question to throw out there. i just have mine on the ground now with straw. but the sand idea,,that might be a good one. i wish i could affort to do it in concrete. it'd just be a matter of spray cleaning then.

 

If money was no object Id make 50 ft concrete circles for the dogs.

 

I thought about that too and was corrected for it. It would wear your dogs paws raw.. So I am thinking rock dust or crushed rock now. Waiting to see if If I get corrected again. lol Right now I put branches into my chipper and make wood chips to put down. And I use straw as well for now.

 

i'm making two plots in my backyard now and am thinking small gravel. i would also like a suggestion as i am still open to it with no plot base laid yet. thanks for asking this question!!!

 

I'm thinking the cleanest and easiest thing to use would be sand, but i would like to look into rock dust also but for now im gonna say sand is my favorite

 

Sand gets into EVERYTHING! You'll have a devil of a time keeping it out of his fur & his house & it it gets under the collar it can be a nasty abrasive. The best I've heard to use is washed pea gravel.

 

I need some ideas, too. I was thinking pea gravel or crushed rock. Our yard is like a giant mud puddle after it rains.

 

My yard is a giant mud hole. is every winter and spring. I have mulched trees, brought in mulch by the dump truck and every year it is a mess. Getting less every year but damn man it is a mess.

 

i have heard these exact points on the sand and pea gravel before too but haven't had any experience with either. just heresay.

 

that's what i was thinking of getting (washed pea gravel.) but that was coming from a home depot employee. i just needed confirmation...does anyone use this?

 

I have had pea gravels on a driveway before and have found that they just do not pack. every time it is walked in or driven over it is pushed out of the hole. I have used small limestone in the front of my dogs kennel, he is a pacer, and they tend to pack better and make a more sturdy ground.

 

Hmm....ok well then i guess if sand is not the best then my next option is modified crushed stone either tampered solid or loose. I don't think i would do pea gravel because its too loose and my dog would have it in a pile in no time

 

I think Marty and Shon used pulverized rock in theirs and it looks great. Ask them what they used.

 

I have one of my spots covered with this "screen" that is used in a paper mill to put the pulp on while it goes through the driers. It is 30' wide, and you can get a roll of it 300' long!! I have a buddy that goes to the scrap yard at the mill and gets it for me by the trailer load, for $20!! Anyhow, I was using it for shade and got to thinkin about the mud the dogs were in, so I cut a test piece for one of my spots, cut a hole in the center for the axle. My concern was if the chain would tear it up, but it has been there a while and no signs of aging. When rain is real bad, water will sit there, but no mud. Dogs feet are just fine, I like it.

If I was to use some type of rock I would use that...sb-2. that grey rock. ANd I would rent one of them hand packers and pack it good, that way it would be easier on the dogs feet. This stuff doesnt wash out like other gravels do, and the packing MAY keep the chain from digging it up also. My concern with any materiel other than concrete would be what the chain would do to it.
Now, If I had the jack, I'd pour concrete, and then top the concrete with that rubberized suff. Cant think of the name of it, but it is very durable and not too much more than the concrete. Set the axle, and that would be good to go.

for those using the hay and such, do fleas not bed up in that stuff? Seems like it would be a good hiding place for them. And if you change it out every 2 weeks or so, after a year you could have bought the slab! Around here a yard(3'X3' cube) of strength suitable to hold a dog would cost about 45 bucks, it's about 85 bucks for the stuff strong enough to drive on. So, all in all, that would do a 4' thick, 20'X20' pad, throw in the cost of alittle rebar, and you have spent maybe $60 bucks, then the rubberized sealer on top, another..$20 bucks(which would be enough to do 3 pads), and lets call it $67 for each pad, Hay around here is 4-5 bucks a bail, so,yea, within a year it would pay for itself.

I had to go out yesterday and set up a few more spots, as 3 of the dogs are in mud pools from the chain wear and the rain. I have enough of that paper materiel to do maybe 2 more spots, so guess I need to get some more!!

 

My dogs chain spot is dirt on one side and compacted modified crushed stone on the other side and let me tell u that stuff is great because the water doesn't even pool up it goes right through the stone and his chain doesn't drag the stone all around. I think cost wise the modified stone would be the cheapest thing to do because u can get a yard for around $20 and rent a tamper for a few dollars and ur set.

 

We use it in our kennel, but, it doesn't seem to help much, it basically sinks right into the mud, then you have low spots, and water just STANDS there. I hate it, we have been informed that rock dust is fantastic, went to check it out and it is, now we are getting it delivered, little by little. Great stuff! It is also VERY CHEAP...$13.25 per ton!

 

hardpacked dirt surface is the best ground cover it keeps nails trimmed, wont tear pads, leaves nothing for chain to gather, makes it easy to rake. Although I do like the rock dust it's very cheap and helps with water saturation.

 

Here's a question for people with rock dust experience, What happens when its dry for a long period of time and the dog runs back and forth, wouldn't that create dust clouds out the @$$ since the stuff is already dust?

 

Yes it can get dusty but all you have to do is wet it down, I've been using rock dust for 3 yrs and IMO it works great

As far as any type rock I think it would be bad on the dogs pads.