# Artificial grass for dog run



## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

We built a fenced in dog run for Lulu, this is a pic from last summer:










see all that lovely grass? Well, it's all gone and just dirt or MUD when it's wet now! Between her tramping around down there and peeing, and the ice and snow all mixed together the grass is completely gone! We are looking at putting in artificial grass this coming summer, here is one site I was looking at:

http://www.progreen.com/dogrun.htm

but VERY expensive, would cost us over $800 and that's if we install it ourselves. We were considering gravel as well. Any ideas on art. grass vs. gravel, what sort of gravel as well as does anyone know of any less expensive artifical grass options? I know home depot sells some for a bit less but still 500+ for that small area!

I would love to hear all of your ideas, expertise, experience, etc







Thanks! My carpets appreciate it! LOL


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## Kaity (Nov 18, 2009)

one time growing up my friends farm kept flooding so, they had a layer of just dirt put down, then sand and lastly, gravel.
Dont know how effective it was but I would probably put down sand before gravel anyways.


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## WayneMeganGSD (Dec 21, 2009)

I guess if you dont mind cleaning artificial grass every so often.


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## SandiR2 (Sep 15, 2009)

I've been considering something like this as well so will be interested to see what replies you get.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Well, I talked to the guy today, he said it's just fine for "peeing" goes right through like normal grass and Lou is on Raw so her poops are tiny, hard deer droppings now so that's not too much of an issue, I'm just worried about the cost factor and thinking gravel might be much cheaper but I don't want it to hurt her paws either


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## WayneMeganGSD (Dec 21, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: StarryNiteWell, I talked to the guy today, he said it's just fine for "peeing" goes right through like normal grass and Lou is on Raw so her poops are tiny, hard deer droppings now so that's not too much of an issue, I'm just worried about the cost factor and thinking gravel might be much cheaper but I don't want it to hurt her paws either


Also something to consider. After a couple of years the sun does major work on artificial turf. Its plastic after all. So who knows how much youll have to replace it. I couldnt imagine you wouldnt smell some kind of dog urine odor after a few months of the dog peeing on it.


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## emjworks05 (May 30, 2008)

At the house we lived at before this one we had gravel in our dog run, Im pretty sure it was pea gravel. It was tiny rocks and they didnt have any sharp edges, I found that to be really good because the pee would just go thru the gravel to the dirt and the poop was really easy to pick up we got one of those muck rakes (rake used to clean horse stalls) and that was awesome to pick the poop up with I was able to get every bit of it. I never noticed my dogs favoring their paws because of the gravel. We also put the rock pretty thick so that at winter time the gravel never sank into the mud, it stay nice a clean and with the pea gravel the rain goes right to the dirt and doesnt puddle on top. I think it all depends on prefrence too, what you think would match your yard and look better.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Gravel is still pretty expensive. We just went through something similar to your situation - we've got a small fenced in area off the backdoor for the dogs to use for pottying and limited playing but it turned into a pig wallow pretty quickly. We looked into a lot of different options and for our area the quote was $600 for 2 inches depth pea gravel. We finally decided on landscaping cloth covered with the same kind of woodchips they use on playgrounds. So far so good. It stays clean and dry, it's pretty soft on the dogs' feet, it's easy to pick up poop off the chips and no pee smell yet. Remains to be seen if pee smell is a problem when warmer weather rolls around though. I'm guessing pea gravel would be a lot easier to hose down if that's an issue.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Jess, how pricey was the gravel you put in? I will check into that type in our area. Thanks!

Pupresq, pig wallow is a good word, that is exactly what ours looks like right now! and Wow I had no idea it was that pricey for gravel! I have taken Lou to playground with my daughter, though, and they have those wood chips you are talking about and she thinks she is in doggy heaven wanting to dig in it, I have to always take her out of that area, I am afraid she would tear that up immediately!


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## Kaity (Nov 18, 2009)

I was looking up synthetic grass and apparently there is lead in it. Anything plastic i dont trust, im such a nut. All goes back to that 'death by rubber ducky' book.
under the jan. 29th post they have some information about it
http://www.newgrasslandscape.com/wordpress/?tag=synthetic-grass


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

We installed artificial turf in late summer. We redesigned our whole backyard about a year ago and the new turf (real) did not last but a month with Siena around. Our absolute favorite is Heavenly Greens, but it is very pricey, but feels great. I saw it last year at the AKC Dog show in SF and was very nice. Couldn't afford it though, so we went with Grasstex (http://grasstex.com/) for about 1/3 of the cost. We are quite happy with it and Siena took to it immediately. 

Another option is decomposed granite or granite fines (same thing).


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Thanks Diana, I went tot hat site and it's not the right site, I then googled it and came up with http://www.grass-tex.com/home.htm but the page doesn't offer much. Is the one I posted the right site?


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## SandiR2 (Sep 15, 2009)

Diana,

Do you recall how many square feet you had installed and the approximate cost of the Grasstex?


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## emjworks05 (May 30, 2008)

Gosh, I want to say we had a 10ftx5ft area, and a yard of the gravel did just fine for us, I am not sure how big your area is. The cost of the gravel here is 20 bucks a yard, so it was super inexpensive for us. I also want to add that we had a little section that we put ply wood down and put 2 bales of ceadar down, just for the pups to lay down in while they were out there. Hope this helps!


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## GSD10 (May 20, 2007)

Great run you have there! I am not familiar with artificial grass but I do have the pea gravel in my yard. Grass will not grow in that area of the yard because of the cedar trees and mass shade. 

Here's a picture of it: 










The dogs don't mind walking on it and actually I think it has helped Mas with toning his muscle mass. It also stays cool during the summer and they like laying in it to stay cool. 

Can't remember the exact cost but I think the rail ties, stones and gravel came to about $500 a few years back. Easy clean up as well and a hosing once in a while (in the summer) freshens things up. 

Good luck!


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

I think ours is about 12 x 15 foot. The ply wood and and ceadar sounds like a great idea but I fear Lou would have that spread all over the yard in an instant LOL. Thanks for the info, helps a lot! I was hoping gravel was a lot less expensive if we decide to go this route.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Thanks for the pic GSD10! It looks fantastic! I appreciate the picture because now I know what the pea gravel looks like! Our area is a bit smaller than yours and we wouldn't need the stone (not sure about the ties) but it sounds like a much more economical way to go, I just wanted to be sure it doesn't hurt their paws but it sounds like it doesn't from what everyone is saying







One of our problems is that Lulu is a digger so I am hoping if we go with gravel she won't dig too much to blend it with the dirt. She is really only out there for short potty breaks and to check out what is going on in the neighborhood, 10 minutes at a time at best. She gets her exercise with walks and dog park mostly.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

My parents have the pea stones in Beau's outdoor run. Half is cememnt and the other half is pea stones with a cement border.

In the summer we take half out and replace and it keeps things nice and clean. We also water it down in the summer to keep the smell down.

If and when I move into a house, I will be building something similar.

*You can kind of see the kennel in the back.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Wow, very nice Elisabeth, and Beau is so gorgeous! Or is that Stark? I wish I could have a yard like that, but someday! We are planning on moving in a few years to a place with a much larger yard and then maybe another GSD


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

That's Beau, she was 12 in that photo, and doesn't really go in the kennel unless someone is out there with her.. lol.. spoiled ol'girl.

My parents have 2 acres of property (all grassed with trees) and Beau has a nice set up, wish I had better photo's of it. Her dog house is nicer than my apartment.. lol.

About the artifical grass, wouldn't it get smelly after a while? Yes, the urine seeps through, but I am assuming it take time to do so and it would pool, no? I think pea stone would be a better (and cheaper) option, JMO.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Yes, I am leaning in that direction right now, the pea stone, this thread has been VERY helpful to me as I wasn't sure what type of gravel to get. I don't know about the artificial grass, it just looks so nice LOL! But you may be right about that and our hose hook up is in the garage so I have to take the hose through the house to get to the back yard area which would be a pain as well.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I saw somebody online who did their whole backyard with it. I believe she lived in the east, maybe Connecticut, and her yard was fairly small. It cost about $8 a square foot installed and looked really good.


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## way_weird (Jan 6, 2010)

I've worked in a few kennels. 

One used cement runs (which were very easy to clean throughout the day) with pea gravel at the ends past the fencing and in a couple of the play areas. The pee would run down into the gravel at the ends of the runs during the day and during cleaning. We had to pour a doggy-safe cleaner into the gravel every now and then, but the smell was minimal. Scooping poop off of it was very easy. Just use a rake. The cement runs were nice too. It was a treated kind of cement. Smooth and slightly shiny. We'd put cleaner on those, scrub them, hose 'em off, and squee gee them to clean. Then just pick up poop off of them through the day.

Another place I worked had astro turf. The kind you might see on a putt-putt golf course. EW. After months of constant use, IT SMELLED. No matter what they did. Enzyme cleaners, quat, nothing worked to get rid of the smell. Poop (especially loose poops) did not come off easy at all while scooping. The sad thing is, this play yard was designed by a corporation for use in high-end pet resorts, and this was one of the franchises. They were supposed to be able to clean it once a month with the provided cleaner, and hose it off into the cement beyond the fence to go down a sewer. Never worked that way. Terrible drainage, and like I said... SMELLED.

I say pea gravel is the way to go. It won't absorb horrible smells.


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## Doggydog (May 12, 2009)

I have a combination of concrete & then have astro turf on part of my yard. I rent and when I moved in the weeds were 6 ft tall. I cleaned it up and intended to lay sod, but the soil was bad and so the whole project was too expensive considering I rent. So I put down that weed blocker fabric and then astro turf. The turf was meant to be temporary until I thought of something else, but it's been over 4 years now and it's held up well. I've found it easy to clean. The urine just runs through it and the poopy I scoop with a poop scooper shovel. If it's not completely solid, it doesn't clean nicely but a good rain or the garden hose fixes it. 
There's 2 dog runs that I frequent, one has wood chips. These are nice when they're fresh, but as time goes on they absorb enough dog pee to get stinky. I do think it's inexpensive though and not a bad solution. They need to be replaced or freshened up now & then cuz they get thrown away little by little when you clean the poo. Our last shipment was something that smelled wonderful when it was new, like cedar. 
The other run has a very fine gravel, maybe it's the pea gravel mentioned above. I like this the best. It looks like the beach. It seems pretty clean. I think the biggest drawback is the cost, but it does hold up well. 
You may want to lay sod after all. There's different varieties and some are meant for heavy traffic.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Okay, so I just called our local gravel company and I would need 3 tons of pea gravel to go 3-4 inches deep, and the price is only $175 delivered!!! The problem is I have to be sure their dump trucks can go behind the condos to dump it as I wouldn't be allowed to have it dumped up front. She said they would send someone out to take a look









This is def. the way I am going to go, I can't believe how cheap it is! Thanks so much for all the input!!!


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

We have about 250 square feet yard (that we wanted the grass around, not the entire yard). The materials were about $1300 including turf, bender board/edging, granite fines (for base) and the nails (or whatever they call it) to tack it down. We bought the materials and then paid about $1K for installation. Overall, about $2500 total. Heavenly greens wanted $7K for the same thing (and they only allow their people to install). We do not have great soil either, so overall it worked well for our needs.

We were concerned that Siena's rough ball chasing might upend the seams, so they put some kind of board below the turf to keep it together. So far, so good... just something to think about too.

I found a couple pics that you might want to see.


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: StarryNiteThanks Diana, I went tot hat site and it's not the right site, I then googled it and came up with http://www.grass-tex.com/home.htm but the page doesn't offer much. Is the one I posted the right site?


Yes, this looks like the same. Not sure what happend with my link. Sorry.


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Wow Diana, that yard is GORGEOUS!!! The grass looks terrific! We are on such a low budget that I think, at this place at least, we will go with the gravel, but I definitely want to look into that grass in our next place for a portion of the yard. And for it to look that way all year round up here in the Rockies would be fantastic


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

we water it for one minute daily so that the urine doesn't settle too much. Check out the granite fines (not to push it). The gold fines is more expensive (locally about $50/ton) and the grey fines is half that. Drains well and doesn't track. Our breeder had her kennels equipped with it so that's how we heard of it at first.

Thanks for the compliments on the yard. We had a great designer. If only Siena wouldn't make a path over the ornamental strawberries. We've had to block it off a few times as it's her favorite place to walk/lay/pee. We spend alot of time there and am very happy with the way it turned out. It was awful before and Siena made it worse, so we had to make some changes so we could enjoy it more. She doesn't go out without us as I've caught her digging a few times.


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## AngelJ (Aug 24, 2009)

We use pea gravel in a section of our back yard. We didn't do it as an area for the dogs, but it was an area under the walnut tree where grass just wouldn't stay. We use it for our fire pit, but the dogs will walk here and chase the occasional stray ball. They have no problems walking on it and I will also walk there with bare feet. 

We bought our pea gravel at lowes or home depot by the bag. I don't remember how many bags it took, but it only cost about $120 and it's about three inches deep. 

This is how it looks..










I just figured if you couldn't get the truck back there, you may be able to just buy bags.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I've heard great stuff about K9 Grass (www.k9grass.com) but it is expensive. A lot of boarding/daycare kennels use it and if it can hold up to them it should be great for home use.


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## Doggydog (May 12, 2009)

Glad the gravel will work for you. I thought I'd just show you my synthetic turf.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I'm sure it's expensive but I've heard good things about this stuff:
K9Grass - The artificial grass designed specifically for dogs!

A lot of the dog daycares and such use it around here.


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