# Muddy back yard - Pine flakes?



## Arathorn II (Oct 7, 2017)

Has anyone used Pine Flakes to combat a muddy back yard?

DFW area - well pretty much all of Texas - has had a lot of rain the last 2 months and I'm sure Ranger is tired of getting a rub down almost every time he comes in from outside.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I just covered their small potty yard (900 sq ft) with a thick layer of cedar hog fuel. Cedar also helps repelling fleas. We ordered 15 yards for a 6 inch layer and have a nice pile left over to fill in the dug holes over time. It looks very fluffy when you put it in but it packs nicely by walking on it and once it starts raining. I don't know what location acronym means, but if you don't get rain, you can use sprinklers to pack it down.
Landscapers recommended it and the local dog park has it as well. So far I am happy with it. They do drag in some of it as it hasn't been fully packed yet, but no mud!


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## saintbob (Jul 14, 2018)

Beautiful dog...and carpet.

Mud is a seasonal issue here.

Before bringing the dogs in we either walk them through standing water or clean wet grass. I suppose you could improvise a boot tray with clean water that self-replenished off the roof if you wanted to.

Absolutely* I would not use* pine shavings.


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## Judy Untamed (Oct 26, 2018)

wolfy dog said:


> ... I don't know what location acronym means...


DFW = Dallas/Ft Worth. Pretty much always either in drought conditions, or flooded. Been a bit of a weird year for Texas with so much rain! 

I like your idea of ground cover, as well as the idea of having a tray of fresh water to rinse muddy paws in. I'll keep these in mind for future pups!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

We have had one monsoon after another. I use cedar chips and pay a small fortune, buying them in cubes. I just put 8 in the puppy pen and two in Bear and Tinny's pen so I could get out my front door without being slimed. I pay the extra buck per cube for cedar because it does repel bugs naturally.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Just yesterday I put 4 more bags of the wood (pine) pellet horse stall bedding on my dog yard. We've also had record rain in the last few months. The ground is so squishy.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I'm in Maryland and a nice oak tree that once had grass under it doesn't anymore. Between dog paws and shade, the grass just died, even with the wet summer. After I clean up the leaves from fall I plan on putting something mulchy under the tree. I wonder DogFairies, if the stall bedding would work for that.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

car2ner said:


> I'm in Maryland and a nice oak tree that once had grass under it doesn't anymore. Between dog paws and shade, the grass just died, even with the wet summer. After I clean up the leaves from fall I plan on putting something mulchy under the tree. I wonder DogFairies, if the stall bedding would work for that.




You can put the pellets down as is, but I generally add water to make sawdust, and then spread that around. It’s cheap, less than $6 for 40lbs, so if it doesn’t work, you aren’t out much.


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## Arathorn II (Oct 7, 2017)

saintbob said:


> Beautiful dog...and carpet.


Thanks! Carpet looks good because this wasn't by the backdoor


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## Arathorn II (Oct 7, 2017)

I was wondering because when searching on ways to fix a muddy back yard I came across






and

https://steverotter.com/2018/04/15/how-to-fix-a-muddy-yard-with-dogs/

I want to prevent a muddy mess, but at the same time have a lawn relatively full of grass during the Spring and Summer(at least until we start have a string of 100 degree days)


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

saintbob said:


> Beautiful dog...and carpet.
> 
> Mud is a seasonal issue here.
> 
> ...


Why wouldn't you use pine shavings? I saw them on utube and was wondering about using them. I use cedar mulch but it always washes away and it gets expensive....


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

if you are in South Carolina or Georgia you could use Pine Straw. It has to be refreshed every spring or late summer but is usually not very expensive.


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## saintbob (Jul 14, 2018)

katdog5911 said:


> Why wouldn't you use pine shavings? I saw them on utube and was wondering about using them. I use cedar mulch but it always washes away and it gets expensive....


Apologies for not answering this sooner...and Happy Thanksgiving to you.

We live in CNY...graveyard of the clouds. Having lost one protected dog to a tick bite infection I would be worried about the moist pine chips being a breeding ground for parasites. 

I see from reading the rest of the posts that folks in the know use them so perhaps it's not a bad idea after all.

It's just not for us.


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## atomic (Mar 28, 2016)

I usually buy bales of straw from the feed store for about six bucks a bale. They’re pretty big, and straw is resilient. My yard has been reduced to a muddy mess between vehicles and the dogs, along with the seasonal change where the plants die off. I also buy dog food and waterfowl pellets for my ducks from the same store so it’s a one stop shop.


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## rlboston (11 mo ago)

katdog5911 said:


> Why wouldn't you use pine shavings? I saw them on utube and was wondering about using them. I use cedar mulch but it always washes away and it gets expensive....


If a "little wet grass" will fix the situation you are not talking about the same thing.


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