Outdoor Run Surfaces - Suggestions Please - Page 2

When building my facility I spent a long time researching this issue. There is no substitute for sealed concrete in terms of sanitation. So you have to ask yourself what is most important. To some extent, that too will depend on your climate. With concrete you do have to be careful about the finish to not make it too slick or too rough. If it is too rough, it will tear up the dogs paws and they will be bleeding all the time. Too slick makes a slip and fall hazard.

If you don't want concrete, then I would suggest 3/8th inch pea gravel several inches deep. The bad news is that it will be spread outside the run unless you have some barrier along the edges.

I think mats, wood chips, straw, sand etc., are a very bad idea and they often lead to disease or worse and cannot be easily cleaned. The mats provide a great surface underneath for all kinds of pathogens to grow.

Hodie,
You mentioned your concrete's finish. I'll be pouring some more in the next few days. What finish did you find best? Mine has been pretty slippery.
Thanks,
Tuff

My out door runs are red concrete blocks, 2 inches thick i believe ,i leved pea stone then layed the blocks out ,then quick crete like you would use mortor on tile .it has been down for 11 years no problems, its not to ruff nor to slippery .cleans easily yes i have a roof over it so this helps. Ive always used odor ban to clean them up and use big thick street broom to scrub and then hose it off .

 Tuff, 

The finish is better off on the smooth side. Don't let them use a broom or any tool that makes small imperfections in the concrete. As well, when you seal the concrete, add some fine sand to the sealant so that it helps with traction. Unfortunately, there is no good way to describe my finish, but I have two sets of 10 runs and the first one was way too rough and caused major problems and had to be redone. The second set is actually a bit slick in spots so I do have to be careful. But the next coat of sealant will have more sand added to help that. Sealing the concrete so that urine does not soak in is paramount. So make sure it is done well.

Good luck.

Thanks

My sister used those concrete landscaping squares for her run.  Works great.

I like pea gravel, expensive though.  I don't have outdoor runs at the moment, but we have an area that gets trampled and flooded, of course the area the dogs have to pass through to get back into the house.  I'm trying to decide whether to re-sod or put something else down.  I wanted a pea gravel patio in this area but it's too expensive.

What about MOT Type1, thats what they use on the bridal paths in my area which as in the foothills of the pennines gets quite boggy. With the MOT you can put has much down as is needed and it isnt to expensive, no muddy dogs, easy to clean the area just watch it in winter though as you can get a layer of ice over it.

My runs are concrete and several of them have horse stahl mats, (only because I have a couple pacers) I,ve never had a mildew or mold isse but I bleach the runs once a week.

A friend of mine has or had pee gravel but got into a mildew problem in the stones.

If one uses pea gravel or something like it, one MUST have a proper type soil so that proper drainage will happen, otherwise, yes, there can be additional issues in the stone as Bob suggests. Even on concrete runs, one must ensure that the area around the runs will drain properly.