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Barnyard Buddies:  Ground covering for dog enclosure?  |
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inthedeepwoods
Farmgirl at Heart
5 Posts
Denita
5 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 2:42:58 PM
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| One of our dogs is a runner and so when she is outside she has to be in the pen. We have a nice one with ample room and a covering, but I'm wondering about a ground cover. She runs around and around and before I know it we are down to bare earth. I suppose I could put some hay down, but I'm leaning more towards cedar chips. Does anybody else put a ground cover down for your dog pens? If so what do you use? |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 2:57:35 PM
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Hi Deanne,
A lot depends on the size of your dog. Cement is the best by far and easiest to clean and keep sanitized. However, many breeders that I know use pea gravel as it's small and doesn't hurt their feet. You would need to treat for parasites every so often just in case as they can get into the ground.
Tina
The dogs own the house but the people pay the mortgage!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 4:12:51 PM
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I didn't get anyone to "okay" it but instead of cement for my dog, like at our last place, I decided to use paving blocks. It cost a little more than the cement (we mixed the last batch of cement ourselves, and it was backbreaking work...)
The paving blocks exactly fit the inside of the 10' x 10' kennel. I didn't level or put sand down first, just laid the blocks right on the ground, but our yard was pretty level to begin with there. It was easy to keep clean, he didn't dig under the edges (which was the reason I need SOMETHING on the floor). I think Tina is right about treating for parasites because there is a chance they can come up between the blocks, although not as bad as bare ground. My kennel was near the side of another building and under the shade of a maple tree so he had morning light and afternoon shade in the summer, and blocked from the wind all the time.
My stepsister's husband has some kind of a rubber mat he purchased for the inside of their kennel. My dog would have had it in shreds inside a week, but their little golden retriever seems to be OK with it.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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Luzy
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Luanne
Pueblo
Colorado
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 4:29:23 PM
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I would stay away from the cedar chips. My dog got a bad splinter from a cedar chip that ended up under his toenail. It was infected before we noticed it. Poor little guy, it sure looked painful. All is well now, but after a trip to the vet and antibiotics it ended up costing $68.00 for a splinter.
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May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2007 : 6:35:03 PM
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I would suggest using something other than cedar for bedding if you want to go with a wood product. My vet told me that a high percentage of dogs either have or will develop an allergy or sensitivity to cedar if it is used. She also mentioned that any fine cedar dust that gets into their air passages can do a lot of damage. She said pine shavings or chips are fine, but something in cedar is bad for dogs. One of our local dog trainers said the same thing when I asked him if he had heard of this. I also asked two other vets that I know and they too said the same thing.
However it's totally your choice and some dogs don't get the allergy/sensitivity.
Hope you find something that works for you :) |
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2007 : 2:29:40 PM
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You can also use the wood pellets that breaks down into saw dust. I use it for my chickens so they don't have to walk around in mud and horse bedding. It comes in bags so it's easy to store and relatively cheap. If you put a few bags in it will break down into alot more.
My stall cleaning helpers
http://shannon-love-in-a-mist.blogspot.com/
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2007 : 06:57:06 AM
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Our four dogs aren't penned, they're inside dogs, but four large dogs make quite a mess of the yard--there isn't any grass anymore on their multiple paths, and we've always used cedar chips without any problem in those areas. Cuts down on the mud, for sure, and I don't mind looking at them as much as I mind looking at bare ground.
The only thing about concrete is the callouses they develop on their rears and their elbows...doglady is right about disease control, but I would lean toward pea gravel maybe, just because it's easier on the joints.
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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EnchantedWoodsGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
959 Posts
Kathy
New Jersey
USA
959 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2007 : 12:31:12 PM
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I have a huge dog run and we did individual cement sections of about 3 feet by 2 feet each. If there is mud outside, my dogs will find it - the cement helps to keep their nails short also and it is easily cleaned with a power washer. Also, my dogs like to eat things off the ground and that is why I stayed away from anything else, I still have to watch they don't pull plants etc through the fence.
Kathy of the Enchanted Wood
http://enchantedwoodmusings.blogspot.com/
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Mnhorsemom
Farmgirl in Training
44 Posts
Kathy
Battle Lake
minnesota
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2007 : 06:01:41 AM
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If you have a farm supply store near you look into the rubber horse stall mats. They are 4X6 heavy rubber mats. When I bought them for my stalls I think they ran about $39 each but that was a while ago. I used them in a dog run too, you can just hose them out and they are pretty indestructable.
Farm House Formulas Battle Lake, MN |
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Barnyard Buddies: Ground covering for dog enclosure? |
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Ground covering for dog enclosure?
