Another great video Leah! But I have a suggestion for you. I am a dog trainer/breeder of 40 years and I can tell you that there is another type of gravel that would be better for your dog. In this neck of the woods, it's called pea gravel. And as the name suggests, it resembles peas. Small and round. The crush gravel you used has sharp edges and can hurt your dog's paws and be uncomfortable to lay on. Pea gravel is considerably more expensive but hey! They're family! And only the best for family. 8-)
I tried pea gravel for my dogs. It was a nightmare. Whenever it snowed and got below freezing, which is very often in Minnesota, the pea gravel would stick to the dogs feet and end up all over the house.
@@captainkangaroo4301 Not sure of your breed but I believe Alberta has similar weather as MN and I've never had that problem. I breed German Shepherds and have had no problem. Other than it rolls down hills and will pile up at the bottom!
I can’t use gravel! I just bought the retriever dog kennel from tractor supply store and main reason for a kennel for my youngest shepherd is because I can’t get here to stop putting rocks in her mouth and chomping on them. Ugggg our yard is very un level and now we have to find some kennel ground anchors because without them on this un level yard I’m afraid it might not be safe for her. So trying to find ideas for her kennel flooring.
I was a bit concerned about the gravel, but it didn’t seem to bother Zak! He looked happy and it felt comfortable enough for him to lay down. What people don’t realize with dogs that dog is they can get seriously injured in the process. You never know what is under your yard. I lived in a house that had nails and glass buried. Instead of cleaning, the builder just buried his junk. So please don’t be so quick to judge people! Zak looks happy and healthy and very much loved.❤️ The alternative to this that so many people resort to is tethering. There was a pit bull in my neighborhood tethered to a tractor tire. He dragged that tired everywhere, poor baby.
Our Husky was digging craters in our fenced in patio area where our grass is. We solved the problem by laying green vinyl chain link fence in on the ground. The grass grows through it and he can't dig through the 2 inch squares and it does not hurt him. And we still have grass and he can do his business there.
This seems like something that would work wonderfully around a chicken coop to keep predators from digging under the fence also! Thank you for sharing with us Leah! Greatly appreciated!
If you don't have digging issues Yuki can forget the gravel and do the same but add in fake grass. It's soft/cool for your dog and you just hose it down after picking up poop and to wash away any pee smell it. You can even lightly spray liquid soap out of a spray bottle (apple smell dawn for example) and then hose it down or use a car wash foam cannon/sprayer with soap to hose it down.
I CAN do this, just imagine .... no weeds.... no holes ...... no mud traipsing in the house..... less time washing kitchen floor, Oh Leah!' I CAN DEFINITELY DO THIS. Thank you so much for providing a brilliant solution for preventing my 2 dogs digging, you are a 🌟 don't forget to provide the link though 😂 or it might never get done 😂😂💖🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 l will still allow my dogs to dig though, I'll add a sandpit and hide their toys in it. happy dogs, happy me.😊
OK! I finished this project you outlined so amazingly. My dog "Coo Joe" was bringing 5 lbs of dirt onto the back porch every time she went outside. At 12 trips a day you do the math. Shoot I had to keep a yard Blower in the House. Well mine was 144 square feet with one foot payers all around. I still need to put a little picket fence on two sides. It's working well and Estelle my princess, 65 pound puppy, Clydesdale loves it. Total cost after the added fence "$1,000 buck er roonies." Which including hiring a HS student to help these sad old bones. Estelle is a rescue mutt.
I like the system, but for a digging dog I prefer giving them a dig box. (Assuming you have the yard space to do it.) It is a designated place for digging. You simply define an area with landscape timbers ... like a big sand box... and then train them to dig in that one location. I had a Husky for years. If you are up north in the land of ice and snow and don't dig you freeze to death, so digging for a Husky is a survival instinct and they are holes big enough to sleep in - think den. Sasha was digging up the entire yard until I gave her a special place for digging. I also decided to put her desire to good use tilling up the garden every year by bringing her with me to the garden on a leash and giving her the free extra fun. She loved it.
I have wanted to try this but was told by another doggy lover that there were a lot of fleas in sand. Did you have any problems with this? I am looking for a dedicated washroom space idea too if you have any thoughts on that.
I like this idea. Our dog is also a digger. However, I do agree that the gravel may be a bit agressive on the feet. Last year I purchased rubber mulch at the big box store and used it under our swing set. It was a bit more costly but works great. I think this would work nicely in combination with this system cheers Leah. Great idea.
I enjoy watching you so much! You make everything seem doable, and your voice and way of explaining things, even how friendly your face is all make your videos the best! Thanks for being you, and for doing such a great job sharing your expertise with us!
I like that fence door. lol.. You just gave me a great idea for when I built my fence. Leah u should make a video of how to install siding on a bungalow style home ,
Thanks for your informative conversational videos. Keep it up! Zak doesn't look unhappy with his new 'digs'. (forgive the pun). It's a common human problem to anthropomorphize all creatures. I'm sure Zak is happy that he has a place to be outside, especially if you are more content with his behavior. The outcome can only be more tasty treats for Zak.
Good seeing you again Leah. I'm used to seeing you on woodworking projects and love your videos. My Dutch Shephard is growing now and I'm not into the surface of the moon on my yard, but he sure is...crater city. Once again, inspired by your videos, but still have to deal with the constant rains here in the Philippines and have no sheltered place in the yard, so must build some sort of apparatus. Thanks for putting out another great video Leah. Be well.
Ohana and Nina invite Zach to come East. They need a young digger, they haven’t caught all the voles yet LMAO. This may be the ticket for the garden when it gets started, thanks! Update - I took my time looking over the website you provided the link to...I think this will fit the bill for what the architect had turned into a massive concrete pour, on paper. Although the website shows a video where a homeowner had grass planted in the driveway, I believe the cars would kill the grass where it constantly is being compacted. This will allow the rain water to continue going into the soil and not be flooding a specific area of the yard or flooding our neighbors. And I see it as a positive return of some ground water to our well.
A dog who digs incessantly is a dog with high anxiety and who is not getting enough stimulation from the owner. I think any appliance that you put in the pen that the dog can dig up and harm himself with is with all due respect a bad idea i’m talking about the landscape staples. Unless you’re trying to stop your dog from excavating and escaping I don’t think a dog digs is very harmful it’s a way for the dog to release energy and anxiety maybe the grid can be put on the perimeter of the property to stop him from escaping but stopping a dog from digging because you don’t like the holes I don’t know if that’s a good idea your video very very well done and I did learn something today thank you
Leah! Thank you so much for your dog wisdom! And love your dog; please show us more of your dog from time to time. One question: will the gravel pose a problem for the dog's feet if the gravel has sharp edges? Would rounded gravel be better for the dog's feet? Thanks!
Norm Landes. This gravel was selected because it is pet friendly and will not harm the pads on a dogs paws. As for smooth rock, it fails to remain in the pavers as well as the angular stone.
@@seejanedrill the place I get my dry cleaning done at uses coated wire hangers, if you can get those rust isn't too bad. Even better, the coating gives it a color that looks like old brass.
love your personality!!! and i love that the dog is in the video. the bonus is the video is truly helpful ! ;) would have watched it anyway because of the sweet dog ;)
The gravel alone would have stopped the dog from digging. Doubly so with that weed barrier. A better solution would have been to use the TrueGrid and then plant grass seed. The dog would still have a comfortable grass area, but would not be able to dig.
Hey Leah, that's a very nice solution. I'm thinking about doing this to my yard, since I have 2 dogs. I have a few questions however. First, how much does it cost overall, and where can I get it? Can I pick this stuff up at a big box store or do I need to order online? And the most important is the clean- up. Does the dog urine drain through the landscape material? Can I pick up the dog poop without removing gravel with it? Thank you Leah.
Looking into to doing something like this, but, I considered pavers because if my dogs go to the bathroom 💩 , it seems like it'd be difficult on gravel. Great video. Thank you
this is so great! Unfortunatley we just spent a thousand dollars on a huge crushed gravel area fenced in for our Goldendoodle. He now has a belly full of rocks ;( I need some help on what I can do to make his space safe for him. thank you for your help!
I usually trust your advice without reservation, bit I'm skeptical about this one. Most dogs I know *hate* to walk on gravel, especially gravel with sharp stones perfectly sized to jam up between their pads. Zach is SO sweet, I think he's just being a good sport by not complaining. I'd love to see innovative ideas for nontoxic, paw-friendly materials to use for a dog run. Like other viewers, I'm curious how this setup works after liquid and solid waste have accumulated for a few weeks.
Paul Goble the angular stone will lock in with each other. Rounded stone cannot lock together. There’s a museum near the state lines of Kentucky and Tennessee that uses this exact type rock for a path. It’s not only easy to walk on, it was easy to use crutches on. It’s very difficult to use crutches on round rock.
It looks great. My friend is a dog trainer and she’s setting up a kennel to do board and train. I was wondering why you suggest the angular gravel, rather than something more rounded. I would think it would be more comfortable to walk on rounded gravel rather than angular. Is it a manufacturer recommendation?
True Grid looks good. Am thinking this is too likely too expensive for someone like me on small income. We had to put good wire (NOT chicken wire) down in a way dogs could not claw out wire, than covered with ample dirt in our dog kennels. Otherwise, our dogs dig out/get loose. With a heavy traveled road in front of my property, it's very dangerous.. Solved. Hmmm gravel, even pea gravel...Just can't see it for their comfort,etc etc. Wish I could add photos of all we have been doing for safety, shelter, and comfort of our 6 lg shep/labs, on a budget. Have been busy to improve for upcoming hurricane season, also. THANKS for video.
I just moved and fenced in the back yard for my dogs. Would this work just along the fence line instead of the whole area? Thanks for showing us how to install a new toilet by the way. A lot of work in our new house. Love having you teach us!
I have a white lab and he digs but only in dirt areas. I mostly have grass and I let him dig in the dirt, he loves it. This would be good for a walk way though. I cant put down concrete so this seems like a good solution. Wonder if it would be strong enough to park a pickup truck on.
Thomas Anderson...they have several grades of the plastic product...one is industrial...I would think it would hold a PU truck. Check out her link! LOL Judie
Leah, I love your videos! As a single woman you've guided me through so many projects. Can you tell me what type of landscape fabric this is? There are so many that are labeled as 20-25 year fabric but reviews are terrible, stating that water cannot permeate, which would be a problem with this type of project. I appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks again!
Instead of gravel, can you fill with a layer of your topsoil, and lay in a soft grass in that soil? I'm thinking our dogs would learn not to dig with that hard plastic, but would enjoy the grass more than the gravel.
Just buy welded wire fencing. Lay it over your grass nice and flat. Hold it down with good quality staples (not the cheap ones from a big box store). The grass will grow over it. It will be low enough the lawn mower wont bother it (as long as your yard is smooth and your mowing at 3 inches).
I do see the practicality of cleaner feet and cleaner floors in the rain and mud, or if you're one of the families interminably washing poop into the ground, gravel would likely help. (We don't have that problem. Raw fed dogs don't have a poop problem. It turns white, hard, and disintegrates on its own in a day or so. )
The digging can be a major problem. I am calculating with a friend the cost of transforming most of her back yard, and adding in a digging pit of some type, with a pond for these dogs. The plastic is interesting; welded wire might be less installation problem -- for a very large area like her yard. Thanks for the ideas.
I like the weed barrier with plastic on the back. When cloth weed barrier came out the salesman talked me out of plastic said cloth was better . The grass loved popping thru it. Nice job but how does that keep Zack from digging in the grass when you let him out there??
Dogs don't poop, silly. Actually, I was having the same thoughts but there seems to be issues with all consideration materials. I was contemplating a cement pad for the dogs shelter and the split 1/3 pea gravel and 2/3 grass turf with stepping stones for me. Better solution for materials?
Hi Leah, great idea. I just wonder, how do you deal with fur in the rocks? I have 3 cocker spaniels and they shed like crazy! I want to do something like this but I am afraid I will only end up with a bunch of hair tangled between rocks and maybe some pee :/.
If you have an outdoor vaccume you can tape a little grate to the end. That way air flow can travel through but not the rocks. Just will have to stop and throw out the dog hair ocassionally so you don't break the vaccume.
I don't think i have a problem with my Belgian malinois digging in my small yard. Jax normally sits on the dinner table, he set on the sofa and watches tv with me. He's almost like human. Lol. Thanks leah. Good video for the people that have this problem.
Will your dog use this area as a potty? We have a side yard that we've trained the dogs to do their business on, keeping the main lawn looking nice and free from "landmines". But the side yard is always a mess, lots of weeds and pea gravel that gets kicked around everywhere. We want to clean it up like this but have been warned by others that dogs don't like to go to the bathroom on rocks/compacted gravel so they'll start using the yard. We also get a TONNE of rain where I live in the PNW and I'm worried about drainage.... Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
How does truegrid work for drainage? I have a rather big area that my 3 big dogs bring mud in from all of the time. How does this drain the rain?? does the mud ever seep up?
