Run - Page 2

I have tried them all and concrete is the best all around. Just make sure that it is not overly smooth (but not overly rough either) because when it gets wet, the dogs will slip and could injure themselves. A normally smooth (just slightly smoother than a normal sidewalk) is right. Easy to clean, pick up doo and good for their nails. Best for parasite control (worms, etc). Make sure they have a shaded area as it can get real hot. Always let your dogs take turns "out" in a grass run area. Living in a run all the time really sucks, I'm sure. It is nice to let dogs be dogs so I have a fenced in area where they all take turns and in that area they are allowed to dig all they want and they also have a small child swimming pool. They just love digging (especially when they dig up a mole :)

I have had experience working in 4 different kennels, some breeding, some boarding or rescue. Here's my experience on pebbles/gravel vs. concrete Pebbles/gravel, many types of smooth round pebbles can get extremely hot and retain heat very well when it is in the sunlight, can burn feet, very uncomfortable to dogs. smooth pebbles are most likely to get swallowed by dogs, whether puppy or adult...if food gets spilled onto pebbles many dogs will scarf down the pebbles along with the food, some dogs are strange and like to chew on rocks, most puppies will chew on rocks/pebbles. Dogs love to dig!!!...and dig some here, and some there...and maybe actually dig right out of their kennel run!...especially fun activity for adolescent dogs. gravel runs usually need a new load of gravel each year...not a lil bucket of it either. there are varying degrees of roughness when it comes to gravel...obviously the very sharp ones are not ideal because they can cut or poke painfully, however rough gravel don't hold heat or get as hot as easily as smooth stones, plus they are less likely to be eaten, the semi-rough stones that are about 2 inches in diameter are the ones that I've seen to be the best for gravel runs...a dog deck or cot should be provided for the dog to lay on, however many dogs will just lay on the gravel itself too. If your kennel happens to get some nasty parasite or bacteria that can reside in the ground...then it's harder the get rid of it on gravel runs than on concrete runs never seen an issue with dogs getting splayed or flat feet from being on gravel...only seen it on very smooth, slick concrete. An important bit of info...for anyone living in a high heat area with cold nights...if the stones get too hot and then too cold too quickly they can explode and become like shrapnel...also happens to stones that get wet, hold water and then are introduced to fire, just a side note of what could happen if you ever have a fire in your kennels and have gravel in the runs As for concrete...the biggest downside I've ever known to concrete is when it cracks it's just plain irritating and annoying, if you have low spots in the concrete than puddles can form, not nice...concrete needs to be sloped and needs a good drainage system...if it has that then it's much nicer, easier to clean, more sanitized and smells better. Also one kennel had bricks for some of their runs, interesting, attractive, better than gravel...however these bricks also got cracks in them and the dogs could dig them too. I personally like concrete the best...if you can get a concrete with ingredients in it that make it much more resistant to cracking, or even crack-proof, that would be great

I use the pea gravel in all my large play areas and in most of my runs. Cleanup is easy with a rake and shovel. No problems with dogs feet. I also use an bio enzyne solution to disenfect and clean. Don't have a problem with odor either.

Hey Edd in Afgan, What bio enzyne solution do you use for your runs? I have pea gravel runs as well and am always looking for a better way to disenfect. Thanks.

Hi Brian, What I use alot of times is called "OUT- Pet stain and odor remover". Mix it with water in a big sprayer, Works great used daily after cleaning the kennel no odor. there is also another one available that is a yard deodorizer and enzyme you can hook to a hose with a sprayer I use once every other month to really soak down in, can't remeber the name but found it at pets mart.