Dog run flooring

[destinyd]

Im building two dog runs in my back yard. Im trying to decide the type of flooring to use. I know concrete is easier to clean, but is it harder on the feet? I plan on showing my dog in the future and want her feet to look tight.

[SonnyRott]

Regarding her feet...

Are you planning to keep her in the kennel all the time? Or is she going to spend the majority of her time in the house with you?

If she is only spending small amounts of time in the kennel, I would say concrete is the way to go.

[destinyd]

She will only be in the dog run when Im at work during the day.

[Bob Flynn]

In my dog runs I have paced wire lath small gauge on the ground and then backfilled with 6" of pea gravel. The lath keeps the gravel from mixing into the earth and allow moisture to pass through easily. The gravel makes for nice tight feet -vs- concrete which will not. The concrete is fine for kennels, I prefer the pea gravel in the runs for the feet.

Bob-

[destinyd]

Someone told me if I use pea gravel to put lime underneth it for the urine.

[Bob Flynn]

Originally Posted by destinyd

Someone told me if I use pea gravel to put lime underneth it for the urine.

I have friends on the east coast that do that but, I have built quite a few runs and never an issue which required lime. I do however use a garden sprayer mixed with my kennel cleaning solution, then rinsed. Never a smell.

Bob-

[Remy'sperson]

What is a good kennel cleaning solution?

[Rubyhead]

I used a nice clean pea gravel too and we get enough rain so that smell is not an issue. And I know you get plenty of rain in SF. It's also alot easier to pick up the poop off the gravel. I didn't put down any wiring like Bob and I wish I had because I find we need to 'refresh' the pea gravel quite often.
Good luck
Niki