Garden home with small yard.. what ground cover is best for a small dog? (clean, poop)

[hhheights77007]

I just bought a house with a small yard (our first yard!).. and I want to get some ideas about what to put down in the area I want my little 12 lb mutt to use.
She doesn't like getting her feet wet, and generally only goes n grassy areas, however, this yard is so shady that grass won't grow. SO I was considering putting down bark or some type of rock/pebbles.

Has anyone been in this position before? What did you do. She is an inside dog and not a digger. I rather not put down sand since she has long hair. Thanks for the input.

[cremebrulee]

Originally Posted by hhheights77007

I just bought a house with a small yard (our first yard!).. and I want to get some ideas about what to put down in the area I want my little 12 lb mutt to use.
She doesn't like getting her feet wet, and generally only goes n grassy areas, however, this yard is so shady that grass won't grow. SO I was considering putting down bark or some type of rock/pebbles.

Has anyone been in this position before? What did you do. She is an inside dog and not a digger. I rather not put down sand since she has long hair. Thanks for the input.

just be very careful about what you put down, that there isn't dye in it...the dye is very dangerous to your pets...it can make them very sick or even kill them over time...if you put stones down, you can't help but pick up the stones when you pick up after her, so, I don't know what to suggest...except keep it natural....or you could train her to go on doggie diapers....

[latetotheparty]

maybe some sort of ivy or other ground cover that is native to where you are...... you could talk to a plant nursery for suggestions......

[foxywench]

how about a good faux grass. i knwo it SOUNDS tacky, but theres some very good quality ones out there that look real!

the bonueses with faux grass are:
1: drought tolerant
2: maintence free (no watering, no weeding, no mowing
3: damage resistant...the good stuff will even withstand diggers
4: VERY easy clean up. we used it in all the yards at the doggy daycare i worked at (i thought it was real grass intill i got upclose with it) and in case of poop, a quick scoop and a blast with the hose...in case of pee it drained right through...we hosed down the yards with a kennel cleaning solution every night, but in a home situation spot cleaning with a once a month hose down with an enviromentally safe cleaner (vinegar and baking soda) would be all youd need.

i would not do bark, theres too many chemicals, dyes ect in it, youll have ot reapply fairly often to keep a good depth and it retains moisture (not good unless you want that amonia smell hanging around after a while.)

a well rounded pea gravel would probably work, make sure its tumbled or similar so it doesnt have sharp edges...but gravel is nice because it drains well easily scooped, hosed off...like mulch though you will eventually have to "top up" on the gravel

i do hear of all the turf grasses kentucky blue grass does best with pets and ok in shade...
the problem with using planted matter for a "grass" is 1: it has to be safe if the dog eats it and 2: most plants will ot wuthstand too much foot traffic or animal urine.

mabe its worth dedicating a small area as her potty zone, with a faux grass or gravel bed then planting a shade loving grass mix on the rest of the lawn. many grasses do well in shade, the biggest risks to the lawn are running on it while its wet, excessive foot traffig, digging and pet waste sitting on it...so by dedicating a little potty area (part of it could even be under cover for those rainy days) for pet waste and on wet days, then letting her enjoy the rest of the yard supervised only so you can pick up and a quick hose off imediatly if she poops or pees...