Project guide
Surfacing the strip of yard that is always mud, in something a dog can use and you can rinse.
The side yard is the worst piece of ground on most Florida lots: narrow, shaded, no grass, and the route the dog takes forty times a day. Grass will not grow there and mulch washes out, so the answer is stone, chosen so it is kind to paws and easy to hose down.
Pea rock is the standard for dog runs because it is rounded and will not cut pads. Put three inches of road base limerock underneath so it drains and does not sink into the mud. Avoid #57 and crusher run here: the angular edges are hard on paws and trap waste.
A side yard 5 ft wide and 40 ft long is 200 sq ft. Base at 3 inches is 200 x 0.25 / 27 = 1.85 cu yd plus 20 percent, so order 3. Pea rock at 2 inches is 1.23 cu yd, so order 2.
Excavate five inches and check the fall runs away from the house. Compact the base. Lay fabric if the ground is soft, then spread pea rock two inches deep and rake level. Edge both sides so the stone stays in the run. Hose it down weekly and the whole surface stays clean, which is the main advantage over mulch or grass.
Materials for this job
Pool decks, walkways, paver base, dog runs and landscape fill.
$37.50 / cu yd MaterialCompactable base under asphalt, concrete, pavers and driveways.
$31.25 / cu yd MaterialPre-blended base for pavers and pool decks. No mixing on site.
$31.25 / cu ydDog Run and Side Yard — common questions
Pea rock. It is rounded river stone with no sharp edges, so it does not cut paw pads, and it rinses clean. Avoid crushed or angular stone.
Light pea rock runs cooler than pavers or dark stone, but any surface in full Florida sun gets hot by midday. A shaded side yard is ideal for exactly this reason.
Stone over a draining base, hosed weekly. The reason stone beats mulch or grass is that liquid passes straight through instead of sitting in organic material.
Two inches of pea rock over three inches of compacted base. Deeper pea rock is harder for dogs to walk on, not better.
Pick your material, enter how many cubic yards and see the delivered number before you talk to anyone.