# Training Area Question



## Kyle Sprag (Jan 10, 2008)

Other than grass what is a good, safe, Reasonable alternative for an outdoor dog training area?


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Wood Chippings!


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

I personally like bark as an alternative. I would think that pea gravel would be ok as well. 

Courtney


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

in AZ we pretty much use dirt if we can't find decent grass.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Pea Gravel would work, I really don't like anything else unless it can't be avoided. Dirt, wood chips, etc all get stuck on the equipment and wear it out a lot faster, not to mention the risk of getting slivers in the mouth of a dog who bites equipment covered in bits of wood. I've trained on that arena footing that is used in many horse arenas (various shredded up materials from natural to sneakers) and same problem with the equipment getting filthy. Not a problem if you are working more advanced dogs who konw how to out, but definitely a problem if you are working younger dogs who carry then drop equipment. 

When I've been stuck with this type of footing I went out and purchased a large piece of the indoor/outdoor (fake grass looking stuff) carpet and put that down so at least the young dogs could be worked on that, and the equipment stayed clean.

If you do have to use dirt, wood chips, etc I have found wetting them down (damp, not puddles) helps a lot in keeping things cleaner, makes the ground more likely to stick to the ground and not the equipment.


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## Terry Fisk (Jul 26, 2007)

Pea gravel gets really hot in the direct sunlight and is pretty difficult to run in (for the helpers). We have dirt here, can't afford to water that much grass in the desert. Dirt gets pretty warm too and can be abrasive on pads until they toughen up and tough on equipment.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Hey don't write off artificial grass, it is a good alternative to sod. Some of what they have now, is REALLY nice, you can rinse it, the water flows right through, if dogs piss on it, no problem, it keeps out the dirt, mud and dust too. You can find it at a lot of places, I would bet even Home Depot, here is an example of it: http://www.waterlessgrass.com/product_information.html

It so happens Peter's brother works for the movie studios and brought home a big roll off a set. He has a home in Las Vegas, and it was the perfect choice for ground cover. I was amazed at how nice it looks, how it feels, and it sure beats sod when it comes to durability!


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## Tamara Champagne (Jan 20, 2009)

I have rubber mats in my backyard that I train on when not at the club. They look like brick paving stones, but they are 3/4" recycled rubber matts (4x4 I think) they work just grea for grip, keep clean, and don't heat up too much. Excellent stuff.

With any sort of major running or jumping, the mats have started to separate from each other. Not enough to be a real problem, but it does bother me. I need to figure out a way to peg them down better but otherwise the matts are great.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

What about the arena stuff they use out of old tires? We had that at the riding arena I worked at before I moved here and it is great for the horses....

Of course, not sure how it would be for the decoys trying to run in it?


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

Our field is getting pretty crappy. We have grass and rocks (come up through the grass on about 2/3 of it. The other is gravel with grass coming through...LOL

We did have a dump truck bring a bunch of dirt and a back hoe to fill in around the blinds a few years ago but now it needs to be done again. We could use a fresh layer of top soil to cover the entire field but we can't afford it. We do not have water on site. The Parks and Rec own it we just rent it.

This year they actually put down weed & feed. It was down about 2 weeks before we had any rain. We just had a little rain over the weekend. Now we have dead grass and dead weeds, gravel and dirt.

Ideally we would have some landscaping around the blinds where we could put down bark that wouldn't scatter or even pavers (saw that before). Lots of cushy lush grass every where else.

Our schools have the recycled shredded tires and they are hard to run in. Pea gravel would also be difficult. The rubber tracks that they put in around the foot ball fields (for track races) are pretty nice. Firm yet giving.

I have been thinking about the 1/3 of our field a lot lately. It has been getting worse over the last couple of years. If we do top soil we won't be able to train there while the grass starts to grow.... Maybe we can get it done the day before it snows and then next spring during break up the seeds would germinate?


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Carol Boche said:


> What about the arena stuff they use out of old tires?


If it's packed down it's not bad for the decoys to run in, if it's been tilled like they would for the horses it's difficult to run in. It does tend to make a mess of the equipment though if it's dropped in it.


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## Jason Moore (May 3, 2009)

Well I guess that's one good thing about living here in Louisiana. The weather sucks but on the nine acres I have there is plenty of grass. LOL To much in fact. I gotta go bush hog the pasture now. Mowed the yard yesterday. Growing a bit fast after all the recent rain.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Pea gravel would not be my choice, the dogs kick it in your face and it is hard to run in.

Are you having trouble keeping the grass alive ??


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## Kyle Sprag (Jan 10, 2008)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Pea gravel would not be my choice, the dogs kick it in your face and it is hard to run in.
> 
> Are you having trouble keeping the grass alive ??


 
The grass lives great as long as it gets water, My water bill last month was > $300.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Kyle Sprag said:


> The grass lives great as long as it gets water, My water bill last month was > $300.


Damn Kyle at that rate you could pay for artificial grass pretty
quick and never have to worry about watering it again


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## Kyle Sprag (Jan 10, 2008)

Thomas Barriano said:


> Damn Kyle at that rate you could pay for artificial grass pretty
> quick and never have to worry about watering it again


 
I looked at K9 grass once. http://www.k9grass.com/

But it was around $10 sf installed, I need 5000sf


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Kyle Sprag said:


> I looked at K9 grass once. http://www.k9grass.com/
> 
> But it was around $10 sf installed, I need 5000sf


Good grief, they installed an artificial grass soccer field near my house a couple of years ago. NO wonder my property taxes are so 
high? :-(

What's worse is they keep it padlocked unless their is a soccer game and wouldn't even let dogs on it.


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## Kyle Sprag (Jan 10, 2008)

Thomas Barriano said:


> Good grief, they installed an artificial grass soccer field near my house a couple of years ago. NO wonder my property taxes are so
> high? :-(
> 
> What's worse is they keep it padlocked unless their is a soccer game and wouldn't even let dogs on it.


 
Yeh, thats what I thought when I asked about it. The Cheap stuff is still around $5 per sf.


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