What Type of Mulch Is Best for a Dog Run?

When it comes to ground cover for your dog run, the biggest concerns are often keeping the mud at bay while providing comfort for your pooch and easy clean-up for you. Various kinds of mulch, as well as non-mulch ground covers, offer different benefits. What works best for your dog run depends on you and your dog.

  1. Cedar and Pine Mulch

    • Cedar or pine mulch works well for a ground cover inside your dog kennel, with some advantages and disadvantages. The soft and porous wood chips create a soft surface for your dog to walk on while keeping the muddy dirt at bay. While the porous properties of the mulch absorb urine, this also means you'll need to replace the chips on a regular basis to keep urine odor from getting too strong. Cedar mulch also offers a natural repellent for fleas; however, the oils in cedar often cause allergic reactions in dogs.

    Rubber Mulch

    • Rubber mulch comes from recycled tires and is an alternative to natural mulch. It is non-toxic to dogs and used by many community dog parks. A quick spray of the hose washes away urine and, unlike wood mulches that absorb urine and need replacing, rubber mulch lasts for many years. The main downside to rubber mulch is most evident in hot climates. Rubber heats up and can create a hot surface for your pooch. A shaded area or elevated area is necessary on hot days.

    Gravel and Rock

    • While not traditionally considered mulch, pea gravel or small, round rocks work well for ground cover in a dog run. The rocks cover the dirt and prevent a mud bath. Urine is able to drain through the rocks to the soil below, while a spray with the hose washes away surface debris. Kept at a depth of about 2 inches, it provides cover while still being comfortable to walk on. More than 2 inches and sinking may occur. Less and you risk bare spots where the gravel presses into the soil.

    Mulch to Avoid

    • When it comes to choosing mulch, whether for a dog run or a garden where dogs are present, cocoa mulch is never an option. Cocoa mulch comes from the shells of cocoa beans. Unfortunately, this attractive and sweet-smelling mulch contains theobromine, the chemical that makes chocolate toxic to dogs. This mulch contains a significantly larger amount of the chemical than milk or dark chocolate, making it a real danger to your pooch.