Outdoor Run Surfaces - Suggestions Please - Page 4

Margaret, we constructed a fairly large sand area for exercising the dogs when we built our kennels about ten years ago.
The sub-base is very important in whatever surface you choose and is probably the most expensive part.
Our area was excavated to depth of 12 inches, we placed 9 inches of type 1 hardcore and then 3inches of sharp sand with a slope to aid drainage.
The sand was good for safety of the dogs when charging about,,,but,,,theres always a but,it needed a lot of raking as it moves around a lot,the dogs get covered in it,if throwing a ball the dogs are chewing sand and it is not easy to disinfect properly.
I decided to utilise the existing base and block pave the area,it is much more practical now.
Here is a picture of the area at the side of the kennels.

wow what a great facility - absolutely super.  Love the schutzhund field - and look at all the tracking!  Where is this located?

molly

Thanks Molly,
We are in South Yorkshire in the Uk.
We only have three and a half acres,but luckily the local farmers are very good about us using some of their fields for tracking.

Yes, I thought it was in England looking at the fields and farmland, Only 3 Acres That is what i call a Posh Place
Steve1

Tony - Gorgeous place !!!!

Thanks maggiemae, Steve, I think we definately lowered the tone of the neighbourhood when we moved here, my wife doesnt think I'm posh, I cant even remember to put the toilet seat down when I've finished. 

I know the original poster didn't want concrete. So this is for those that have mentioned the concrete surface. As mentioned you don't want it too rough nor too smooth. You can have the surface stamped. There are many styles to choose from so you can control the look as well as the surface texture. If you don't want the gray color of concrete you can have dye added to the color of your choosing. Looks great. If you know anything about concrete you can rent the stamps very inexpensively and do the job yourself. The dye adds a little to the cost of the crete but not enough to worry about. If you have it dyed make sure you have them add it at the processing plant and not on the job. The color's more consistant that way.

Thanks for the input, I have decided against sand after talking to someone who had sand paddocks ,apparently it stains the dogs coats and the kennel walls and the staining is hard to get rid of.  I don't think the drainage system here would cope with the run off from concrete or paving so I think a surface that drained into the ground is the only answer so still looking at options with that in mind.

I'm green with envy at your place Tony, it must be so nice to just take the dogs out of the kennels onto the training area as and when you feel like it.  While we have an excellent, well equipped training field, it is the other side of the dual carriageway so we have to drive round to get to it with all the time spent loading and unloading the dogs being a bit of a deterrent if you just want to get one dog out and practise an exercise.

Margaret N-J

Margaret, if you need the area to self drain,without putting in a drainage system, you need to construct a sub-base from clean crushed rock and compact this sub-base,because there is no dust in this material it does'nt compact as well as a type 1 sub-base,but it does drain well and the small voids in the crushed rock will store water under the top surface,which must be permeable.
Basically the crushed rock sub-base is laid to a depth of at least 8 inches and compacted,the paving is then laid onto a 2 inch thick prepared bed of 6mm pea gravel, the gaps in the paving is then filled with the same gravel, and compacted.
I think permeable  block paving is probably the best idea for your situation,unfortunately it is not cheap, but if done properly with a deep enough sub-base will last for many years with very little maintenance.