There are many opinions about what material is best for outdoor pet potty areas.
Want to get right to the TRUTH??
Todd Farber is Garden Guy. He is Sugar Land’s Aggie Horticulturist with more than 30 years of experience, designing and installing creative landscapes with plants that thrive in Texas. He always listens to clients’ needs and utilizes plants that withstand the heat and become more beautiful with time.
- 🔑 Key Takeaways with Garden Guy
- Dogs need an area to do their business
- Find a common area they use or train them to use an area you choose
- Use Mulch for the pet toilet area
- Stay away from dyed mulch. Mulch dyes kill earthworms, beneficial soil organisms, and beneficial soil bacteria and may harm pets.
- Find out more about the dangers of dyed mulch here
Free downloadable file for later below 🙂
“Pets don’t like walking on outdoor landscaping areas made of pea gravel or other types of rocks. I know Pinterest disagrees, but this is my real experience with thousands of backyard landscaping clients of what really works!” quipped Todd.
Article begins…
Are dogs killing your grass and ruining your backyard lawn? Fur-baby need an outdoor potty area? Todd Farber, the Texas Horticulturist and Garden Guy, lays out the BEST material for dog toilet and outdoor potty areas right here.
“The solution is to design landscaping for the pet and then design landscaping for the client. When it comes to pet toilet issues, we look at where the pet does his business right now. If we can find a common area, we turn that area into an exclusive pet potty area for the dog(s),” advises Todd.
👍 THE ONE THING PINTEREST WON’T TELL YOU!!!
The BEST material for dog toilet and outdoor potty areas…..
🙌🙌MULCH!!🙌🙌
Todd recommends using pet-safe MULCH for the dog toilet and outdoor potty areas and NOT pea gravel.
What kind of mulch?
“We use shredded hardwood mulch with no dyes. I stay away from red mulch and black mulch. They contain dyes and petroleum products that are not safe for pets or the environment,” added Todd.
Read about the danger of dyed mulches in landscaping for pets and the environment
🐩💕NEW PUPPY TIP— Sent out the new puppy announcement?? GREAT!! When your furbaby gets home, make toilet training in this newly mulched backyard area a priority. “If you have a young dog, this mulched pet potty area is the place to begin outdoor potty training.” This is a win-win for the pet owner and the pet too.
🐶💕Have an older dog? If you have an adult dog, look for the most common backyard areas they urinate and go poop in. Is there a place where they might be able to be trained to “do their business” in the backyard? If so, make the outdoor dog potty area there!
So now you know!! THE ONE THING PINTEREST WON’T TELL YOU!!! The BEST material for dog toilet and outdoor potty area…..MULCH!!
That’s the dog toilet and outdoor potty area secret you wanted!!
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Free downloadable file for later CLICK ➡ Garden Guy’s material is best for outdoor pet potty areas
Todd Farber is Garden Guy. He is Sugar Land’s Aggie Horticulturist with more than 32 years of experience, designing and installing creative landscapes with plants that thrive in Texas. He always listens to clients’ needs and utilizes plants that withstand the heat and become more beautiful with time. Folks love him! Don’t take my word for it, check out more than 200 Nextdoor Recommendations here.
My chihuahuas aren’t big fans of rain/snow. I want to build them a protected dog potty area behind and under my deck stairs. If I use mulch for the substrate should I first put down landscape fabric, sand, or something else for drainage and smell?
Thank you!
Hi! If you use the shredded hardwood (or natural mulch) the urine should act as it naturally would in regular grass.
Hello There !
I just wanted to THANK YOU for your great answer to our dilemma about removing most of our lawn in the front and backyard. God bless you and yours.
You’re welcome!
You sound like my husband! He wants our 8 wk old pup to use mulch instead of burning his grass. I get it, but the pup only wants to eat and play with the mulch rather than doing his business on it. Any suggestions?
This is probably temporary as he is a pup. Continue to have him only do his business in this area and don’t give up. 🙂
can I purchase the mulch at any gardening store?
yes you can. You need to look for shredded hardwood mulch with no dyes.