nbr: landscaping

cookie1and2

We have bushes around the perimeter of our back patio. ?Our 2 goldens love to sleep under them. ?They've displaced a lot of the dirt, showing our sprinkler pipes. ?So I got some topsoil and replaced the soil. ?The topsoil is so loose that now they are tracking in dirt everyday (and today mud!). ?What can I put on top of the topsoil? ?Little Rocks? ?Mulch? ?I don't want to discourage them sleeping there--I'm fine with it--I just don't want to mop the kitchen floor and vacuum 20 times a day. ?

smb29

My dh put down river rocks in some areas where the grass didn't grow well and the dog liked to track in dirt, and it looks really good, but it would probably discourage them from sleeping there.

joyco

can you plant some kind of ground cover (i.e. herbs or vine-y-type stuff?) that would anchor the dirt and not expose the dirt for dogs to lie in?

If it were me and because I'm lazy, I'd throw those cedar chips down and call it a day, but dogs like to dig, don't they? 

That's why I think the ground cover plants would be better.   

angelaggie

We have mulch around ours because it stays cool.  Doesn't work for puppies who like to dig though   RC will dig everything if he got the chance.

mcgee

You could try mulch, but they might dig in it. You could also plant some sort of ground cover, but you'd probably need to fence it off for a little while so the plants could grow. Another option might be to lay landscaping fabric down over the topsoil and hold it down with some strategically placed rocks. The dogs could still lay on the fabric, but it would prevent them from tracking dirt everywhere.