How-to Create a Dog Patch (Backyard Dog Pee Area) - The Refresh

In one my previous posts How-to Create a Dog Patch (Dog Pee Patch) I showed how I created an area for out two Labrador Retrievers to do their business. After a while it may develop an odor that even vinegar or other concoctions will not handle. Here I'll show how easy it is to refresh the area for many more years of use.

First, you have the existing patch. If you are looking to create one for the first time take a look at my post on How-to Create a Dog Patch (Dog Pee Patch).

On top of the rocks and under the pea gravel I had laid mesh screen so begin by using a shovel to pull back the pea gravel around the edges exposing the mesh. The mesh can be pulled up to bring the gravel into a pile that is easier to shovel.

You will want to remove the old pea gravel and you have two options, clean and reuse or dispose of and use new gravel. For this refresh I use all new pea gravel. After removing the pea gravel and mesh you end up with the original base. Other than cleaning with vinegar or something to help with any odor the base stays untouched.

Our patch has a PVC drain so while I had it uncovered I made sure that we did not have any blockages by running a snake through the pipe and I ensured that there were not rocks blocking water entry into the pipe. It all appeared in great shape so I covered it back up. and moved onto the deodorizing of the patch.

In my dog patch, the odor was mainly coming from the pea gravel in the areas of the darker black spots. I cleaned this area (I opted for a light solution of bleach and water). I poured the solution over the rocks and then let it air dry in the sun while I did some weeding elsewhere. After a hour or so I then sprayed the rocks down with a hose to wash out any solution and excess dirt and voila a clean patch!

At this point all you will need to do is put new or cleaned mesh on the patch and add cleaned or new pea gravel. For the size of this patch, I needed at least 3 bags of pea gravel from Home Depot. I initially tried 2 bags but it really didn't cover all of the mesh and left some blank spots.

And there we have it, the refreshed and no odor patch. The dogs immediately took to it so it meets their standards.

It it easy and ignoring the wait time for it to dry, it took about a 1 to 1.5 hours to complete. It is really simple and extends the life of the patch with little expense and effort.