I am using these Hard Wood Mulch, to cover the excavation Chico did trying to get to Carla.

My question is are they any down side to this? That you Know. Please help. I am about to use the remainder for bedding on both? Dan

Is it the larger wood chips mulch? I don't like it for my dog areas the stuff I've used has to many sharp edges and my dogs never seem to like walking on it.
Is Chico and Carla your dogs and he was digging(excavation)to get to Carla?

I used wood chips for about 2 1/2 years around & in my kennel area. The chips/mulch gets worked into the ground over some time, depending on the activity on it...it will be sooner than later in some types of soil. It can be dusty & also clings more to the dogs' coats. It holds the moisture & gets a bit moldy & smelly. Some dogs have allergy problems with it.

I later went to a 'washed' pea gravel. The gravel costs more, but is far cleaner, easier to pick up waste & can be disinfected. If it did get a bit dusty in the hot dry weather, I would spray it with mist of water from the hose & that did the trick.

Also, some dogs will chew on the pieces of wood. Mine didn't but I have heard of some that ingest a fair amount of it. Not good.

Just my experience.

Hi Joe, exactly right, made tunnels that I fell at least three times going to feed him and change water, I cannot afford to fall. So Home depot had these mulch 5 for $10.OO. So I figure, just to cover the tunnels, and then reinforce with sand. Dan

Thanks, Anne. As Stated before, was just looking for a simple hole filler. Please hear me out. I have had many aquariums, and Charcoal was the ingredient to take out the ammonia, Can I mix the play sand or pine shaving with the charcoal? That is my patent. Just to get the urine that I miss. What say you? Dan

You could use it to fill the hole but it would only be a temporary fix. I don't think the chips & sand are going to stop the dog from digging and he could dig right through that even easier.

Yea! Joe, I know you are right. We just came back from a six mile walk, Hope "that a tire dog is a good dog".

I tired dog is always the best answer to most management problems.

The wood chips decompose into the soil. I doubt that it will have any effect on Chico's digging. Like Joe said...it will make the ground even softer to dig thru. You would have to fill it in with dirt & rocks or gravel & well packed down & even that may not deter a determind digger. Dogs that dig can be difficult to deter if they are really aggressive about it.

My female used to be a digger if she got bored or was occasionally underexercised. She used to dig up rocks (I live in rocky new england)& then roll them around the yard playing with them...much to the detrament of my lawnmower. :-(

My dogs are out together all the time, unless she is in heat. This, also, keeps them busy. But both my dogs have a ball each to play with outside & this has acted as a deterrent for her. Their having balls to play with outside has no negative effect on their drive at all. But I guess that could be an issue with some dogs, depends on the individual dogs.

As far as your mixture to eliminate the urine odor...I don't know if that would work or not. Mine, when in the kennel, used one area to 'potty' & I would just clean up the chips & toss them into the woods behind my house. Never really had an odor problem that I recall. My dogs are out in my fenced yard, but not much in the kennel itself. I used the kennel more for puppies then adult dogs. When I had 3 dogs here, 2 of which were pups, I would have one pup in the kennel & the other in the yard & rotate them. I, personlly, would never use chips in a kennel again. I much prefer the washed pea gravel. If I were talking permant kennel runs...I'd use concrete.

For sure a tired dog will be less motivated to dig plenty of mental and physical stimuli will be in your favor, the dog need to burn off energy some how might as well be something positive.

Do you have fertilized dirt that can be very attractive to some dogs, doesn't sound like he's digging for a den or to cool off he wants to get at the girl. Why do you keep them separate?

You might need cement or California blue groove dirt hard as cement. Like Ann said the NE gravel didn't stop hers and I know NE soil well being a 7 time NE MX champion, Ann where in NE?

Just a random tip I learned from my days in rescue....
If a dog is digging in the same place over and over.... fill the hole with poop. Gross, yes. It works though, 90% of the time.