I just moved to the southwest desert and now my dog has to traverse a few yards of searing hot concrete to get to the dirt to pee.
What material can I use to create a cool path for him?
I just moved to the southwest desert and now my dog has to traverse a few yards of searing hot concrete to get to the dirt to pee.
An outdoor rug?
Know where I can find these?
Probably lots of places right now. Lowe's and Home Despot both usually have a good "patio living" section this time of year and I have usually seen rolls of patio rugs most years.
In the regular carpeting section you can also buy outdoor carpet by length. Just look for the green astroturf. Other colors were available in the past. Last time I got a piece of outdoor carpet it was grey
And that green one doesn't get hot huh? Okay, I thank you. I'll have to do some measurements because there's a lot of concrete and so I'd like to make a cool path directly from the door to the dirt. I think he'll follow it if I do that.
I have seen videos of that turf getting up to 180°F. There are paints that help keep pool decks cool that you might look into
Right, so carpet is the way to go. But why doesn't the carpet get hot too?
It does get hot but it's not very good at transferring the heat though touch and doesn't have the same heat capacity as concrete.
Heat capacity is a big deal in this scenario. Like cooking out on the grill I will grab aluminum foil that's as hot as the grill but since it's thin foil it's only hot for a fraction of a second and not long enough to burn my fingers.
That makes sense. The rocks are really fricking hot when I put my foot down on it. And to think my dog has been forcing himself to walk over rocks and concrete and even the dirt is hot which he pees on. This is the worst place to have a dog. It's literally hell.
Yes I lived in Phoenix for a bit and it sucked. I didn't have pets to worry about either.
Here's another option, but it's not as cheap or easy as unrolling some carpet
Shading is a good idea. Do you think one of these cheaper ones would block enough of the sun to keep the ground from getting hot? I could lay it over the concrete and the rocks.
I forgot my image. It's a shade sail
Yeah. Those should work too. You don't have to block 100% of the sun to make a huge difference in temperature
It's 108 F right now, I can't imagine what the rocks and concrete is. Is it really going to cool it enough?
Yeah, it should. Here in Colorado the air temps don't get as hot but the surface temps of anything the sun hits are dangerous like in Arizona because the sunshine is pretty intense here. Shade really helps keep things cooler under even when the air temps are hot
Thanks again, I'll look into shading, but my dog doesn't really hang outside in the heat anyway. Just as his bathroom, I might try dog boots first, something I didn't consider before.
On second thought having to take the boots on and off every day multiple times is a drag. You're right that shading is the best idea
Still will take some getting used to, but regular socks work fine for short distances and aren’t much of a hassle to slip on or off if the dog is already used to offering up a paw to shake. Infant socks will fit most tiny dogs if an old pair of your’s are too big.
I thought of boots, actually. I just didn't suggest because they take work. You're lucky if your dog doesn't hate them immediately, and putting them on and off multiple times a day would be annoying for both of you. Boots would be good if you took your dog out for excursions, but just for potty seems overkill
Exactly.
Shade is the best all around, but a piece of carpet on the concrete is the easiest to get done in a couple hours
>Shade is the best all around, but a piece of carpet on the concrete is the easiest to get done in a couple hours
I'm going to pick up an outdoor rug then. I just need a few measurements. Permanent shading is something I need more time to consider, costs and dimensions, the anchor points and I need to see if the HOA has regulations. Maybe could just stick a big beach umbrella in the dirt where he likes to go too.
No clue.
I live in Colorado where the only thing I need to worry about with my dog is the concrete and asphalt during the hot part of the day. Everything else is grass or weeds he can run around in without getting burned.
Just thinking that is the dirt and everything else is getting hot too, shading an area in the yard for the dog might be the best overall option, depending on how hot it is there and how well your dog can cope with it
Being in Colorado sounds nice right now. I'm in Arizona. Maybe I should try dog boots as well. He just needs to be able to get off the concrete and piss on the rocks. Though if he refuse to wear them it will be a problem
Boots are something that most dogs need to gradually get used to. It’s a new and weird enough feeling that few will like em right away.
Any of the outdoor carpet should work to protect your dog's paws from hot concrete. It's the cheapest and easiest option I can think of.
Other options would include making something to shade the concrete or build a wood deck or boardwalk floating on the concrete.
Carpet is definitely the simple way tho