I want to know how to pour a easy dog run concrete slab 12x8?

Answer 1

You may want to re-think the concrete for a dog run. Some dogs will not go on concrete, only on grass and during the summer months when the sun hits the concrete it is hot, in the winter it is cold and that would be uncomfortable for the dog. Perhaps clearing an area and putting down something like fine bark or if there is already grass there, leave that.

Answer 2

If the goal is to set up the run so you don't have to mow inside it....I recommend the following....(because concrete is hard on a dog's feet)

cut the grass as close as you can.. then cover with newspaper, then 'weed paper' like is used in gardens (sold in a roll). Then a layer of chicken wire (this will keep the dog from digging thru it, lol) Cover it all with a few inches of pea gravel, and you're all set.

If you insist on using concrete.... you need to build a form around where you want to put it. I recommend using 2x6 lumber, and stakes. (they do make a stake now, for concrete forms, which can be re-used...youre lumber yard will know what it is, or you can simply make some stakes out of short lengths of scrap 2x with a point cut onto the end.) So, mark out the area where you want it.... put the 2x6's in place around it, and screw or nail, the stakes to the outside of the 2x6's... hehehe.. its much easier to remove them, from the outside... hehehehe... Then take a saw, and cut any stakes down, that are sticking up above your 2x6's, level with the tops of the 2x6's

Once you have the form in place, put down a layer of plastic, then 2 inches of gravel. Then you need your concrete... you can get this in bags from a building supply store, or, if you are close to one, a concrete company. (It may be cheaper to mix it yourself tho) A wheelbarrow is a handy container to mix concrete in....just follow the directions on the bag. You will want to pour the concrete so that it is level with the top of the form.

Next you will want to trowel, or 'float' the surface, so that is is smooth, and level. A 10 ft length of 2x (preferably straight!!) can be used to slide back and forth across the top of the form, to help level out the concrete. If I were making steps, I would wait till the concrete was almost dry, and then run a straw broom over the surface, lightly, to give it some texture.... but if I expected to need to clean it often, I would want it as smooth as possible. There is a little tool you can get, that will put a slightly rounded edge, along the perimeter of the concrete... adds a nice finishing touch. There is another, that puts the 'groove' you see in concrete, like on a sidewalk. The groove is handy, because, if the concrete is going to settle... it gives it a place to crack, evenly.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

96

Answer 4

actually i think a concrete dog run is bad for his feet maybe you could buy a pickup truck load of small rocks for him to run on urine would flow through and poop could be scooped up daily