Any suggestions for a dog potty area?

Question

I have a little potty area in my backyard that I take my dogs to do their business. Currently it's a little sand area. But a lot of sand keeps getting to our house even after wiping their feet.

Does anyone have any suggestions for something else to put down that would be less messy tracking in and that they would be willing to pee and poop on? I was thinking small pebbles, smooth ones but not sure they would go on there or if that would end up getting too dirty or smelly. I figured though I can wash them off with a hose?

Any suggestions or opinions please?

Answer 1

Plain old fashioned wood chips work really well, especially because they're cheap and when they get saturated with urine you just back them up and toss them in the recycling bag. For $2 you replace it and the area's neat and clean again.

Answer 2

We use wood chip mulch the undyed type only.
It decays back to dirt and you can scoop the poop up off it. When it gets really bad just add another layer over it and you have fresh mulch.
You must use only the undyed untreated stuff. We get it from one of the local tree trimming companies.They drop us off a whole truck load for free and we use it for the dogs.
It helps keep down the mess and does not track to bad. Better than sand and the pea gravel. The pea gravel tracks worse than sand does.

Answer 3

wood chips easy to remove or wash down and cheap. you might want to avoid sand as it is a breeding ground for fleas. but it depends on where you live I doubt it would be much of a problem in most extremely cold areas with short summers.