Good substrate for dog toilet area?

We are currently sorting out the garden. It's going to be basic, a lawn area, a patio and a small toilet area. I trained Cain to toilet in one spot sometime ago when I got sick of his wee staining the lawn. With all the upheaval and building junk in the garden, he's slightly confused about where to go and no wonder! When I sort the garden out, I plan to make a clear toilet area with a visible border to help him.

But what to fill it with? The old area is currently just bare soil. He's happy enough with that...providing the weather is dry! Problem is, he goes all pathetic when it's been heavy rain and doesn't want to walk on the mud that's when he starts trying to toilet in different areas or even refusing to wee in the garden at all

I want a substrate that
1. Drains well so he doesn't have to stand in puddles
2. Is gentle on feet (he has delicate paws and is bound to cut himself on gravel etc)
3. Looks ok - doesn't have to be stunning, just not hideous
4. Is easy to pick up poo on without taking away half the substrate

I thought about bark chips, but I think it'll be hard to see poo on and I'll end up constantly having to refill the area when the bark get picks up with the poo. I thought about sand, but that'll get boggy like soil when wet.

Any ideas

I made a dog toilet area many years ago, using sand. Dog refused to use it. Found out later that this was because all the local cats were using it as a cat toilet, suppose they found it easier to bury their poo in sand

Cant beat astro turf!
My entire garden is astro turf and it looks neat and is very easy to clean.

We use purple slate for our 'toilet' area.

You can get gravel ( for want of a better word ) made from recycled car tyres, it looks like shredded rubber, would drain well and be kind to his feet.
Some chicken keepers use it in their pens, I'll see if I can find it anywhere.

Here you go
http://www.playbark.com/catalog/rubber-bark

Good point. Lots of cats around here I think it would get as waterlogged as soil anyway

My 'lawn' is going to be artificial It was some of your photos that convinced me! However, I'd still rather he didn't go on it and stick to his toilet area, as it avoids any need to disinfect the fake lawn. So I need a different substrate for the toilet zone.

I'm concered that Cain might cut his feet up on slate He will skid down the garden when chasing his squirrel nemsis who taunts him from a tree at the end of the garden Cain's a bit of a nigthmare for cutting up his paw pads.

Thanks celli. That seems to tick most boxes, I'm just worried any loose substrate with all get flicked out of the area and all over the garden. I'll have a look though Maybe if I make high sides and box it in...

I think the best thing for you is to buy a few bags of cheap gravel, it does the trick on bare earth, it drains well and doesn't smell. Jewson's do a lovely 20 mm white/grey mix, nice small rounded stones, no sharp bits, or they also do a 40 mm I think and it's only £3 a bag, can't grumble at that! I've used loads of it on my flower beds. This stuff is better than that pea beach gravel which sticks in their feet, we had that at the other house out the back before changing to limestone chippings on the drive, which I found Georgie couldn't walk on very well, but the gravel is fab.

We have tons of that black slate on one of our garden levels and I've trained Zena to go up there. It's not sharp, all the edges seem to be rounded off, but I think this an expensive way of doing it imo.

Take a look on the Jewsons website at that 20 mm gravel.

Maybe instead of raising the sides to make a box, sink it down a bit and box that in? Won't look so obvious but should contain the substrate

Thanks H, I'll look into rounded gravel. Good thinking about sinking it down a bit Karly, at least he doesn't bother to kick up in the garden. Tends to be a bit if a flying poo shower on some walks that's always fun to collect

I would make the equivalent of a French drain as a toileting area, dig down to about six inches, line the sides with tanelised timber to prevent them falling in, and fill with something like pea gravel, or slightly larger.