Clean Run - November 2016 - 64

down and become hard and possibly
uneven, sometimes with hard chunks.
Small dirt areas can be raked but for
larger rings and arenas, a grader is preferred. A DR Power Grader advertised
for maintaining driveways is Coupe's
machine of choice for this task.
Watering is also necessary and time
consuming. Getting an area evenly
watered with just the right amount
of moisture for good footing can be
a challenge. Watering reduces dust,
which can affect handler comfort (and
health if there is a lot of dust in the
air) as well as get equipment, people,
and dogs dirty. Even in properly maintained dirt areas, equipment will need
periodic cleaning.
OTher OpTiOnS
Another all-natural option for agility
footing is wood mulch. Mulch is not
the ideal running surface as it can be
hard on feet and uneven. It also tends
to move rather than stay put, so paths
may emerge and you may have to rake
it back into place. Mulch varies in size
from chips to larger chunks to shreds.
Shredded mulch provides a smoother
and more comfortable running surface
(don't go barefoot on the larger pieces!) but disintegrates faster and needs
to be replaced more often.

Some people mix mulch in with dirt
to provide a better running surface.
In our last article, Shawn Cossart described her mulch/sandy loam mixture
at Heart of Texas Dog Sports. She had
a 5" sand and loam mixture as a base
with 3" of Texas native cedar mulch
on top. She had to replace the mulch
every couple of years and weed occasionally. Cossart says, "I moved from
that house a couple of years ago but
it held up fantastic for the 8 years I
had it. If I had another field to put in,
I would do it the same (unless it was
turf of course)."
Decomposed granite (DG) is another
surface that some competitors use.
It is ground up rock that is similar to
coarse sand or a fine gravel that is
more stable. Californian Lysa Olsen
Keepper says, "DG is common in the
drought stricken southwest for those
with backyard training areas where
we have given up watering lawns....
Pros: cheap, low maintenance, easy
to maneuver on, easy for dogs to see
rewards on, stable for jumps. Cons: not
what we trial on, can get hard and hot
if left ungroomed, not easy for stick in
the ground weaves." DG is not "dirty"
and does not track everywhere like
sand and dirt can, but it does need occasional maintenance to break up hard
spots and clumps. It drains quickly and
can be blown into place rather than
shoveled in for large areas.

Handler Debbie Laxague runs her dog
on both DG and grass the same training facility. She says, "At our lessons,
there are two outdoor arenas, one
decomposed granite and the other is
grass (which requires a lot of irrigation
and maintenance). I like them both,
although the DG is easier to run on for
me (the ground is more even, better
footing). My dog, however, clearly prefers the grass."
For a video comparison, courtesy of
Laxague, see "CR Surfaces Moondog"
in the November 2016 Clean Run playlist on our YouTube site.
There are many natural options for outdoor agility rings or arenas. For smaller
areas, you can probably tackle the project of installing grass, dirt, or a similar
surface yourself. You might find that
you can simply modify your existing
surface. But for large rings or covered/
indoor arenas, you might need help to
get the most for your investment.
WhaT'S nexT?
Our final installment to the Underfoot
Updated series will involve natural surfaces mixed with artificial items-composite surfaces. D

Brenna Fender is a freelance writer and editor who works for Clean Run. She lives in Florida with her husband, two children, a Papillon (Spark), a Beagle (Wrigley), a
Border Collie (Tessa), her daughter's Chihuahua (Chase), and a variety of other creatures. Tessa has agility titles, UpDog Challenge disc achievements, and a Trick Dog
Champion Title. Over the years, Brenna's dogs have been titled in conformation, agility, Junior Hunter, Junior Courser, rally, obedience, and Canine Good Citizen. Brenna
can be reached at brennafender@gmail.com and you can visit her website at brennafender.com.

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