Dog proof material around the walls

[otolith]

Currently, the back of the house has a foot wide strip of gravel between the house wall and the patio.

Actually, that's not quite true. That's what it used to have. Now it has a small recreation of the Somme, circa 1916. The mutt keeps trying to excavate the house. There's a pipe under there carrying rainwater from the roof to the drain. I know, I can see it.

What can I put down that will be dog-proof, but won't cause problems down the line?

[mattdaniels]

Bury a strip of chicken wire just under the surface.

[otolith]

I've been thinking about that, but he's a fairly large dog, I think he'd just pull it up.

[Gazzab]

Cover the ground in chilli powder :-) or don't leave him outside and unattended and bored?

[mattdaniels]

otolith said:

I've been thinking about that, but he's a fairly large dog, I think he'd just pull it up.

Depends how well you secure it

[otolith]

Gazzab said:

Cover the ground in chilli powder :-) or don't leave him outside and unattended and bored?

I only need to turn my back for a minute and the bugger is at it again! He just thinks digging is the best thing ever.

[Morningside]

What about this near the edge?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/prikka-brown-wall-spikes...

[otolith]

I think the dog would be the least of my worries after the wife had trodden on that!

[otolith]

What I'm wondering is whether that surface needs to be permeable - would it cause damage if I put a thin skim of concrete over it?

[jason61c]

buy him a sand pit?

[Morningside]

otolith said:

What I'm wondering is whether that surface needs to be permeable - would it cause damage if I put a thin skim of concrete over it?

Our old property had this and from what I remember its called a "French drain" and designed to stop damp and placing concrete over it would cause you problems.

[otolith]

Yeah, that's exactly the kind of concern I had.

[otolith]

Although googling "French Drain" suggests that it's a porous or perforated pipe in a gravel trench - this is just a solid walled pipe which happens to run along the side of the house under the gravel.