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Sanitation in a dog run can be a major factor in your pets good health, and lack of sanitation could be a major factor contributing to his death.

Dog runs are generally constructed from some combination of wire or chain link fencing, concrete, sand, soil, grass, and/or gravel. Runs can be elevated off the ground with a mesh floor that allows excrement to fall through. These are easy to keep clean, and pets kept in these types of runs typically have the fewest parasites. Dogs kept in runs with concrete floors generally suffer the most parasites because concrete is an excellent incubator.

Grass doesn t provide a terribly sanitary dog run floor either. Completely removing stools from grassy areas is practically impossible. Worm eggs stick to grass blades, and dogs who chew on the grass become infested or re-infested. Even the thickest grass will die out when contained in a dog run, and the soil will turn to mud.  
 

An excellent dog run floor material is washed builder s sand. It is inexpensive, easy to remove, easy to dispose of, and easy to replace. It easily shakes off a dog s feet, even when wet, and doesn t track into his kennel, which typically can t be said of soil, especially soil with a clay component.

Proper sanitation of dog runs requires not only removing stools, but by replacing the base material periodically as well. If you re using sand, this is a simple process. The problem with removing only the stools is that worm eggs can wash down into the surface material of the run. The only way to remove those eggs is to occasionally remove and replace the material.

When cleaning the dog run, don t rake stools into a pile, then shovel the pile out. Raking or sweeping the stools will break it up and distribute worm eggs throughout the run. Embryonated worm eggs can withstand the elements for years. When hookworm eggs hatch the larvae can move upward from fairly deep in the soil and reach the surface, giving them immediate access to your pet. 

There is no such thing as too much care when it comes to removing stools from the dog run. Removing them efficiently from gravel or grass is impossible. Removing them from concrete without leaving eggs in the dimpled surface is impossible. Only burning or scrubbing can effectively remove eggs from a concrete surface. The spray from a hose will not accomplish the task.

Cleaning a dog run of any time is difficult in winter. Fortunately worm eggs will not incubate in cold weather, and fleas won t develop either. Remove what surface material you are able during the winter, and in the spring remove and replace the top two inches.

When confined to a run, most dogs will do their business within an area of a few square yards. If this is the case with your pet, it is relatively easy to dig the soil out of that area and replace it with sand. Keep in mind that turning the sand is not sufficient to provide a sanitary place for your pet. Dogs dig holes and when doing so will bring old buried worm eggs to the surface.

Keeping your dog run clean and sanitary is one of the best preventative health measures you can take for your pet. A healthy pet will provide a happy companion for many years. 

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