A pea gravel dog potty area is the perfect solution for dog toilet needs on a balcony. It saves you having to take them for a walk every time they need to do business and also means you’re not picking up poop every time you want to enjoy your balcony!
So, in this article, we’ll cover the steps to make a super simple pea gravel dog potty area for your balcony.
Considerations Before Getting Started
It’s a good option to use pea gravel for a dog potty area because it’s smooth enough for them to walk on. Also, it provides great drainage. You can buy it from DIY stores, but make sure you buy pea gravel and not crushed stones. The latter is much sharper, so isn’t ideal for a dog potty.
There’s not much to say in regards to your balcony, as this dog potty includes drainage. You can make the system as intricate as you want, but nothing really beats a powerful hose and a bit of patience!
We’ve made these instructions tool-free so they suit renters and apartment owners. If you want to go full DIY, you could make a box using lumber but you’ll need a saw and hammer.
DIY Pea Gravel Dog Potty Area
For this, you’ll need:
- A sandbox or similar plastic container
- Pond liner or other plastic sheeting
- Pea gravel
Method
- Lay down a sheet of pond liner under the sandbox to protect your balcony floor.
- If the sandbox doesn’t have some kind of drainage hole, cut one out. You can do this using a bread knife if you don’t own a drill. However, a drill will be quicker and easier.
- Line the sandbox with pond liner, cutting a hole in the same place.
- Fill with pea gravel, ideally 2-3” deep.
- Once it’s set up on your balcony, you’re done.
Maintenance
If you’ve built your pea gravel dog potty area with drainage, you can simply hose it down every few days. Doing so means you can keep the smell down, although you’ll need to ensure the runoff actually reaches your balcony drain!
You’ll need to replace the pea gravel every few weeks if you don’t have drainage. While pea gravel for a dog potty area is a good choice, it’ll hold the smell if the pee can’t drain out anywhere.
Either way, you should clean the whole thing every few months to completely remove the smell. How you do this is up to you, but bleach or odor eliminator does the trick, providing you wash everything thoroughly.
Final Thoughts on the DIY Pea Gravel Dog Potty Area
The instructions for this DIY pea gravel dog potty area are deliberately simple, so everyone can set one up quickly and easily. It shouldn’t break the bank, either, but replacing the gravel regularly will cause the price to rise.
Of course, once it’s built, it’s now just a case of training your dog to use it!