How to Kill Weeds in a Dog Run

Use dog-friendly methods to get rid of weeds in a dog run.

Dog runs provide a way for your dog to get the exercise it needs in a small, fenced-in portion of your yard. If your dog run has a simple grass or gravel floor, weeds may start to sprout, which look unsightly. Certain weeds can also be toxic to dogs, if the dog ingests the plants, as can some commercially available weed killers. To kill any weeds growing in your dog run, use pet-safe, nontoxic methods to get rid of them.

Things You'll Need

• Vinegar
• Empty spray bottle
• Pot
• Water
• Table salt
• 5 tablespoons vodka
• 5 tablespoons liquid dish soap

Instructions

1. Pour vinegar into an empty spray bottle and use it to spray any weeds, down to the roots, growing in the dog run. Vinegar contains acetic acid, a chemical that burns the leaves and roots of the weeds, killing them. Avoid getting any of the vinegar spray on nearby plants as it will harm them.

2. Pour a pot of boiling water over large areas of weeds growing in the dog run. It kills the weeds by burning them and kills any of their seeds. This method will kill any plants in the vicinity of the weeds as well. After cooling, the boiling water method leaves no residue of chemicals for your dogs to come into contact with.

3. Sprinkle table salt over the weeds, concentrating on the base of the plants. Pour a small amount of water into the soil after sprinkling it with salt to get it into the roots of the weeds. This not only kills the weeds in the area, but prevents new ones from sprouting by making the soil unsuitable for plant growth.

4. Mix 5 tablespoons vodka with 1 quart of water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and use it to douse weeds in the dog run. The alcohol dries out the weeds and kills them.

5. Mix 5 tablespoons of liquid dish soap with 1 quart of water. Use this solution to pour or spray over weeds to kill them.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply vinegar, the vodka or soap mixture to the weeds daily until they die.

• Use the vinegar method in full sunlight for best results.

• Prevent new weeds from growing by sprinkling cornstarch over the area of the dog run. Cornstarch prevents new seeds from sprouting but does not harm existing plants or grasses already growing in the area.

• For dog runs lined with gravel, add mulch or wood chips to the stones to help prevent the growth of weeds. If your dog tends to ingest non-food items, sprinkle cornstarch or baking soda over the area instead.

• Never use cocoa bean mulch in a dog run because it can be toxic to dogs if ingested in large quantities, recommends the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

References

• WebMD: 6 Fast and Natural Ways to Kill Weeds
• Gardening Know How: Homemade Pet Friendly Weed Killer
• Reader's Digest: 11 Ways to Kill Garden Weeds
• Service Magic: Fence Fido In: A Quick Expose on Dog Runs and Their Construction Read more: http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Fence-Fido-In-A-Quick-Expose-on-Dog-Runs-and-Their-Construction.14034.html#ixzz1bNoSxlj5
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Cocoa Bean Shell Mulch

Resources

• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List -- Dogs