My dogs run for a few hours daily in two 1/4 acre fenced areas. They have a little deck in them so they can lay down off the ground. They also have dog houses which are almost never used but are there in case a storm comes up while I'm gone (I'm usually home and run them inside). I've had an easy up over their little deck for shade but I'm replacing it frequently due to wind breakage. I've seen other large exercise yards on other websites and wonder what the others use for shade. We have a little shade in the summer due to few trees but nothing during the wintertime,my recently EZ up only lasted 3 weeks before a strong wind destroyed it. Any ideas?
I've found anything wood gets destroyed. I bought a large metal hut to put in the dog yard. I placed three 1/2 inch thick rubber horse mats down , so they are not laying directly on the ground. I do have an Igloo in there too. A large tree is near-by so it is cool for them to lounge . Link below:
With the money you are spending/have spent on Easy Ups, perhaps getting a mature tree would be the way to go? A good nursery could recommend ones that would stay green, provide the best canopy, not be toxic to a bark chewer etc..
We had a metal "carport" constructed at a kennel I worked at for the dogs doing playgroups. It worked well in the summertime but it was really ugly!!
Take four pressure treated 4 x 4s, or 6 x 6s depending on the size of the structure. Plywood roof, covered with regular shingles or cedar shake. Place roof on a slight pitch. If you can't bury the posts, there are ways to attached them to concrete. You can place thin strips of metal wrapped around the bottom of the 4 x 4s for the chewers, and painted. You can hang potted plants from the posts. Good luck!
Further to Linda's post, my husband buys drywall corner bead by the 8 foot lengths and literally everything wood gets the corners trimmed with it, even up to 3 or 4 ft high. It's already got the holes so is simple to screw in. It cuts easy with tin or other snips, and even in our kennel, is on all wood edges and corners, to prevent chewing. The secret is to be sure to get the edges screwed down well. Outside, or near water pails, etc, it will take on a thin rust eventually but it's never a problem and is cheap to replace if you really want to. We find it blends in the to the wood colour and still looks a whole lot better than chewed "everything".
Agree with "go natural". Trees are the best way to go for many reasons (including the environment). A nice row of 6-10 ft evergreens (or whatever)can provide both shade and windbreaks.
Fall and early winter before the ground freezes is a good time to find bargains and to plant so the roots can grow over winter and spring.
Same here Linda. All corners get the aluminum edging as far up or down as needed to keep the chewers off! We have a large sugar maple and a red maple to provide shade, but they are protected by X-pen and fencing, so noone can damage them. They look beautiful and provide fabulous shade.
