How can I make a path in backyard for dogwalk using turf?

Wick
by Wick
I live in AZ and backyard is made of stones which get hot in summer. I want to make a path using fake turf so that we can take walks back there and he won't burn his feet.
  6 answers
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Apr 23, 2014
    You may not be doing your dog a favor. Artificial turf can actually get hotter than asphalt on a sunny day. See the attached link, which compares surface temperatures of various materials on a hot day: http://turf.uark.edu/turfhelp/archives/021109.html
  • Wick Wick on Apr 23, 2014
    Thank you, and I have changed my mind because of this article.
  • Sherry Fisher Sherry Fisher on Apr 24, 2014
    I use mulch ;)
  • Bonny McDaniel Bonny McDaniel on Apr 24, 2014
    A very fine mulch or even coarse shavings would work. I live in a fairly hot climate...about 96 to 104 in the summer and my dog agility area works OK with shavings and mulch but I don't use it in the middle of the day or afternoon...just mornings and evenings.
    • Wick Wick on Apr 24, 2014
      @Bonny McDaniel Thanks. I am going today to look at mulches.
  • Stephanie Volkert Stephanie Volkert on Apr 24, 2014
    Wood I think is really the only answer here. It's the only thing that won't absorb the heat as much. In a pinch, you could cut plywood to make a walkway. It wouldn't be pretty, but it'd be functional enough.
  • Wick Wick on May 31, 2014
    I actually ended up using StompStones purchased at Home Depot. They are light weight 12" squares made of rubber tires and were easy to place around yard making a path. However, they do get hot in the sun but I walk the dog in early a.m. and at night. I've placed solar lights around path and so have a nice walkway at night. The dog walks on the StompStones. They look nice and I am happy with look. Everything gets so hot in Arizona so I decided on these. Check them out on the internet. I am 80 years old and was able to do this myself.