Thank you so much. And yeah the backyard area is already like 6 inches lower than the concrete patio

Also final question what would you recommend for a boarder? The whole area is fenced in but the fence Im assuming is super old and is crazy warped. Im debating between having wood around the edges or larger bricks/stones.

Awesome and yeah I was originally planning on just using weed block and a light layer of pea gravel. I then decided to watch a quick diy just in case and noticed everyone and their mom said that you needed to dig down 5 inches and use 3 inches of larger rocks which just sounded like 10 extra hours of unnecessary work. Thank you so much for your input because if not for your comment Id be paying a ton more for stupid extra rocks lol

Ive never been a fan of mulch because of how sharp it can be.

Edit: (just having to walk on it barefoot and I kindof wanted pea gravel for my dog. If you think they both feel the same for a dog maybe Ill go mulch as Ill never really be out there barefoot myself.)

Personally I got a small trash can and a small hose and my goal is to always pick up and spray the spots where the dog goes to the bathroom. Is your only issue with pea gravel the cleanup or do you also hate how it is to walk on? Also you mentioned 4-6 inches of mulch would you say id need that much for pea gravel if I went down that route?

Double Edit: (I was thinking Id like the look of pea gravel more and was going to try and make the area look nice with a little fire pit and some potted plants. If I didnt care about the look I probably wouldnt be pushing so hard for little rocks lol)

Yes it is mainly a doggy business spot and I just wanted something better than dirt. There are no bushes or anything other than trees that drop pine straw which i can hopefully brush away… thats one of my small issues that I dont really know how to deal with. Unless you think getting bigger rocks could be better and if so what kinds of rocks?