I was going to suggest MULCH! Dogs love it. Pee goes right into it and should never smell bad like it does with pea gravel. Mulch provides homes for insects that help to decompose dog poop, so if you have enough of those insects, you may never have to clean up. Shredded tree mulch is best. If you can find a tree trimmer hauling a box truck with a chipper shredder attachment, they will sometimes dump a load at your place.

yeah - I have about 1/3 acre in mulch now - and it's a PITA to spread and manage the weeds. And as it breaks down - they track it in like CRAZY.... I pick up poop immediately now (since yard is not fenced) and anticipate daily poop detail in the future - so important to not introduce pathogens into the ground.

Don't know where y'all are, and I know you said grass is out, but I have a friend who had an awesome carpet of St. Augustine, with a big ol' tree smack dab in the middle of the yard. We're in central TX, where St. Gus drinks like a fish, but dang he looks good. ;-)

Maybe ask a small local nursery, landscaper, or landscape architect for thoughts on shade tolerant grass, or an evergreen groundcover? I also like the idea of using Boston ivy, but I think the berries are toxic.

How about something like slate pavers with a low type of ground cover in-between? Maybe something like a vinca?

You might keep bugs (ticks) in mind. Shade where grass won't grow sounds like woods or at least the urban forest and certain times of the year they can be pretty bad if you're walking through leaf litter, ground covers or un-maintained/manicured areas. Full sun lawn seems to be the least favorable environment for ticks. Even with frontline, etc, we stick to grass areas 7 months out of the year. Hopefully they're not a concern where you're at.

We use shredded cypress mulch. Bugs hate it, too. Termites won't touch it. My long haired dog does track it in his coat. Our grass care company suggested it. Their turf specialist said there was nothing that would grow in that area with heavy dog traffic.

Our neighbor installed fake grass in heavily shaded portion of his backyard for the dogs. It is specially designed for pet traffic and soil with a sandy under layer. It looks good and seems to be doing the job. Apparently there are at least 10 different kinds of artificial grass, everything from putting greens to dog runs. You might want to do an internet search for pet grass.

Thanks for the comments!

I am thinking about some paver type thing with something like buffalo grass, or a moss type thing. I have / had zoysia emerald at the current house and it LOVES the sun, but the sod place said it was shade tolerant (my butt....) and then accent things with some pea gravel areas. Seems like there is no magic bullet.

Fake grass is an option - but everything I have found is PRICEY - like $8/sq foot pricey. $13K is more than I want to spend right now - but it might be the right long term solution. Sigh - budget? what budget? I DID find a site that sold used stadium turf - kind like that idea - recycled lawn- even cooler if it still have the markings on it - but that might be a little too "out there"...

We do have a huge tick problem - but I making sure that there is no tall grass should be able to keep the ticks "outside" our fenced area (and the back portion of the house is 8-10 feet up / behind a retaining wall - so it's not like there is wilderness right outside the fence on the same "level") We have 15 acres but only about 3/4 will be disturbed with the buildings.

I am thinking about chickens - and they eat ticks - so that could be a win/win - unless the dogs eat the chickens, of course.

The dogs will totally eat the chickens! I have a couple of friends with farms and the dogs are kept well away from the chickens. Nothing like coming home from a nice dinner out to see Rover grinning with a mouthful of feathers!

Okay, you probably totally saw this coming... especially from me, lol... but I really really really like that used stadium turf idea! (And with the markings, too??? GET OUT!!! :-D )

As for chickens, it depends on what kind of dog owner you are, to be honest. If you're the alpha in your home, you claim the chickens as yours, and they won't be touched (or they'll only be touched once). My sister does it. And it's only the "new arrivals" she has problems with. She also has bunnies, cats, a rooster, some horses, and her dogs (all mutts, with Golden Retriever, Shepherd/Cattle, Hound, and Pit mixes) leave everything alone.

OK, ODD - that was all the encouragement I needed - I will look into the repurposed turf! (hey - maybe I can get LEED points for it?)

I agree with ODD, used stadium turf would be awesome! Your paver and buffalo grass idea sounds pretty if you live in a warm enough climate that it doesn't go dormant - I believe that type gets pretty unattractive in the winter.

For the ticks - look at guinea fowls as well. They do an even better job at tick eating than chickens. But they make it sound like you live in a jungle! And it really depends on the dogs, ours never bother our chickens or guineas.

Creeping thyme would be good between pavers.

My sister put down a layer of landscape fabric and then very small white pea (?) gravel. Works well for all of them.

Maybe split the difference- intersperse pavers with mulch, and consider putting a few grass-like "pee pads". There are some durable ones on the market, and they're inexpensive. Doggy gets a variety of things to pee/poop on, and all of it is easy to hose off.

Will you need to remove snow from it in the winter? If so, that will make your decision for you.

Anglophilia - my snow removal technique is "watch and wait"