Many of us have cherished four-legged family members who live with us and use our yards. Pets are a fantastic addition to any family, but maintaining a house and yard with them demands special attention. For your lawn to remain healthy, it’s critical to understand the types of damage that pets could inflict, which grasses are ideal for pets, and how to manage damage when it does happen.
Any pet that spends even a small portion of its time outside will damage the lawn. The bare minimum of wear and tear includes digging and paw traffic. Homeowners who allow their dogs to pee themselves on the lawn often have the issue of ugly brown marks that, if ignored, simply never disappear. Because pet urine contains a lot of nitrogen, it is necessary to try to prevent pets from urinating on the grass. Pet urine “burns grass and can kill some areas of your yard.” Accidents do occur, despite the fact that it is inevitable while owning a pet. Despite pet use, there are things you can do to keep your lawn looking beautiful. Repairing Dog Pee Spots on Your Lawn has further information on this.
Bermuda grass is the greatest grass for pets when compared to other types since it is resilient to abrasion and offers a fantastic playing surface for our four-legged companions. Bermuda grass is ideal for rough play because its roots are firmly planted deep in the earth. Bermuda grass also grows quickly, so any areas damaged by pet poop or children’s play can be repaired very quickly. It’s crucial to pick a bermuda grass that is compatible with your home’s specifications, environment, and upkeep requirements. For a yard that doubles as a home and play space for animals, we suggest Celebration, Latitude 36, and NorthBridge as strong dog-friendly grass selections.
Which grass is ideal if you have dogs?
Cool-season grass varieties are more resistant to cold than heat. They work best in the cold, harsh winter climates of the United States’ northern regions. Consider Central California and up on the West Coast or Virginia and up on the East Coast.
These are the greatest dog-friendly grasses for you if you live in the cool-season grass zone.
Tall fescue
In general, tall fescue grass is highly tough. Thanks to its deep roots, it operates well in locations with a lot of everyday wear and tear and high pedestrian traffic. Additionally, it can withstand drought, hot weather, and shade.
Most kinds of tall fescue do not spread on their own; instead, they grow in bunches. Therefore, if your dog ends up causing harm, you might need to reseed any dead areas.
- Cool-season climates or the Transition Zone are preferred.
- Sun preference: 3–6 hours of daily direct sunshine in partial shade
- Tolerates most types of soil, but thrives in well-draining clay soil.
Kentucky bluegrass
After being planted, Kentucky bluegrass takes a while to develop roots and aboveground growth, but once it does, it grows swiftly. This grass, which spreads via rhizomes as opposed to tall fescue, can repair damaged areas caused by dog waste or activity without the need for reseeding.
When Kentucky bluegrass is established, it has a strong root structure that enables it to withstand normal wear and tear. Even for a cool-season grass, this variety of grass is unusually cold-hardy, yet it cannot withstand extreme heat or drought.
An added bonus: Your dog will enjoy rolling around in Kentucky bluegrass due to its velvety texture.
- Cool-season climates or the northern Transition Zone are preferred.
- A fertile, well-draining soil is preferred.
Perennial ryegrass
The optimal climate for perennial ryegrass is one with mild temperatures all year long by the seashore. It stands up incredibly well to heavy use and wear and tear, making it ideal for active dogs who enjoy playing and running outside.
This variety of grass is a little finicky about its growing environment. Although it can handle cold, it does not do well in heat, shade, or drought.
The majority of grass varieties do not germinate as quickly as perennial rye, therefore it grows quickly after planting. This makes it the ideal form of grass to reseed dead patches of grass caused by digging or dog urine. You can apply it to repair dog-related damage to your lawn regardless of the type of grass you have because it blends nicely with other grass varieties.
Note that perennial rye cannot heal itself of brown patches because it cannot spread along the ground by rhizomes or stolons. In bare places, you will need to put fresh grass seed.
- preferred sun: full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day)
- Does best in well-draining soil, but it can also withstand moist soil conditions.
Which grass variety can withstand dog urine the best?
There’s a good probability that if you have a dog, your grass also has brown spots. This occurs as a result of dog urine’s high nitrogen content, which when accumulated over time in concentrated volumes, is known to destroy vegetation.
The effects of dog urine on your grass are comparable to those of a liquid fertilizer high in nitrogen. Your lawn will die if you use too much fertilizer, but a moderate quantity will keep your yard healthy. You must lessen the amount of nitrogen that gets into touch with your grass in order to prevent burns.
To make your lawn greener and healthier, use these seven suggestions:
In locations where your dog defecates, fertilize your lawn less frequently or not at all. There may already be too much nitrogen in fertilized lawns. Dog pee contains nitrogen, which could be just the right amount for burning the grass.
Use water to mist the places where your dog defecates. After your dog defecates, you can help to diluted the pee and minimize the nitrogen’s impact on your lawn by sprinkling water on the area.
Encourage your dog to hydrate themselves more. The less nitrogen is concentrated in the urine and the less harm it does to your lawn, the more your dog drinks. Additionally, it will benefit your dog’s health.
Replace the damaged grass with more urine-resistant vegetation. The most sensitive grasses are Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda, whereas Ryegrass and Fescue are the most urine-resistant varieties.
Give your dog a nutritional supplement. The nitrogen in urine can bind with some dietary supplements, such as Green-UM and Drs. Fosters and Smith “Grass Guard,” lessening its detrimental effects on your lawn.
Teach your dog to relieve itself in one spot. Some items, like the Simple Solution Pee Post, are pheromone-impregnated to entice your dog to urinate on or around them. You can keep the rest of your yard clean by designating a spot for your dog to go potty.
Apply a treatment for lawn repair. Some treatments, like Dogonit Lawn Repair Treatment, combine soil cleaners with organic enzymes to flush the salts from the root zone.
Which grass is the toughest for dogs?
The following four grass varieties are among the most frequently suggested by lawn care professionals for houses with dogs.
Kentucky Bluegrass
One of the toughest grasses on the market, Kentucky bluegrass grows well in most growing environments. Numerous owners find it to be a fantastic choice because to its quick growth rate, hardiness, and capacity to bounce back rapidly from being trampled. In addition, Kentucky Bluegrass is incredibly beautiful, which adds value.
Perennial Ryegrass
The roots of perennial ryegrasses are often quite strong, and they develop extremely quickly. They are frequently the finest choice for houses with dogs because they thrive in cool regions, where they rank among the best options.
Fescue
You must choose a suitable kind of fescue for your climate among the many various varieties that are available. Fescues, however, are typically tough grasses. They are excellent at absorbing moisture and can generally withstand the humiliations your dog will dish out. Many varieties of fescue may thrive in shady locations.
Bermuda
Bermuda is a well-liked option for people who reside in warm areas and hardly ever need further irrigation. Given that it typically tolerates your dog’s paws rather well, it’s also the ideal option for locations with significant traffic. It will, however, value a break from time to time to recover and recolonize barren patches, much like all other grasses.
Be aware that when temperatures go below roughly 55 degrees during the winter, Bermuda grass has a tendency to go dormant and turn brown. Once the warm weather returns, it will resurrect (so to speak; it doesn’t actually die).
Zoysia
Another preferred option for dog-friendly houses is zoysia, one of the more plush grasses for your dog’s paws (and your feet). Once established, zoysia is reasonably drought tolerant and resilient, but it frequently takes four or more years to build a firm foundation.
What kind of grass can dogs tolerate?
We discuss the best types of grass for dog lawns as well as how to maintain them looking lush, green, and free of urine stains.
Most dogs adore the grass. They enjoy playing on it, rolling on it, digging in it, eating it, and, yes, peeing and pooping on it. They work on it for a long time. But not all grasses are made equal when it comes to being a key component of a dog’s surroundings. So which type of grass is better for dogs?
The ideal dog grass should be resilient to your dog’s feces and other bad habits like digging and running. Bermuda, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Perennial Ryegrass are some of the best grasses for dogs. Fescue, Zoysia, and centipede are three additional common grasses for dogs.
It’s important to research the best grasses for dogs whether you’re planting a new lawn or thinking about moving to a house with a certain variety of grass. Despite your dog’s natural propensity to mess up your lawn, using dog-friendly grass can help you keep it tidy and attractive.
Here, we examine the most popular grass species for dogs as well as the ways in which dogs harm grass, how to stop them from doing so, and how to repair any harm they may have already caused.
Can dogs damage new sod?
If you are choosing between sod and seed but have dogs, we advise choosing sod. You won’t have to keep dogs off the grass for nearly as long if you do it that way. If you decide to install sod, we advise you to choose for dog-friendly sod and exercise extra caution around your brand-new grass. Fresh grass is more susceptible to stains being damaged by dog pee since it hasn’t had time to develop roots. Keep your dog off the lawn for the first two months, when the sod is most vulnerable, to give it the best chance of surviving.
Try taking your pets for a walk as soon as you wake up in the morning and when you get home from work so they may empty themselves elsewhere if you can’t keep them away entirely. The nitrogen content of their urine is at its peak during this time, which will cause the most harm to your sod.
Another approach is to hose down the area where they urinate, but this won’t guarantee that your lawn won’t still have brown, dead patches; it will only assist to decrease the effect.
Check out our sod questions and answers if you have inquiries regarding sod that go beyond this one.
Our advice is straightforward: keeping dogs away from new sod for a while is the best way to keep it healthy. Your maintenance schedule might change once it’s created. Dogs can damage your sod in other ways besides urinating, such as by digging up the ground, uprooting plants, and leaving dirt trails where they usually walk. Here are some tips to make it easier for dogs to get along with your other pets:
1. Invent New Ways to Entertain Them
Take your dogs on routine walks or trips to the dog park instead of letting them run around the backyard to burn off energy. They won’t be as motivated to destroy your grass if they do it that way.
2. Get Rid of Pests
Dogs will occasionally dig in your yard to reach pests like moles and insects that are there. Use safe pest control methods that won’t endanger your pet.
3. Make Use of Marking Posts or Specific Bathroom Locations
You can nudge dogs to relieve themselves in one spot by putting a pole or fire hydrant in your yard (you can keep it hidden). To prevent the urine from killing the grass, you can even surround the pole with mulch or river stones. Another choice is to train your dog to use the same site for pee breaks so that marked areas can be made. Cleaning up afterward will be simpler, and the majority of your lawn will be shielded from harm.
4. Eliminate Escape Possibilities
Make it less appealing for your dog to dig close to the fence if they are doing so. The fence’s bottom can be covered with wire, or the hole can be filled with pebbles.
5. Maintain Your Lawn Well
It’s crucial to aerate your grass in trouble spots many times a year to promote growth. Mulch can also be used to your lawn to improve the soil’s ability to absorb water and to add nutrients.
Does zoysia benefit canines?
Due to its thick growth and gradual rate of wear, zoysia is a wonderful grass for dogs that play rough. All grass can be harmed by a dog’s running, jumping, and digging, but because of its quick development, zoysia is a fantastic grass for dogs. In contrast to a fescue lawn, zoysia will heal itself if it sustains harm.
People also inquire about the tolerance of zoysia grass for dog urine. “No” is the short response. As with any grass, dog urine will cause the blade to burn and leave a brown patch, but zoysia grass will still grow back. The best defense against dog poop on the lawn is to wash it off. The best approach to date is to run a sprinkler or hose off an area after use.
When zoysia grass goes dormant in the winter, it has a lovely wheat hue. 6 hours of direct sunlight are required for zoysia grass. Once planted, zoysia is a very resilient and opulent grass that can survive your dog’s play.
