Lawn Care Tips for Dog Owners

lawns and dogs dalmation
Building a beautiful, healthy lawn takes time and work. Not only do you have to take care to properly water and aerate the lawn, but you also need to put time into weeding and mowing it. Unfortunately, pests, poor weather conditions and even your own pet dog can upset the development of your lawn.
 
 
Dogs can ruin lawns by:
  • digging up parts of the lawn
  • eating areas of grass
  • excreting urine and/or feces onto the lawn
  • playing excessively on the lawn.
While each of the above factors will slowly deteriorate the lawn you have put so much work into, keep in mind that you can take measures to prevent permanent lawn damage or to treat already damaged lawns.

Lawn Care: How to Deal with Destructive Dog Excrement

One of the most common eyesores on lawns of dog owners tends to be urine spotting, patches of browned grass that have stopped growing due to constant exposure to acidic dog urine and/or feces. While limited exposure to dog excrement can have a fertilizing effect on the lawn, over time, the nitrogen in dog excrement will start to slowly kill areas of the grass.
 
Generally, dog urine is a bigger lawn care problem than dog feces. This is due to the fact that grass automatically and instantly soaks up the acidic, nitrogen-rich urine expelled on it. In contrast, feces has far less of a negative effect on lawns due to the fact that it can be quickly picked up by owners and that it takes a lot longer to dissolve into the lawn if left untouched.
 
The best way to avoid the lawn damage caused by dog excrement is to avoid having your dog lay his waste on your grass. This requires frequently dog walking. However, because this solution is time consuming and, in most cases, unattainable for those who work and take care of a family, a better solution may be to allot a certain discreet area of the lawn as a space for your dog to do his business.

Preventing Wear and Tear on the Lawn

For many dog owners with lawns, playing with dogs on the lawn is a fun activity for both the dog and the owner. Yet, like dog excrement, prolonged periods of lawn play can slowly breakdown the grass and cause parts of the lawn to die.
 
Digging up the lawn, eating parts of the grass and simply running back and forth on the lawn are all ways in which an active dog can negatively impact your lawn. Although you can train your dog to stop digging up your lawn, other activities that he must constantly perform, such as walking in and out of your home, are unavoidable and can be damaging.
 
While any part of your lawn can be damaged as your dog plays on it, in most cases, the path to your door tends to be the most frequently used area of grass, causing these parts of your lawn to be particularly unsightly.
 
To prevent daily wear and tear from permanently damaging your lawn, consider sectioning off your lawn and rotating "play" areas. This will mean that you and your dog will play in a certain area, leaving the others untouched. As you rotate active areas of the lawn, you give worn parts a chance to repair themselves and start growing healthy again.

Grasses for Dogs

Because there is no surefire way to entirely prevent lawn damage caused by dogs, you may consider planting more durable, dog-friendly grasses in your yard. Some of the best grasses to plant include:
  • Bermudagrass: Along with being able to repair itself quickly, Bermudagrass can also accommodate more wear and tear than other grasses.

  • Ryegrasses: These durable grasses are typically best used as supplemental grasses to Bermudagrass. Some experts recommend overseeding Bermudagrass with Ryegrasses for increased durability.

  • Zoysia: Although this type of grass can take more time to repair itself, Zoysia grass can tolerate a fair amount of wear and tear before it starts to breakdown.
If you are considering seeding your lawn with a dog-friendly grass, talk to an expert at your local nursery, as soil and weather conditions will also affect the type of grass best suited for you, your dog and your lawn.
 
Resources
 
Seedland (n.d.). Dog yraffic problems. Retrieved January 16, 2008, from the Seedland Web site: http://www.lawngrasses.com/dog-traffic/#URINE%20SPOTTING.
 
Thompson, Steve M.D. (n.d.). "Dog-on-it" lawn problems. Retrieved January 16, 2008, from the Plant Answers Web site: http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/turf/dog_lawn_problems.html.