How to grow grass with dogs: Smart tips for caring owners

Dogs easily become great four-legged friends of people – and they also quickly become great lawn damage, though. For most dog owners, lawn care is a big work that is never done. Even the best-conditioned lawn is dug, scorched, and trampled down when the dogs are around.

So, how to keep both a healthy dog and a healthy lawn? Here are some expert tips on how to grow grass with dogs.

How to grow grass with dogs: is it real?

Most pet owners admit that the lawn-care with a dog around is a tricky deal. The reason is that most dogs are very active pets. At first sight, they just enjoy destroying your yard. They run around, create paths in the grass, dig deep holes in the ground, and tear apart the green lawn.

But in fact, dogs just enjoy the green grass!

Dogs love the lawn grass no less than their owners do! It looks, smells, and feels so attractive. What a great sports ground for running, digging, and playing! Moreover, your lawn is a good hideaway for burying the bones and a great dog toilet. All in all, it is just a perfect field for the dog’s destructive activities.

There is no secret that many pet owners just throw up their hands and accept the messy yard. But don’t think there is no sense to treat your lawn even if you have the most boisterous dog all over the world!

The simplest way is to opt for artificial turf grasses. They are easy to clean and can’t be scorched by dog urine. However, there are still lots of ideas on how to create a designated area on your lawn with natural green grass!

I recommend that you also read up on the grass seed germination temperature chart.

The main things you should know about:

• what are the main reasons for damage from dogs;
• what types of grass are the best to grow with dogs;
• how to repair and rejuvenate the lawn areas damaged by dogs;
• how to organize your new lawn and the dog’s activity.

Following all the points to keep your lawn healthy, both you and your dog will soon enjoy the fresh green grass.

Enjoy or destroy?

There are two main types of dog activities that harm turf grass.

1. Running. That is a favorite type of dog activity. Running back and forth, dogs prefer the planted places that are a joy to play on. Finally, the dog foot traffic just creates a speck of bare dirt instead of turf grass on your lawn. Some types of grass seed are difficult to withstand wear, and your dog’s activity is slowly killing them.
2. Digging. It is a healthy and natural instinct for your pet. But as for lawns, it can turn into a real disaster. Digging is harmful to the grass seeds, especially when germinating. It also destroys the growing grass along with its roots. Moreover, excessive digging lead to bare soil exposure and erosion.

So, how to grow grass with dogs and their naughty habits? There is nothing better than tough lawn seed. Search for the strong varies of grass seeds that are the best choice for a brand new lawn.

What can dog waste do to the seeds and grass?

Some kinds of animal waste are widely used as organic fertilizers. However, can we use dog poop in the same way?

No way, a dog’s fecal matter can be a lawn fertilizer. Along with all the bacteria and viruses sitting inside it, dog waste decays and intoxicates the soil. As a result, it makes a strong negative impact on your backyard’s ecology. Not only it is messy and stinky when left to decay in the lawn, but also turns toxic to the soil and grass seeds.

A pellet of dog waste may contain various bacteria and viruses, such as toxocariasis, parvovirus, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, coccidia, etc. Moreover, dog poop is a hothouse for parasites, like helminths and tapeworms.

In rainy and humid areas, these pathogens come through the soil and pollute the water table. Now it’s a straightforward way for them to spread into the environment far away from your garden or yard.

Unfortunately, 41% of dog owners don’t clean up the yard after their four-legged friends. Some of them are just careless, and some think that dog waste is a good contribution to the lawn. Nevertheless, they make a great risk to their surroundings.

So, the dog waste must be utilized from the lawn, as it is one more extra problem for you.

Pros and cons of dog urine

Unlike dog waste, dog urine has two opposite effects on your growing grass.

1. On the one hand, dog urine creates an extra chemical makeup that can destroy your lawn. Although it is not so toxic as dog waste, it can damage the plants and grass seeds on your lawn. When your dog urinates at the same spot of your yard, the repetitive impact on the grass makes it scorched.
2. When the summer is hot and dry, there is a growing risk of having dead grass on your lawn. The drought soil is easy to soak up any liquid. So, if there is no other moisture but dog urine, a great deal of nitrogen can easily kill the growing grass seed. The soil composition becomes more acidic and no plants can grow in it.
3. Last but not least, there are some extra salts in dog urine, so they can harm the root systems of the turf grass.
4. On the other hand, dog urine contains nitrogen, which is a necessary thing for the grass seeds. Nitrogen is the “N” part of the “N-P-K” formula. In an adequate amount, it helps to boost the grass growing. By the way, a few grass fertilizers include nitrogen as a supporting element for the grass seed.
5. If there is no excessive urine on your lawn, you can observe its opposite effect. The nitrogen makes your grass seed grow faster and darker than before.

I recommend that you also read up on why grass turning white: causes and ways to prevent disease.

Why do you have lawn burn?

Lawn burn, or dog spots, is a common problem when you have a dog. It happens when your dog urinates in the same spot over and over again so that affects the growing grass. As a result, brown spots of dead grass appear on your lawn. If you do not do anything with that, brown grass turns fast into bare patches of soil.

Here are the main reasons why lawn burn appears so quickly and easily:

1. A large dog. If you are an owner of a large dog, that is most likely to be your sort of trouble. The large dog needs to drink a lot and, as a result, produces a big amount of urine. Besides, the more your dogs drink, the more often they have to urinate. And, of course, big dogs are more likely to make a wide burnt patch on your lawn.

2. A female dog. Yes, your good girl makes more risk for brown spots. As a rule, female dogs urinate mostly in one spot. The males’ way to urinate makes less risk to your lawn, as they lift a leg in different places in your backyard.

3. Your dog’s diet. That depends on what your pet eats. If you feed your furry friend a high protein diet, the dog’s urine makes more harm to the lawn grass.

4. A lawn fertilizer. Sometimes the reason hides not only in your four-legged friends. It also happens when you use a fertilizer with high nitrogen content. So, along with the dog’s urine, it makes a high excess of nitrogen in the soil. As a result, the natural growing cycle of the grass is violated, which causes the patchy areas on your lawn.

To wash or not to wash – that is the question

Surprisingly, you can benefit from the dog urine on the lawns. Just try to keep the nitrogen balance when you water the plants.

It is a good idea to dilute the dog’s urine with water.

It helps you to save your dog’s toilet spots from scorching and spread the nitrogen around more evenly. But be careful, as excessive watering can reduce the potency of the nitrogen. Search for a good balance that helps you to keep an adequate nitrogen level on your lawns.

One more way to limit the urinated area is to train your pets.

Choose the spot that both you and your dogs are comfortable with, and let them use it as a toilet. The first time, you should guide your dog until they form a desirable habit.

How long after planting grass can dogs walk on it?

While you are planting new grass seedlings, allow your dog to have fun on the existing lawn. Next, to keep safe the newly seeded area, organize your dog’s leisure and territory.

Keep your canine off the lawn until the grass seed establishes and grows enough. Or else, using the lawn as a racing track, they will destroy the plants even before they grow up.

How do you protect new grass seeds from dogs?

The experienced gardeners have some great tips on how to grow grass with dogs.

1. Create some dog-friendly zones in your backyard. It is a good idea to have a location for urinating, and a dog’s playground for running and digging freely. It is a joy for your pets and the best variant for your lawn.
2. Plan your pet’s diet. Let them drink more water to dilute the nitrogen level in the urine. Consult your vet and coordinate the dog’s diet with less protein that makes their urine less harmful. It is also possible to add some blueberries and cranberries to your dog treats.
3. Take regular care of your lawn zone. Do it twice a year, in the spring and the early fall. Don’t forget about re-seeding the new turf grass, especially in the brown patches, and aerating the dog’s tracks.
4. Rake away all the burnt grass before re-seeding it. Then, cover the soil with the ground limestone. Water the covered area and then leave it for at least one week. This makes an extra supporting layer under your lawn.
5. All that you need then is to put the covering of topsoil and seed the grass. Water the seeded area, and finally, it is ready to germinate.
6. One more good point is to accept the beneficial weeds. As natural pet-proofing, the weeds can protect your grass from dog urine damage. For example, growing clover on the lawn greatly reduces the appearance of the burnt spots here and there on the grass. Moreover, it looks like a wild-floral design of your garden.

What is the best grass seed to use when you have dogs?

One of the most important steps in growing grass with dogs is to choose the right grass seeds. Search for a tough grass seed that has a rapid growth rate and easily withstands wear and tear. They germinate easily, grow rapidly, and can handle more pet activity. In general, these are the same types of grass that are used on the athletic field.

There are lots of advantages of planting such grass with dogs. They have a deep and thick root development that allows them to handle pet damage much better than any other grass type of seed, and some of them even discourage your pets to dig the lawn.

I recommend that you also read up on pros and cons of ryegrass: view description.

There are the top 5 grass seed types for those who have an active pet:

• Bermuda Grass
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Zoysia Grass
• Perennial Ryegrass
• Tall Fescue Grass

Search for the grass seed that grows well in your climate zone. For example, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue are good for northern regions, whereas Bermuda grass, zoysia grass, or bahiagrass are southern varieties.

The living conditions for optimum growth are different. In general, it depends on the soil type and the amount of sun getting to your lawn. So, don’t forget to check these points before making your choice.

I recommend that you also read up on about mystery of small holes in lawn overnight: what can you do?

FAQ

Final words

In general, there are lots of smart tips on how to grow grass with dogs. But the main thing to keep in mind is that you need some complex measures. This complex includes choosing the right grass seed to grow, taking care of your turf seed grass, training your pet, and creating the smart-designated area in your garden.