Best Lawn/turf For Dogs

[marinapoint]

I've done a search - but I couldn't find anything. So I'll ask the question here - what type of turf do you think is the toughest for dogs. I'm more worried about dog goat tracks repairing than digging. I have pointers.

I've done a bit of a google search & I think kikuya (sp?) is one if the better ones as it grows with runners.

Any tips or advice would be much appreciated :)

It's a very large area about 400m2 and in a sunny spot.

Thanks all!

Edited July 13, 2012 by marinapoint

[Showpony]

I've done a search - but I couldn't find anything. So I'll ask the question here - what type of turf do you think is the toughest for dogs. I'm more worried about dog goat tracks repairing than digging. I have pointers.

I've done a bit of a google search & I think kikuya (sp?) is one if the better ones as it grows with runners.

Any tips or advice would be much appreciated :)

It's a very large area about 400m2 and in a sunny spot.

Thanks all!

Hi,

Astro turf....LOL

[jr_inoz]

some dogs develop allergies to kikuya. Santa Ana Couch (sp) is good - fairly tough, drought tolerant and also is on runners. Adelaide Oval is couch.

[BC Crazy]

We have re turfed 3 times in the last 3 years. Tried Summer grass, the SP one & last year we did Sir Walter buffalo. As I speak we are back to dirt as our 2 Border Collies have run around so much playing on it, it just couldn't cope either. So we are looking at artifical grass from Bunnings. They have a dog friendly one. It is expensive but we have run out of options. Sorry not much help to you.

[minxy]

Kikuya is terrible for dogs imo. We seeded our front lawn with it, and even with the very little amount of traffic it got on it, it died very quickly. It doesn't really spring up once you walk on it and dies very quickly from urine burns.

[korbin13]

We looked at artificial turf for certain areas of our yard but decided against it when we almost scorched the bottom of our feet on some. It was like walking on pavement and we worried about the dogs needing to go out and do their business and burning their paws.

So we persist with lawn, we have buffalo and it is quite tough. I even poisoned it one year and it still grew back. It isn't fairing so well with a SBT who thinks she is a miner

[flame ryder]

We found Kikuyu is the best and toughest lawn ever! We had it in our previous garden and the dogs ran all over it (and pooed and weed...girl dogs) it also endured a bad drought and 45 degree heat. The previous 2 made it go yellow and look sorta dead but give it a bit of water and hey presto back it grows back green and lush and forgiving as ever. Perhaps the seed version is not the same as the runner version? We've always had running Kikuyu. It can also get very spongy over time...good to lay on, almost soft as a mattress.

Edited July 13, 2012 by teela

[**Super_Dogs**]

Tifsport Link

It is used for sporting fields and golf courses.

We have 5 large dogs so My OH spent a lot of time researching to find a grass that would last and spoke to greenskeepers. Even where the dogs run regularly it will wear but there is still grass.

I believe it is not cheap........but I imagine it is cheaper than re turfing every few year.

[mixeduppup]

Kikuyu is great normally, although I had a foster dog that developed an allergy to it.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I find kikuyu grows where nothing else will and all over everything else that does grow.

But my dog seems to be allergic to it. Gets the most horrid rashes from it, especially in summer. We might do better if we got the sterile sort that doesn't have seeds and flowers so is slightly less invasive - but I'm not sure.

For the moment - I just put a tarp with a towel on top for her to lie on, roll on and clean her teeth on...

It does get burn spots sometimes - it's worse if she's been on kibble only, but I can guarantee those spots come back twice as green from the extra nitrogen within a week or so. There's no tracks worn in it at all.

I'm allergic to buffalo so not very interested in that either. Couch can put up with a hell of a lot of punishment - but it is high maintenance to get it that way. Anyone got a tame cricket ground curator and a couple of those roller mowers?

[RubyStar]

Kikuyu is forgiving and will grow back even after it dies off after no summer watering

But it grows at a ferocious rate at the times of year growth is usually best and needs to be mowed weekly! And it looks ghastly without a mow. The grass blades grow excessively long and upwards so it looks like a jungle unless you manicure it religiously.

Mine doesn't grow well in certain spots, but I think my soil is to blame. It has loads of metal rocks in it so is probably burning the roots. But parts of it is overtaking my garden beds.

I won't lay kikuyu again, hate the stuff! The only thing going for it is how forgiving it is if it dies off. It's ugly as hell and too much maintenance involved to make it not look ugly!

[temperamentfirst]

We put one of the new buffaloes down, but kept the dogs off it for 6 weeks. Also put it down in the spring and were prepared to water it a lot, but the rain did it for us.

So far it is coping really well. The other lawn is a mix of kikuyu and buffalo and copes with mad playtimes daily. We have 3 dogs and often an extra.

I think that the mix of buffalo and kikuyu is the best. Couch just turned up its toes and died - it was a shocking waste of a lot of money as it couldn't cope with the mad running.

[Mason_Gibbs]

We have kikuyu, the non seed type and it's doing well, we have a dead spot in each corner where my older dog pees but I am very happy with it

[sas]

We researched artifical turf, the good stuff (not from a hardware store) - our researched led us to find out from other dog owners who had tried it that it heats up in the summer, smells can get trapped pretty easily and dogs can damaged it still...some dogs actually try and dig it up and rip it and damage it that way.

[BC Crazy]

We are unsure what to do but we need to do something that looks good as we want to put our house on the market.

[jr_inoz]

my lawn is santa ana couch - drought tolerant and looks good. A section of it gets very little sun (shaded by the house) and the kikuya that was there, wouldn't grow in this spot. The couch is fine.

No goat tracks from energetic dogs running on it. I do get the odd burn spot from their wee at the moment - but I had a "dog rock" before that stopped that. Need to get another one.

Not sure if this helps you. I love couch underfoot - much nicer than other types of grass. I get it mowed every three weeks - but at work, where the grass is absolutely green and immaculate all year around (it is a school), the couch is mowed every week. In summer it is watered weekly to keep it this way.

[Blakbelgian]

Sorry to hijack your thread but we are in a simliar boat and I am after some information too.

Dogs have destroyed grass, we tried to grow Couch (sp?) from seeds but a hot spell and absence from home & it died.

Now looking into artificial lawn as we don't wnat to sow seeds every 6 months.

We have quotes from 4 companies and ar similiar in price (two advertise on DOL banners).

They all told us that dog urine passes through easily and is dog friendly, made in OZ and most can use ground rubber as infill instead of sand (fleas like sand) at same price.

Now we are renting, landlord knows we have dogs.

Do we mention to them that we are doing this? Or keep it a secret?

Do we ask if he can chip in for the cost?

OH is worried that IF we tell him then later he could claim it as a fixture to the property and he can keep it (even though he didn't pay for it). Companies have told us that we can remove the lawn if we need to move.

Thanks

BB

[Greytmate]

Sorry to hijack your thread but we are in a simliar boat and I am after some information too.

Dogs have destroyed grass, we tried to grow Couch (sp?) from seeds but a hot spell and absence from home & it died.

Now looking into artificial lawn as we don't wnat to sow seeds every 6 months.

We have quotes from 4 companies and ar similiar in price (two advertise on DOL banners).

They all told us that dog urine passes through easily and is dog friendly, made in OZ and most can use ground rubber as infill instead of sand (fleas like sand) at same price.

Now we are renting, landlord knows we have dogs.

Do we mention to them that we are doing this? Or keep it a secret?

Do we ask if he can chip in for the cost?

OH is worried that IF we tell him then later he could claim it as a fixture to the property and he can keep it (even though he didn't pay for it). Companies have told us that we can remove the lawn if we need to move.

Thanks

BB

I think you would have to ask, because he could ask for it to be removed if you don't. If you take it when you leave you are going to have to remove the ground rubber as well as establish a new lawn in its place. It wouldn't be a nice product to handle if it has been down on the ground for a while.

With real lawn,the variety of grass is important, but the way that the lawn is maintained is just as important in making it dog-resistant. The lawn needs to be kept aerated and kept very thick and lush. If it's allowed to compact or is mowed too short or it gets neglected and weedy, then you get erosion where the dogs run. A well-maintained lawn stands up to dogs quite well.

I would get turf laid if I couldn't wait for seeds to grow. It would still be important to let it get established before allowing dogs to run on it.

[jr_inoz]

Sorry to hijack your thread but we are in a simliar boat and I am after some information too.

Dogs have destroyed grass, we tried to grow Couch (sp?) from seeds but a hot spell and absence from home & it died.

Now looking into artificial lawn as we don't wnat to sow seeds every 6 months.

We have quotes from 4 companies and ar similiar in price (two advertise on DOL banners).

They all told us that dog urine passes through easily and is dog friendly, made in OZ and most can use ground rubber as infill instead of sand (fleas like sand) at same price.

Now we are renting, landlord knows we have dogs.

Do we mention to them that we are doing this? Or keep it a secret?

Do we ask if he can chip in for the cost?

OH is worried that IF we tell him then later he could claim it as a fixture to the property and he can keep it (even though he didn't pay for it). Companies have told us that we can remove the lawn if we need to move.

Thanks

BB

Yes, you should tell the landlord.

It is a major thing that you would be undertaking.

Also - what they won't tell you about synthetic grass - it gets very hot, it fades, it smells of urine when dogs wee on it all the time - even the really really expensive stuff with the holes in it to let the wee through and it needs to be replaced every 5 to 10 years depending upon its quality (less for the real cheap stuff). Not worth it at all when turf is one third the price and if you treat it right, will last forever.

I had my couch put in as turf. Didn't let the dog on it for 4 days. Had it put down during a heat wave and so was very worried about it. Watered it twice a day for a week with a sign at the front of my house saying I had permission (during the worst of the water restrictions here). Has been fine and no issues.

One huge hint for everyone - do NOT get sub-surface watering if you have dogs. Mine have tried to dig it up in a couple of places, trying to get to the water. Apparently that is a normal thing (and the scum bag company that installed the system knew this but didn't tell me). System stays off now and the dogs don't try to dig.

[Mason_Gibbs]

Artificial lawn stinks from dog urine you will need to spray it with odour nuetralizing spray often