Best Lawn/turf For Dogs

[Podengo]

In the process of trying to figure out what to do in my garden now - b/f is NOT happy with the muddy, poopy, urine stained patch that we call a backyard.

Thinking of making a dedicated dog toilet area, perhaps lay some bark down? Will replant garden, and put a stone path down... Hopefully have a nice lawn by summer *sigh*

[Little Gifts]

I have no idea about grass names but when I moved in here (3 dog house) it already had this great lawn. The grass strands are really fat - the kind you could easily cut with a hand mower and it grows in strands with little roots on it so if you have a bald patch you just chuck a bit down and it takes really quickly. The back fence area was bald where they used to throw old car oil and I just kept throwing all the grass clippings from when I mowed down and in no time I had a nice thick lawn there. It grows thick rather than very high but will send runners over the pathways if left too long. It is quick to mow but retains moisture if it has been raining so you have to empty the catcher quicker. Seems to grow better in full sun (patchier in fully shaded areas). I have a pied SBT who has been prone to garden itchies and this grass doesn't bother her. I could always take a pic of it if needed as someone here will know what it is!

[RubyStar]

Puppy Sniffer, you got lawn to grow from just clippings and not runners?

[Little Gifts]

There were runners in there too. First we started putting all the clippings there and it nourished the soil as it broke down and the runners just took hold. We always have lots of runners from when we whipper snip (because we don't do it very often!) so they get raked and dumped with the clippings. Same if the dogs dig a hole. We put the soil back in and keep topping it with the grass clippings and whipper snipped bits and it all breaks down and the grass regrows. I am no green thumb so it all seems a bit magical to me! We may also be lucky to have good soil here. Generally the drainage is good so I know that also helps.

[Lady Flying Furball]

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.

I grew up with kikuya in a harsh western nsw environment with terriers. My mum was a gardener and planted kikuya because it was tough. A key may be that it really needs to get established with the network of runners forming the lawn before dogs get going.

[marinapoint]

Thankyou all for your sugestions! This thred was definently worth starting :)

[Silvawilow]

I am going to have one yard that's fake turf as a I a dog that's allergic to everything. Concrete's going to be laid at slight angle to help drainage and the turf we have is the stuff that drains well and we have enough to replace the yard 3 times over! Our other yard is a mixture of native grass - looks like a tear drop and a kikuya

[FriendOfCharlie]

Soft-leaf buffalo turf is a great idea for areas that get a lot of traffic from kids and pets. I particularly like Sir Walter Buffalo turf for areas with dogs because it recovers quickly if damaged. It actually repairs itself and feels soft under foot. 

[DogsAndTheMob]

In my experience, couch is killed by frost, drought and heat, whereas kikuyu browns off more quickly but recovers more easily. Both are a nuisance in garden beds. Years ago, I had buffalo turf laid and was very happy with it; it seemed to be more drought resistant, although that may have been because it was laid on a good bed of soil, whereas the preexisting couch/kikuyu mix was growing directly on the clay subsoil. My dogs hated the buffalo, and avoided walking on it, preferring to play on the paved areas, and walking along the concrete fence footings to reach their toilet area at the back of the lawn. No canine foot traffic meant less damage to the turf. (In retrospect, I wonder if the lawn would have been a kinder playground for their joints, although neither dog was much affected by arthritis in old age.)

 

Edited to add: I’ve just realised that this is an old thread, which has been revived by the previous poster.

Edited December 19, 2017 by DogsAndTheMob

[Somerzby]

On 12/19/2017 at 10:52 AM, FriendOfCharlie said:

Soft-leaf buffalo turf is a great idea for areas that get a lot of traffic from kids and pets. I particularly like Sir Walter Buffalo turf for areas with dogs because it recovers quickly if damaged. It actually repairs itself and feels soft under foot. 

Thanks for the tip, I'd heard a lot of good things about Sir Walter, so that's what we went with, laid the turf a couple of weeks ago and we are still babysitting it - looks so nice, just hope it stays that good.

[The Spotted Devil]

My new Sir Walter lawn is looking fabulous! Only used for dog training and it is coping well. 

[gillybob]

I have extremes of temps up here down way below freezing and up in the thirties, I have kikuyu its tough and free. I go over it every two years or so and air rate it and dig out old runners and make space for new ones. It perks up the lawn a lot. I don't feed it or water it at all it gets water when it rains.

Gilly is allergic to it I think but I have a 1/4 acre so cant afford returfing it.