Dogs or Great Yard? You Can Have Both!

You Don't Have To Choose One Or The Other

Contrary to what you might have heard, you do not have to pick between your favorite family member and a great yard. Yes, our furry friends have a few habits that might challenge that statement, but where there is a want there is away. Whether your dog marks, digs, or runs through the yard we have solutions for you here:

Problem: My dog's pee is killing the grass.

This is a common problem with dog owners' yards. Canines are let out in the backyard to do their business and you are left with splotches of dead grass. Female dog owners especially see yard damage (more so than male dog owners), as male dogs urinate on verticals such as trees and fence posts, not directly on the grass.

The urine kills the grass because it is high in nitrogen content, so when a dog pees on the lawn, the chemicals leave patches of grass brown and dead. Feces also contain nitrogen, but since feces are solid, the nitrogen takes longer to harm the lawn.

Solution

By picking up after your dogs immediately after a bowel movement, or even several times each week, you can prevent feces from causing damage to turf grass. Watering the area of urination after each occurrence is another way to dilute the nitrogen and minimize damage to your grass.

Consider walking your dog in a nearby park or wooded area when they need to urinate or create a specific area covered in mulch or pea gravel where they can urinate without damaging turf grass. With a little training, you can get them to go on their own.

Problem: My dog keeps digging in the flower bed.

Next, we have to cover digging. It's a well-known fact that dogs instinctively dig and bury bone treasures. This habit can without a doubt permanently damage your garden or flowerbed as their claws dig up the roots of the blooms.

Solution

If feasible, fence off valuable areas such as vegetable and flower gardens with a fence tall enough to keep your dog from accessing the dirt that draws his attention.

You should also consider building raised beds that may escape his attention or be too tall for him to reach, or install edging that makes it more difficult for him to access the beds.

Problem: My dog wears out the yard in his running path.

An active dog is a healthy dog, and active dogs like to explore their immediate environment. Some dogs run along a fence line repeatedly, chasing squirrels and barking at anyone and anything on the other side. This can wear and tear the path of grass in their way.

Solution

To prevent this activity, walk your dog frequently, take him to a dog park and play with him often to ensure that he's receiving enough activity to wear him out. This way he won't need to do laps to drain his energy.

You can also plant shrubs or clumps of ornamental grasses at regular intervals along the fence line to block his path and prevent him from running in a straight line.

See? There you have it! Three solutions to the biggest problems we've seen with dog owners and their yard. We don't want to stand in the way of you and your furry family member - trust us, we love our canines too!

For professional help with your yard, schedule one of our lawn services!