Welcome to our pet section.  The purpose of this page is to share ideas on how to have a decent lawn and still have your dogs enjoy running and playing in the grass.  The tips we have here so far have been generated through years of trial and error in our own yards.

These ideas are in no particular order:

If you have a male dog that lifts his leg when he has to go, you might consider giving him something to relieve himself on.  Garden statuary, concrete planters (high enough so he can’t reach the plants), or any objects that won’t be harmed by urine can work.  They can be placed in front of or before he gets to shrubbery that you want protected.

Female dogs and many male dogs that squat to urinate are a different story.  We have discovered that it is extremely helpful to provide an area where the dog(s)      can “go” before they reach the lawn.  We are talking about a buffer area between the back door and the grass.  I put in a flagstone patio just off my deck and out the back door where I had repeatedly tried and failed to grow a lawn.  My “girls” just kept destroying any grass I planted so I gave up and decided that they couldn’t kill stone.  Just to make sure that I had enough of a buffer, I put in an additional flagstone path surrounded with pea gravel that lead to the back lawn.  It works like a charm nearly all the time. (photos) Pea gravel works well because it is rounded and won’t bother the dog’s paws.

Another idea that a colleague tried is to fence a relatively small area just outside the back door.  Landscape it with a few shrubs, add a bench, and provide enough of a mulched area so that the dog(s) can “go” before being allowed into the back yard to play.  The idea is to make the area attractive yet functional.

If all else fails and you don’t want to change anything in your landscape then                            "Pee" Gravel        take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood before allowing him/her to play                                                         in the yard.

For damage that is already done: dilution is the solution.  You will need to put water on the area where the dog has urinated fairly quickly and enough to make sure that it is thoroughly diluted.  The amount will vary with the size of the dog and how strong the urine.  Hence, the idea of an alternate area, aka “doggy potty” is a really good idea.

Thanks and don’t blame the dog!!