How to keep grass green with dogs?
Replace it with green concrete? Wear green-tinted glasses? Settle for photos of dogs?
Dog urine makes ugly yellow or brown spots. Romping dog paws tear up the grass.
Lawn care with dogs? It’s ruff out there.
How to care for a lawn with dogs?
Fetch these tips:
1. Create a Dog Potty Area
How to keep grass green with dogs? You have a special place to do your business. Why not set up a space for Muffin?
Dogs often like to go in the same spot. Set aside a non-lawn space covered with mulch or pine needles, and take your dog to this area consistently to go.
Heap on the praise or give a treat every time it’s a success. If your training works, it will help spare your lawn.
2. Water Those Spots
Your dog’s waste contains high levels of nitrogen, which burns the grass. How to keep grass green with dogs? Flushing the soiled areas with water washes away the damaging nitrogen and salts from the grass.
The sooner you can catch this, the better. Once those urine spots turn brown, that grass is already dead, and you’ll have to reseed.
Dragging the hose around the yard every time Rascal does his business can make you dog tired. But if you have an irrigation system controlled by your smartphone, it’s easy.
Just turn it on for a minute or two after you see your pooch go, and the water will help dilute that potent urine.
3. Lawn Care with Dogs: Aeration to the Rescue
So. Much. Running.
When your dog runs back and forth over your lawn, it’s easy for your soil to get compacted.
Your dog doesn’t know enough to feel bad about this, but when soil is compacted, your lawn is gasping for air. Its roots can't take in water or nutrients, which weakens your turf.
Aeration and seeding can be your best friend here. (Well, your second best friend. Your pooch is obviously your best friend.)
Aeration uses a machine to pull out plugs of soil, creating spaces so that air and water can penetrate, which leads to healthier roots.
This is especially important when lawns get a workout from active dogs.
4. Mow Your Grass Higher
This is solid advice even if you don’t have a dog.
The taller the grass, the deeper and sturdier the roots, which means a healthier lawn.
How to care for a lawn with dogs? Healthier, sturdier grass can better stand up to the extra beating a lawn takes when a dog hangs out there.
Bonus: taller grass is better at hiding urine spots or holes from digging than short grass.
5. Lawn Care with Dogs: Create Paths for Running
Dogs love to run. There’s always a squirrel to chase or a ball to retrieve.
It’s tough for a lawn to hold up to the romping paws of an active dog.
Create mulch or gravel running paths where your dog tends to travel, to give your grass a break.
6. Get Out for Exercise
How to care for a lawn with dogs? The more Buster runs around elsewhere, expending all his energy, the less likely he’ll be to tear up your lawn with backyard zoomies. Hit the dog park or walking trail often.
Bonus: he’ll go to the bathroom a few times away from home, too. That’s fewer bathroom breaks on your nice lawn.
7. Safe Lawn Care for Dogs: Fertilizer Safety
When Lawn Buddies crews apply fertilizer, we post signs warning that children and pets should be kept off the grass for at least 24 hours.
Don’t be too alarmed. Actually, lawn fertilizers are pretty safe.
How long after lawn treatment is it safe for pets? You may still smell the residual fertilizer, but as long as you wait until the spray fertilizer has dried — about four hours — or until the granules have been watered in, your pets are safe to go outside.
A good watering from either your irrigation system or rain helps force the fertilizer down into the soil.
If you’re still concerned about safe lawn care for dogs, we can do spot treatments in your yard, only targeting areas that really need it or avoiding areas where Champ spends the most time.
8. Safe Lawn Care for Dogs: Other Lawn Care Products
When we spray liquid herbicides and insecticides, we also recommend pets stay off the lawn or treatment area until it’s dry. Once it’s dry, it’s safe.
Follow a few tips to keep your dog as safe as possible when you’re expecting a perimeter pest control treatment:
- Make sure your pets’ food or water bowls are away from areas to be treated. If you forget, discard any food or water and clean out the bowls after the treatment.
- Put away any pet toys before technicians arrive to treat your yard.
- Some dog owners wipe their pets’ paws with a wet cloth after they come in from outside, as an extra precaution.
Note that perimeter pest control isn’t a replacement for treating your pet for fleas and ticks. Follow your veterinarian's recommendation when it comes to using a flea and tick prevention product on your pet.
Safe Lawn Care for Dogs: Keeping You Posted
After each visit to your yard, your Lawn Buddies technician will send you an instructional video that provides you with all of the information you need to know after a lawn care treatment.
It lets you know how long to avoid the area, when you can water, and what to expect from the lawn treatment.
It feels good to be in the know.
Is Your Idaho Lawn Ready for a New Best Friend?
Just kidding. We know your dog is your best friend.
Consider us your second best friend. That friend who loves your pooch almost as much as you do.
When it comes to safe lawn care for dogs, we’ve got your back. And your canine pal’s back, too.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started.
Fill out the form on this page
Call us at (208) 656-9131
Or read more about our services.
Then kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving, dog-friendly yard.
Image Source: sprinkler head
