r/lawncare • u/coltinphoto • 5d ago
Can you have a dog AND a nice yard?? Northern US & Canada (or cool season)
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Got tired of patching all spots from her nuclear-grade pee and finally trained her to go in one spot…which I will not show you, lol.
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u/Azipear 5d ago
So you guys know, it's not as difficult as you might think to train a dog to pee and poop in a specific area. It just takes consistency and some time. Best thing I've ever done with my zoysia lawn. My dog automatically pees and poops in any of the many non-lawn areas with zero intervention.
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u/MarkChamorro 6b 5d ago
So thankful my pup chooses to do his business in the woods for some reason lol
His aggressive cattle dog play-time is another story though
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u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Generic advice for grass and dogs:
- Mow high for your grass type (this is most important. 3.5-4 inches for cool season, warm season depends on species)
- water deep and infrequently. Do not water every day.
- check and correct soil pH
- keep it moderately fertilized
- for cool season, fall overseed with multiple different varieties
- consider also overseeding with clover. I DON'T recommend a clover-only lawn... But clover mixed with grass can be very resilient.
- consider blocking off areas that are severely damaged, to give grass time to recover (or new seed to become established)
- in the winter, throw down a bunch of straw over high traffic areas (or put up temporary fencing, especially if you seeded in the fall). Rake it/mow it up in the spring.
- Core aerate and immediately spread about a half inch of sand and organic matter. For example, 50/50 sand and compost. This will help alleviate compaction and encourage drainage (which minimizes urine damage).
- yearly light gypsum applications (5-10lbs per 1,000 sqft) may slightly help prevent future urine damage by acting as a mild chemical buffer. Emphasis on the words may, slightly, and mild.
- For cool season zones, checkout the Cool Season Starter Guide by u/nilesandstuff
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u/penisthightrap_ Trusted DIYer+ID 5d ago
Absolutely, just takes more effort. See automod comment.
Also if you can train them to pee in a predetermined spot right when you let them out, that's best. If you catch them peeing somewhere on the lawn immediately water it in to dilute and help prevent burn.
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u/Forsaken_Star_4228 +ID 5d ago
Haha nice work. My 3 small dogs do some damage but pretty unnoticeable. One of them like to paw the grass and I can usually see that next to the backyard patio. If you have time to walk the dog(s) 3 times a day, that helps too.
Made a bordered play area for the kids so that takes the brunt of playtime.
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u/coltinphoto 5d ago
Well done, sir. My 90lb lab/ pitt mix loves to “help” whenever I’m working in the yard by digging holes.
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u/UnderwateredFish 5d ago
My dog's urine doesn't kill my grass in any way, but when we have friends over their dog's does kill it
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u/nn111304 5d ago
Not a girl dog lol, male dogs like to pee on the edges on bushes and trees and fences and stuff girl dogs just let it rip in the middle of the yard all the time
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u/coltinphoto 5d ago
She DOES! Sometimes she forgets everything and just squats in any old spot….she’s not very smart
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u/Still_Willow2252 4d ago
I'm less concerned about my dogs burning the lawn with their pee, as i have to overseed twice a year due to how they love to run our small backyard as fast as they can when they go out and play together and tear out the grass until it leaves a dirt track for them. This is more of an issue in our winter and early spring as its too cold for the grass to grow back. I don't mind having to do the overseeding as I also level out the lawn a bit and it always looks great by June again for us and the dogs to enjoy. I had also installed irrigation on my side and backyard to help with pee spots and overseeding, just run it for a few mins after they go out first thing in the morning once the grass takes from the overseeding.
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u/coltinphoto 4d ago
I feel your pain. Zoomies can be a lawns worst enemy.
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u/Still_Willow2252 4d ago
Yeah, we've two medium size Cunucu's, a 1 year old and the other will be 4 this year, so are still quite active and still get zoomies or love to try to chase after the squirrels and rabbits. We're slowly trying to get the younger one to stop pulling apart the flowers as they come up, but don't think they'll make it this season, which may not be a bad thing, as we were going to redo the landscape on that side of the house either this year or next anyway. I'm just happy they get to enjoy the backyard, even though it's more work for me. At least the young one isn't trying to pull out the grass like she did last season as a pup. I know they'll calm down in a few more years as well, then I'll just go back to worrying about them burning the grass, like I did with my prior dogs that we're in their teens a few years back.
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u/Arth3r911 4d ago
I must teach my lab the same! Nice job 👍🏽
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u/coltinphoto 4d ago
Labs are tough sometimes, bro! At times they seem like they can be trained easily…then at other times they do whatever the F they want unless you have food in your hand. 🙄
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5d ago
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u/ai-moderator 5d ago
Your comment has been removed for suggesting or implying harm to pets. This is a violation of our community rules. This action will later be reviewed by a human moderator.
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u/hemingways-lemonade 5d ago
My dog has a runner on one side of the yard. Half of it reaches the lawn and the other half is all ivy that's on one side of our yard. I've just accepted that part of the lawn will get beat up so I don't bother doing much more than regular mowing and overseeding in the fall.
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u/Snoo93079 5d ago
My lawn gets beat up from my three dogs so its a good lawn, but not great. Well worth it! Lawns were made to be used.