Hi Everyone

I have a 50 foot lawn which is being completely torn up by my two new dogs. Since the weather has turned bad it is becoming one large bog.
I am looking for alternative floor coverings which will be more resistant to the constant attack of my two dogs than grass.

A quick search of the net mentions using clover but there is not very much information on what type to use or weather it will be hardy enough. I also have a friend who says he seems to remember reading about a conifer which is very slow growing and soft under foot, apparently an ideal floor covering but can’t remember any more than that.

I really don’t want to resort to paving over the whole garden so any suggestions would be very welcome.

Thank you

Steve

Steve: are you in the UK? This is not the time of year to be re-seeding lawns. I can't recommend clover as a substitute for grass - most people spend money to eradicate it from lawns. Neither can I imagine any kind of prostrate conifer that would be OK to walk over. There are lots of special grass seeds that are tough enough to withstand a pounding (e.g. from kids playing football, etc). I am surprised that dogs have caused such havoc in such a short time. I'm guessing it's a fairly new lawn, perhaps attached to a new house?? If so, the grass is probably on a very thin layer of top soil and hasn't had chance to establish proper roots. If it's turning into a bog, you have a drainage problem. I could go on, but some more info about your soil, etc, would be useful.

Thank you

Steve[/quote]

dont think theres any grass impervious to dogs . there are some
heartier varieties of grass, but not dog proof .

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Thanks for the replies. Yes I am in the UK and ever since my neighbor decided to pave over his garden I have had drainage problems.

Steve.r wrote in :


Thanks for the replies. Yes I am in the UK and ever since my neighbor
decided to pave over his garden I have had drainage problems.

Check the local regulations about altering drainage. Most places around
here prohibit changes to drainage that affect the neighbors. You might
be able to get your neighbors to go in with you on a drainage solution.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

Steve - I don't think there are any laws in the UK (unlike in Texas) to protect you from changes to drainage caused by what a neighbour does in their garden.
Over the winter I think you're just going to have to steel yourself for a muddy lawn and muddy dogs. In the Spring I would suggest aerating the lawn, either the cheap, hard way, by sticking a fork in every few inches and wiggling it about, or you can buy an aerator, which looks a bit like a fork but takes long thin tubes of soil out. Then get some sharp sand (not builder's sand) and brush it all over the lawn, so it goes down the holes. Then get some grass seed - go for a "tough" mix, suitable for "heavy use" and sprinkle it on as per instructions. You'll need to do this a bit at a time, as you'll have to keep the dogs off each area with temporary fencing and some netting to keep the birds off. This is all starting to sound like a lot of work! You could try buying sods, but these will be equally vulnerable to dog activity and would cost a lot.
The January edition of Gardeners' World magazine has an article on how to make a dog-friendly garden - might be worth a look.

Thanks for the replies especially Janet. I will look into your suggestions for next year.

Although clover has a deeper root system the leaf is not particularly hardwearing.
Overseed your lawn in the spring with mixture of dwarf perennial ryegrass and strong creeping fescue. The creeping fescue binds the surface together and will also grow back into any damaged areas.
Not 100% dog proof but certainly more hard wearing than clover.

You can construct sort of a fence!

Steve

We have a similar problem on a lawn/garden twice the size of yours. Our two puppies arrived in November - along with a load of snow! You can imagine the mess of two quite active pups - chasing each other round the garden. This is not the first time we have had pups - but I have to say these two are the most challenging we have had. Our 10 foot pampas grass has been reduced to a trembling stump! The grass has been trodden and dug up. So we bought them a run and put a small enclosure round it - enough for them to exercise when we are not around to supervise them.
However this does not stop their digging tendancies. They feel obliged to dig where ever they please - they are looking for water to play in. So we are getting not only a paddling pool for them but also we will be using some turf protection mesh for the garden - we will use it in their enclosure and also the part nearest to our house. It is quite expensive but we feel that is better than tethering the little darlings up. They do this even after lots of exercise! I hope they grow out of it soon. Despite all of that we love them to bits.

There are lots of appropriate grass seeds that are boxy abundant to bear a anguish (e.g. from kids arena football, etc). I am afraid that dogs accept acquired such calamity in such a abbreviate time. I'm academic it's a adequately new lawn, conceivably absorbed to a new house?? If so, the grass is apparently on a actual attenuate band of top clay and hasn't had adventitious to authorize able roots.