Sod?

[L.M.]

Hi again!  My last post was about "dog proof" grass.  Well, now we are considering sod instead.  My lawn is an absolute mess...not so much from my doodles than from last year's summer sun and intense heat which killed nearly all of our newly established grass.  We are strongly considering fescue sod and sprinklers.  For those of you that have used sod and a sprinkler system, how has it lasted with dog traffic?  I have two doodles...one big guy and one little gal.  Both are diggers....although they only dig when there is exposed dirt....That issue should be okay once sod is down.  How do the lawns last with dog urine?  Again, I would have sprinklers as well to dilute it, but does that really help?  Our yard is small, so we have no option of sectioning off a dog area.  I know female urine is more concentrated....but do the sprinklers usually dilute it enough to prevent grass burn spots?  Basically, I'm curious if most of you who use/used sod found it to be worth the cost when you have dogs that could potentially ruin it.  Reseeding the lawn was our original plan, but keeping the dogs off of it while it establishes for months would be virtually impossible for us.  

Thanks for the help again!  =) 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Good question and I will be following this post. Our grass is gone and we are in the same situation. We just got a quote for sod and it is expensive, for sure. I just don't know if it is worth it or something we would have to keep doing each year.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've had new sod put down three times in the five and a half years i've had Jack; the sod does get established pretty quickly.

Our problem is not urine burns...most dogs tend to urinate close to some object, so Jack only urinates along the perimeters, close to the bushes (he prefers evergreens). The real problem for us is that it's a very small area, and we play ball there. His nails dig out huge chunks of sod every time he runs, and there's not enough room for him to run across different areas of the yard, it's always the same "path", so by the end of the summer, there's a wide swath down the middle of the yard where the grass has been completely torn and worn away. I am sure that if we had a bigger area and we didn''t play ball when the grass is wet (pulls up easier when wet, just like weeds), we could have some grass back there.

RE: female urine, I'm not convinced that it burns the grass more because it's "more concentrated". I believe that it's because males tend to urinate "against" objects rather than just directly onto the grass, and the urine doesn't all pool in the same place at once., the males tend to "spread it out" more. That's just my theory.

[L.M.]

I always believed that as well...although my male, Seamus, does not lift his leg to pee...lol he squats .

[F, Calla & Luca]

My male and female doodles both squat and both burn the grass. Small price to me. Perfect lawns are too much work, too many chemicals and really not good for the environment. If it were not for ease of walking and doodles running I'd make a meadow or something. But I don't like walking where I can't see what's hiding and ticks lay in wait or heaven forbid a snake : ) Pretty soon, as I say about the garden in general, the jungle would take over.

[L.M.]

haha I agree!  I'm not so worried about spot burn outs in the grass....lol I just want some grass!  Anything green for that matter!  I'd even take crab grass at this point!  =P

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am thinking of spray paint!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

All that will do is make the dirt prettier.

I couldn't care less what the yard looks like, I just can't tolerate the dirt and mud all over his feet and my house. And the ball gets wet from his mouth, and then the wet ball picks up all the dirt, and then that's in his mouth!

 

[Adina P]

Ahhh I care about both.  Why can't it be boooooooth????  *whiiiiine*   Even if I could train both dogs to be off leash reliable, so their running could be in a park and not my yard...I'd still need the time to go to the park every day.  I would totally get fake grass if it wasn't so pricey.  But for a good sized yard it costs and arm and a leg.

[F, Calla & Luca]

And it's fake--ugh. Not good for the earth, hot on doodles and human feet --ugh, IMHO

[Sharee & "Hope" Peterson]

AND, that is the same problem I have with the MUD . .  .H.E.L.P. needed also!

[L.M.]

Sharee, this is an old discussion that I started last year, but I just saw your post.  We got sod last spring (tall fescue) and sprinklers.  I have a relatively small fenced yard.....I want to say around 50 x 50 feet if that.  I have 2 doodles...a male and female, one 86 pounder and one 43 pounder.  So far so good in terms of the sod maintaining its durability, but of course it's only been a year and we have yet to see if it has survived the winter.  But, here's what we have learned.  We do not let our doodles pee on the grass (when we can help it).  We have a small run on the side of our house where they pee and then they are let in the yard to poop.  Play time on the grass is ONLY when it is totally dry because they will rip up the grass when it's damp or wet.  My doods are not huge runners and are more into wrestling, so I'm sure that has helped maintain it as well.  And, sprinklers are truly a must.  If you do get sod, it's impossible to maintain without sprinklers.  Look into tall fescue...it's supposed to be very strong and able to hold up against heat, sun, and high traffic.  We have no trees in our yard for shade and we are in NJ....so its' not super hot, but we've had our fair share of 90 plus or even 100 degree days.  Of course, my husband still does a lot of upkeep, reseeding and even resodding certain spots, but we are determined to have nice (or at least decent) grass.  If you have any questions, please let me know!  And I'm crossing my fingers that my grass is green again this year when spring comes!! 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Tall fescue is good. I reseed, never had sod, with that.