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!  =) 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I do understand and I have only 2 hands for 8 paws. But my yard is big so it doesn't get so worn in one area. I really don't know about whether they get hurt. Those are just things I was thinking about because I remember the controversies about that sort of thing when the school's started using the artificial turf.

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

The turf getting hot would not be an issue for us since we have lots of huge trees all around our property and tons of shade.  The clean up of million of acorns and leaves would be an issue.  And, what Karen mentions about the Doodles being fussy about where they do their business.  We have found that if they have to go, they will.  When we go to our Mom's, she is in a development with lot of cranky Sr. Citizens who are very anal about their properties.  Our Mom keeps telling us to keep the Doodles off the grass as we walk them throughout the complex, even keep them off the curb.  We have forced them to do their business in the street when we visit our Mom.  Not easy, but, as i mentioned, if they have to go bad enough, they will go wherever possible.  It's why we hate having to take our Doodles to Mom's, we have to make many provisions for them and we're sure they are confused.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have a special situation with JD. I don't know what happened to him during his housebreaking phase, as he was 14 months old when I adopted him. But he will hold it for days if has to; his record so far is 36 hours. This is of course not good for his health.

If it's damp or rainy outside, no force on earth can get him to set foot in the yard. I have to put him on a leash and walk him to get him to "go." This can be a real pain for me, and after 26 years of having to walk my dogs every time they "went", now that I have an actual backyard with a fence, I would really like to take advantage of not having to get dressed to walk a dog at 7 a.m. or midnight in every kind of weather. And even in good weather, he will not poop in our yard. He won't do it in someone else's yard, either, or at the dog park. I think somebody did a number on him in his housebreaking days. At any rate, I don't want to lose the ground we've gained, i.e. peeing in the yard most of the time.

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

Oh, Karen!  This breaks my heart...dear Jack.  Why would someone do this to you.  Karen, is Jack too big for one of those potty patches?  Maybe you can attach several together to make a real nice dog run for Jack?   Do you have a patio or deck or an area that can become Jack's personal throne?  Then you can have your yard area that looks nice and for playing ball and frisbee with Jack  I must say Jack is one lucky Dood!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have a run filled with river rock where he will occasionally pee, but he prefers the grass along the perimeter where bushes are planted.  I'm thinking I could maybe have the artificial turf placed down the center of the yard, that's where he destroys the grass playing ball, and then leave the existing grass & mulch along the perimeters, or maybe have gravel put in those areas. I think my first step is to consult with a landscape company to find out what is possible.

Thank you for the kind words. JD and I are both lucky to have each other.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Lots to look at but here's a discussion with mostly pros but one con.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pets/msg121356492868.html

[L.M.]

I'm so curious about pricing for the artificial stuff....My hubby has the job this week of making lots of phone calls for both sod and artificial turf to get estimates.  My concern is also the heat...people say it gets very hot and as I said before, I have NO trees in my yard.  My doods, however, don't tend to go outside when it's that hot in the middle of summer...they get lazy and prefer the air conditioner, so I'd have to consider that as well.  Ugh so many decisions!  I just want grass! lol

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

F. attached the link that gave the one con about the urine smell.  If it doesn't rain and if it wasn't installed properly, I would think there would be problems with drainage and smell.  After checking with many vendors, there are many types of turf and it needs to be specifically for canines and have the proper drainage.  We think that is the big cost for canine grass.   So rather than spend a fortune and have a real problem on your hands it makes sense to really do our homework on who to go to for the installation.  We would also be happy with any natural kind of grass, we are not fussy for our yard but with the Doodles running around and unrinating wherever they please, we are not coming up with any solutions other canine grass.  Our landscaper is not keen on the canine grass (of course since it would cramp his business) said it would also require maintenance since weeds may come up along the edges of the property.  We have seen installations on beautiful properties where they had river rocks along the edges of the property to prevent weeds.  Oh, this is getting to be a real project.  But we are still looking into the possiblility of getting our yard Doodle friendly and aesthetically pleasing!

[F, Calla & Luca]

More info although it is a bit dated. If you think I may be trying to discourage artificial turf you could be right : )

http://www.njea.org/pdfs/HS_GrassTurf_May08.pdf

 

[Adina P]

I agree that regardless of how you get new grass ... the same wear and tear will occur as they play and run.  I have a friend who had their entire yard sodded (a good size backyard, not huge, but good sized) and had two boxers.  I thought it looked pretty nice and they had no trees either.  On the other hand, the shade provided by OUR trees I think actually made things worse.  We didn't sod our entire yard....only a small section in the front.  Well...with the constant shade it kept things damp and the dogs more easily tore it up. PLUS that was where Rosco (our male who peeds 345 times a day) prefers to pee.  So the volume of pee was just too much to not have all sorts of burn spots.  Female urine is not more concentrated, it's just that 'they say' females tend to empty out all in one spot whereas males (who mark) tend to pee a little bit here and a little bit there so it's never a high volume in one spot.  The rest of our dogs (females) tended to pee wherever.  And none pee by any objects, bushes, trees, or fencing.  So JD's habits aren't the norm here.

 

As to sprinklers helping to dilute the urine...that will ONLY work if you turn them on as soon as the dog pees for a minute or two.  Otherwise, it won't matter.  At least that is how I understand this...that you'd virtually have to follow the dog around with a watering can and wet down/dilute the area immediately.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Will it make anyone feel better if I confess my lawn was far from perfect before the dogs. Well, yes, I had dog visitors and Rex the poodle lived here for about a year and a half. But really, the chemicals needed for a perfect lawn are more than I feel comfortable in using. Once I bought spray for an apple tree. When I read that I needed to change and wash my clothes immediately after using it I decided I could live with some rust on the leaves. And I like the birds and bees and really all living creatures with the exception of the deer and ticks....If you can get anything growing and are willing to tolerate some clover and other weeds, it all looks pretty good if mowed regularly.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd be happy with weeds, crabgrass, anything other than dirt. Unfortunately, clover is one of JD's allergens.