[halyran]

Hi!

I am trying to replace my grass in the yard with an alternative. My dog has torn up the yard into a muddy mess, and I have already tried replacing it with woodchips. She manages to get the woodchips all bunched up at one end of the yard, and so the problem remains. Any ideas? I've heard of clover, but then read it doesn't work too well. I would also rather not go to "hard" landscaping solutions. (I'm in SW Michigan zone)

Thanks!

 

[BetterDog4U]

I have two dogs and they spend a lot of time in my yard. My yard is nice and green, and the grass is only beat down in two small areas. Im not sure why your dog has torn up the yard.

Questions:

What kind of dog is it?

How often do you walk the dog?

How much time to you spend playing and training per day?

What kind of activities do you do with the dog?

 

[boon4376]

Yea definitely isnt normal... Instead of changing your yard, try changing something about your interactions with your dog. Its not the yards fault, or the dogs, its yours.

 

[halyran]

Hi Michael. Thanks for the reply. She is a retriever/lab mix, although it appears that she has a bit of something else in her as well. (She is a rescue dog)

I should start by saying the grassy area is along the side of the house, and is only around 6-7 feet, by 60 feet. We play ball with her in the area sometimes, but she also likes to run to the end of the fence and see the people on the street. She gets walked, and goes on a regular basis to doggie daycare, where she runs off energy with many other dogs. She just happens to run the exact same path whenever she's in the yard, since it's so narrow.

 

[RottieMomx3]

We have two muddy spots in our yard also that I haven't been able to fix either. We have two small steps off the deck to the yard and the dogs don't walk down them, they jump off and land at the bottom. Grass is dead there from 3 large dogs constantly pounding it. I haven't came up with a solution either!

 

[BetterDog4U]

Hi Michael. Thanks for the reply. She is a retriever/lab mix, although it appears that she has a bit of something else in her as well. (She is a rescue dog)

I should start by saying the grassy area is along the side of the house, and is only around 6-7 feet, by 60 feet. We play ball with her in the area sometimes, but she also likes to run to the end of the fence and see the people on the street. She gets walked, and goes on a regular basis to doggie daycare, where she runs off energy with many other dogs. She just happens to run the exact same path whenever she's in the yard, since it's so narrow.

Wow, this is a tough one!!! The only thing i can think of is to put a few objects (like a picnic table, lawn chairs etc) in the area and move them around every few days so the dog cant wear a path in the same place every day.

 

[LoupGarouTFTs]

Well, maybe it *is* the yard's fault. Have you looked at the drainage situation? If you have or its something that you can't fix then I like the idea of moving obstacles around.

 

[animalcraker]

Ever thought about fake grass?? It's always green and you never have to cut or water it

 

[SweetJeannie]

Is there room to make like a "dog run" an area she is kept that is dirt, or pavement or something that you wouldnt care she destroyed?

My parents have that, and they let the dog out in the yard to play under supervision only.

 

[FilleBelle]

Ever thought about fake grass?? It's always green and you never have to cut or water it

Woohoo! If I owned my house, I would totally put in fake grass.