I need a lawn expert here. I live in central Illinois and need to start
thinking about the next item on my Honey Do list, grass. The biggest
problem I have are two BIG dogs and how to grow grass with them trampling
everything. What type of grass seed will stand up to two dogs in a small
back yard?

In their roadways NOTHING

Dogs are creatures of habit and our 4 have a road system in the back
yard

Even had a friends dog here, he followed the EXACT same path including
a little zig.'

I am looking at sakrete pavers in the road areas or perforated
artificial turf that allows grass growth. artifical turf takes the
punding in the winter

those with dogs dont have beautiful yards,,,,

Scots has a brand called Play its supposed to be better, Ive always had
dogs but you will never keep a good lawn with dogs. One thing I did was
use the 2ft decorative garden fencing to to give half the lawn a rest
at a time and use heavy feeding to try to keep a lawn ok. In the winter
they realy kill it so then I fenced the whole lawn giving them only a
run area I would sacrifice. If part can rest it helps alot, annual rye
can come in heavy and starts in 3-5 days, so id mix Play and Quick start
and starter fertiliser. Dogs are work.

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 02:49:19 GMT, "mgarvie"
wrote:

I need a lawn expert here. I live in central Illinois and need to start
thinking about the next item on my Honey Do list, grass. The biggest
problem I have are two BIG dogs and how to grow grass with them trampling
everything. What type of grass seed will stand up to two dogs in a small
back yard?


Dogs will deteriorate a lawn very quickly. One solution is to fence
off an area just for the dogs. Another is to get rid of the dogs.

sod?

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 03:18:55 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 02:49:19 GMT, "mgarvie"
wrote:

I need a lawn expert here. I live in central Illinois and need to start
thinking about the next item on my Honey Do list, grass. The biggest
problem I have are two BIG dogs and how to grow grass with them trampling
everything. What type of grass seed will stand up to two dogs in a small
back yard?


Dogs will deteriorate a lawn very quickly. One solution is to fence
off an area just for the dogs. Another is to get rid of the dogs.
==============================
I'll take the dog....The lawn will just have to take care od itself...

Bob G.

First, you want a grass that is tough and suited for that area.
Assuming it gets sun, my choice would be a good turf type tall fescue.
Normally, fescue is a clump type grass, meaning the plant grows in one
clump and won't send out rhizomes to spread. However, there are now
some varieties available that have been developed to spread. They
still don't spread as readily as bluegrass, but they will spread to
fill in bare spots over time, which a regular fescue won't. RTF is
one variety, you can search for it on the web. I've also seen it at
HD. That could be a good choice. Of course as others have pointed
out, if the dogs are on it a lot, there maybe areas that you really
can't maintain.

If you go that route, I would probably wait till fall, which is optimum
time, then kill what's there, and use a core aerator, then a slice
seeder to establish the new lawn.

mgarvie wrote:

I need a lawn expert here. I live in central Illinois and need to start
thinking about the next item on my Honey Do list, grass. The biggest
problem I have are two BIG dogs and how to grow grass with them trampling
everything. What type of grass seed will stand up to two dogs in a small
back yard?


A fenced concret run.