If you have a dog, then it’s important to consider dog-friendly lawn care to protect your companion and your grass.
When you have a dog, lawn care comes with some special challenges that you’ll need to address. Maintaining a lush, healthy lawn can take quite a bit of effort and care, even without the added strain of a dog. However, there are a few dog-friendly lawn care tips that can help you to keep a thick and healthy lawn while also providing a comfortable and welcoming space for your furry companion.
Choose Organic Fertilizer
If you’re wanting to keep your lawn lush and dense, you’ll need fertilizer. If you have a dog, this can be a problem—fertilizers come with chemical compounds that can be harmful to dogs if ingested. While you might not find them eating fertilizer straight out of the bag, allowing them to walk on a recently-fertilized lawn and then lick their paws is all it takes for them to become sick.
The best solution is to go organic and choose a fertilizer that does not contain harmful chemicals. By doing this, you ensure the safety of your dog while also using eco-friendly lawn care methods.
Clean Up
Dogs do their business in your yard, and that can lead to lawn damage if you’re not diligent. Urine spots crop up quickly, as dog urine contains high nitrogen content. To combat these, simply hose the spot down after your dog does their business to dilute the urine as much as possible. For feces, you’ll need to choose an appropriate method of clean-up that works for you. This will need to be cleaned up right away, but how you do that and how you dispose of it is up to you. Dog waste can be composted to be used in gardens and flower beds that do not have any plants you plan to eat later. There are also products on the market that offer convenient ways to dispose of your dog’s waste, such as a dog waste septic tank and a dog poop drain that connects to your home’s septic tank.
Create a Path
Dog owners are well-acquainted with pet walkways—areas of grass that have been worn down to the dirt due to constantly being trampled by the dog. These aren’t nice to look at, so it’s not a bad idea to create walkways with pebbles, stone, or even concrete. These can help direct your dog to a designated relief area (which gives you less to clean up and maintain) without giving them the opportunity to damage your lawn. Smart landscaping can be one of the most effective ways to keep a dog-friendly lawn.
Know Your Plants
The ASPCA has an extensive list of poisonous plants that can be harmful to dogs and other pets. When you’re planning your garden or identifying local flora that grows around your lawn, be sure to check this list. Knowing what’s safe and what isn’t is critical for keeping a dog-friendly yard that doesn’t pose a potential risk to their health and safety.
Let the Grass Grow
It’s common for many homeowners to keep their grass nice and short due to the aesthetic it provides. However, when you have a dog, you shouldn’t cut your grass down to anything less than 3 inches in height. Letting your grass stay a bit longer allows the grass to grow stronger and healthier while developing a better root system. This is also a great benefit for your dog, who will enjoy running and rolling around in the long, dense grass that covers your property.
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