by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: March 19, 2007   Last Updated: April 27, 2007

How to minimize dog damage to your lawn.

My lawn is my pride and joy, although I love dogs too. Finding a balance between loving those pets and keeping the lawn in good order is pretty simple and common sense. The ways in which a dog can damage grass are:
Unirating makes the grass go yellow, and here this can be overcome if you simply take the dog walking on a regular basis, somewhere other than the lawn. Dogs get accustomed to habits, and if you make your habits lawn protecting ones, then the dangers of this kind of behavior are limited too.

Dog faeces are a nuisance, although not just on the lawn. Here, I really do not want the dog to use the garden for his toilet, because kids play there, and it causes a hygiene risk. It's far easier to walk your dog somewhere else, to play out in the fields or away from the home, although it is worth remembering that others don't want your dog faeces either, so do take a pooper scooper.

Digging is an annoying trick that dogs are good at, and chasing moles or standing above a mole hole deciding if it's worth digging out that hole to see the creature that they can smell is certainly a thing dogs consider. They are natural hunting creatures, and although there is not much you can do about digging in an animal's behavior, again, walking elsewhere, and tiring the dog out is a good idea. Minimizing the damage by doing repairs straight away is also a very good idea, flattening the soil, and even adding the odd bit of seed around those mole holes certainly helps to re-establish the grass.

Here in Europe, we actually have products we can spray on lawns to try and stop dogs from being a nuisance, although I am rather loathe to use them, as they may be harmful to wildlife and children.

When all is said and done, dogs are creatures that do damage, although what kind of human being puts their lawn first ? Isn't it all part and parcel of responsible pet ownership that we try the best we can to minimize damage, but still love those creatures that cause it, even when they run across the lawn towards you with your prize geraniums in their mouth. At least they left the grass alone !

God bless em.

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