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Any dog owners with artificial grass in their garden?

jomalone14

Hi all,

I'm the proud owner of 3 amazing dogs and one very muddy back and side garden

The garden didn't even recover after last winter so I'm looking at a worsening situation year after year.

I'm considering biting the bullet and re-doing the garden this year in favour of artificial grass.

Have any dog owners on Boards had artificial grass put down and if so, has it been a success?

I have 2 collies and a tibetan terrier cross so when there's a mad chase on between all 3, it's like a herd of cattle tearing up and down the lawn.

How robust is artificial grass?
How much trampling will it take?
Does it still look as good a few years after being laid?
Any downsides apart from the price?

Many thanks in advance.

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jellybear

I'm also interested in hearing people's experiences. We considered getting it last year but as we love our garden and really do prefer real grass we decided against it. Now reconsidering it as the lawn just doesn't recover after wet weather. We saw some samples at Bloom this year and it is expensive but think it might be worth the investment.

jomalone14

Jellybear,

That's my problem also, I love real grass. I even love mowing the lawn and strive hard to keep it looking good but now with 3 dogs, I'm really fighting a losing battle.

I can't see myself replacing the grass with paving or gravel though, I need greenery!

Anyone out there with an artificial lawn and dogs??

DBB

Oh gawd op, I feel your pain. You could grow spuds in my house each day with the mud that's coming in, despite daily hoovering and mopping.
There have been a few threads in recent years on the topic, maybe do a forum search, and the feedback from people who have got AstroTurf/artificial grass in has always been overwhelmingly positive. I guess the only big downside is the loss of the prospect of a lovely real lawn in summer, but jeez... I think once you've 2 or more big dogs, you need to wave bye bye to that prospect anyway!

Bells21

jomalone14 wrote:

That's my problem also, I love real grass. I even love mowing the lawn and strive hard to keep it looking good but now with 3 dogs, I'm really fighting a losing battle.

I have a great solution, you get your artificial grass and come mow my lawn instead, a win win for every one lol!
I've seen some done cheaply and it looks horrendous but I've heard of other people who have gone down the route of astro turf quality and they've been very happy with it.

muddypaws

DBB wrote: »

Oh gawd op, I feel your pain. You could grow spuds in my house each day with the mud that's coming in, despite daily hoovering and mopping.

I'm seriously considering bringing the pressure washer inside to do the kitchen floor

jellybear

muddypaws wrote: »

I'm seriously considering bringing the pressure washer inside to do the kitchen floor

Very apt username!:D Our floors our destroyed with mud and Milo is not a fan of getting his piggies dried!

CrowdedHouse

How robust is artificial grass? Very - for 2 or 3 Lhasa Apsos who do a lot of patrolling

How much trampling will it take? No sign of any wear after 7 years or so

Does it still look as good a few years after being laid? Obviously not as pristine as the day it went down but still good.

Any downsides apart from the price? Not quite loose change price-wise! Not quite maintenance free, as ours is in a back yard surrounded by different bits of shrubs etc the leaves need to be blown/swept up occasionally. Amazing where little bits of weeds can take root.

borderlinemeath

muddypaws wrote: »

I'm seriously considering bringing the pressure washer inside to do the kitchen floor

I have indeed brought the pressure washer in to clean the dogs room floor:o

DBB

borderlinemeath wrote: »

I have indeed brought the pressure washer in to clean the dogs room floor:o

I thought to myself the other day as I was mopping the walls... Yes, the walls... That things are bad when you've to mop the walls

borderlinemeath

DBB wrote: »

I thought to myself the other day as I was mopping the walls... Yes, the walls... That things are bad when you've to mop the walls

I often have to mop the walls. And the windowsills.
And the doors.
And I also mop the couches. I only have leather or pleather ones for the dogs, specifically so I can mop them:o

I think I hate mopping more that picking up poo.

DBB

borderlinemeath wrote: »

I often have to mop the walls. And the windowsills.
And the doors.
And I also mop the couches. I only have leather or pleather ones for the dogs, specifically so I can mop them:o

I think I hate mopping more that picking up poo.

Agreed. Poop picking seems positively luxurious in comparison. You clean and mop each day, enjoy around 5-10 mins of clean house, before the paw prints and tail art reappear

eezipc

In the same situation. Garden is destroyed so I've taken the plunge and bought artificial grass. I'll be laying it tomorrow so ill keep you updated. I have a Springer and a collie. The Springer is going to have problems initially i think but the collie will s**t anywhere so she should be fine.

Knine

I sometimes feel like powerwashing the dogs.

My garden is like a swamp. Even though the dogs don't have free run of it.

I would sooner pick up 100 piles of poo then mow the lawn. I don't appear to have any lawn right now though. I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of the grass.

Dubl07

I've been considering it for a few years as my girl loves to rake after any performance. She then carries half of it back into the house. What's putting me off is the effect it may have on local wildlife - worms and so birds/hedgehogs. The dog fertilises the grass so we haven't needed to use moss-killer or nitrogen since she arrived but it does get so very muddy at this time of year.

jomalone14

Thanks so much for all the replies, I've laughed at a few and it seems us dog owners are all in the same boat!!!!

I have cream high polished porcelain tiles running from the back door to the front door! They were laid well before my 3 crazies moved in..... I've managed to train one of my collies to wipe her paws on the mat on command when she comes (so sweet!) but she hasn't passed on her skills to the other two yet!

jomalone14

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

How robust is artificial grass? Very - for 2 or 3 Lhasa Apsos who do a lot of patrolling

How much trampling will it take? No sign of any wear after 7 years or so

Does it still look as good a few years after being laid? Obviously not as pristine as the day it went down but still good.

Any downsides apart from the price? Not quite loose change price-wise! Not quite maintenance free, as ours is in a back yard surrounded by different bits of shrubs etc the leaves need to be blown/swept up occasionally. Amazing where little bits of weeds can take root.

Thanks for the lowdown! A couple more questions if I may?

Did the grass fade in colour at all or is it still the same colour as when it was laid?
Did you go for raised beds or are your beds/shrubs level with the grass?
Did you install yourself or get someone to do it? If in Dublin, could you recommend by PM?

Thanks again

jomalone14

eezipc wrote: »

In the same situation. Garden is destroyed so I've taken the plunge and bought artificial grass. I'll be laying it tomorrow so ill keep you updated. I have a Springer and a collie. The Springer is going to have problems initially i think but the collie will s**t anywhere so she should be fine.

Good luck with installing it, would love to hear how it goes. Post some pics!

joey100

We went with the synthetic grass too. We had done a bit of work in the garden and the grass that was there never really grew back, was always a bit of a mess anyway. We didn't need to cover too much area so it wasn't hugely expensive. For what ever reason our dog will only go to the toilet on grass, we could be out walking on the road for an hour and she won't go but once we get to a patch of grass at a tree no bother at all. She has no problem going on the synthetic grass and seems to prefer it to normal grass for playing on. House is a lot cleaner since and garden looks a lot better. No hiding the poo though so you will have to make sure you pick it up, no waiting for it to build up!

Cost seems to depend mainly on the length, cheaper stuff is shorter and doesn't look as 'real', more expensive you go the higher the grass and the better it looks. Crowd we went with where very good and as far as I can remember has guarantees against staining and was recommended for dogs.

tk123

Somebody we know got artificial grass.. and the dogs ripped it up lol!!! I actually got our mouldy cracked concretey garden redone last year with new slabs - the dogs LOVE it - Bailey especially loves lying on them to sunbathe or cool down and it's actually opened our small garden up a lot.

Dial Hard

Drainage can be an issue with the cheaper options, I know that much, meaning that pee ends up just drying on top of the grass instead of draining through it, which can make for a very smelly garden in warmer weather. Just something to bear in mind when doing your research.

jomalone14

joey100 wrote: »

We went with the synthetic grass too. We had done a bit of work in the garden and the grass that was there never really grew back, was always a bit of a mess anyway. We didn't need to cover too much area so it wasn't hugely expensive. For what ever reason our dog will only go to the toilet on grass, we could be out walking on the road for an hour and she won't go but once we get to a patch of grass at a tree no bother at all. She has no problem going on the synthetic grass and seems to prefer it to normal grass for playing on. House is a lot cleaner since and garden looks a lot better. No hiding the poo though so you will have to make sure you pick it up, no waiting for it to build up!

Cost seems to depend mainly on the length, cheaper stuff is shorter and doesn't look as 'real', more expensive you go the higher the grass and the better it looks. Crowd we went with where very good and as far as I can remember has guarantees against staining and was recommended for dogs.

Joey100, thanks for this. If your installer is in the Dublin area, could you send me his contact details via PM?
Thank you.

Cookie_Monster

Just built a house, fenced off part of the back garden as a dog area complete with astro turf. Dogs don't care either way, easy to keep clean, esp if it rains!
Lots of pegs to keep it down though, not just at the joints.

CrowdedHouse

jomalone14 wrote: »

Thanks for the lowdown! A couple more questions if I may?

Did the grass fade in colour at all or is it still the same colour as when it was laid?
Did you go for raised beds or are your beds/shrubs level with the grass?
Did you install yourself or get someone to do it? If in Dublin, could you recommend by PM?

Thanks again

The previous grass had raised beds on two sides off a rectangle shape.

I can't say I notice any fading.

It was Sanctuary Synthetics in Naas that did ours

everlast75

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

The previous grass had raised beds on two sides off a rectangle shape.

I can't say I notice any fading.

It was Sanctuary Synthetics in Naas that did ours

Same crowd for me. No problems 4 years later.

However I found their prices to have gone up a fair bit when I rang them for some more work recently. There might be better value out there nowadays with competition from others

bauney

Mod note; This post has been split away from a very old thread to this more recent thread on the same topic. The posters in the initial thread have not been active on this site for 5+years, so there's more chance of getting a response on this thread.
Thanks,
DBB

Hi, I see you installed artificial grass yourself. I am thinking of doing this myself by hand for a play area at back of my house (approx 70sq metres). I do the odd jobs around the house and am decent enough at DIY jobs. So I am wondering if it's worth doing it myself and save a few pound or will I regret it. Any advice would be great?