backyard mud and dogs...bad combo
 

Hi all,

I have a med-sized fenced in yard, a 90lb German Shepherd, and another smaller mix dog. I've only been living in the house for 8 months, and the thin layer of lawn that was there when I moved in has now dwindled to nearly 30% lawn and 70% mud pit.

There is no patio or anything off my back steps...just grass turned to mud. I'd like to have a cement patio put in. First of all, does anyone know what something like that would cost? I'm not sure of the overall cost, so an approx. price/sq ft would be extremely helpful.

Secondly, can anyone provide me some ideas about what to do about the lawn? Should I lay grass seed...will it work? I know having a perfect lawn is almost out of the question with 2 dogs, but can anyone provide any suggestions about a way to minimize the mud?? Even if it doesn't look fantastic for a while...we'll have to put up with it to try and keep the dogs clean.

Thanks for the help!

Christian

Welcome Christian:
Whether you seed or sod your lawn, it will have to have a rest from the dogs. All grasses go into a degree of hibernation in cold weather and can't recover from the traffic.
For summer cover and good growth I would recommend Bermuda or Zoysa but they both turn brown at the first frost and the regrowth is almost nil. In our area, the best survivor of cold weather is Fescue; it continues to show green growth (although slower) all winter long.
You may want to check with the local lawn and garden shop to see what they would use in your area.
Glenn

Hello Christian,

After my 60lb siberian husky and 70lb german shepherd mix got done digging up the cable tv wire in the back yard I asked them what they thought. Both suggested that you surrender to the inevitable! :lol:

Seriously, when the yard is wet, they go straight into an 10'x10' outdoor kennel with pave stone floor. We used pave stones so that the kennel area can be adjusted or moved entirely if need be and we could do pave stones without hiring someone. The kennel has a walkout area and a sidewalk to the new deck.

When the yard is dry, they are either supervised or only allowed to stay out for short periods of time so they don't dig too far or too deep. They are much better about not digging after they have been for an hour long walk. So, 4-5+ times a week they get a nice long walk.
hth, Doug

Hi Christian

In my area a good rule of thumb for estimating overall cost of small pours(patio)is to take current cost of redi-mix(concrete truck delivered)and triple it plus fifty dollars.I find this comes pretty close most times to cover labor and materials.One cubic yard will cover 81 square feet @4 inches thick,the norm

Hi Christian,
One way to keep the yard from being a mud pit and still keep your dogs happy, would be to add a layer of sand. Have some brought in and dumped - call your local quarry or landscape place and get an estimate on the cost from them. They will ask you for the size of your back yard area. So have that ready. Then get your rake and friends/family together and spread it around.
Good Luck :)

Easy fix. Get rid of the dogs!

There are a lot of people that I'd get rid of before I got rid of my dogs.

Thanks for the suggestions. I really don't have room for a kennel however. The boys don't really have a digging problem either...they get muddy just from walking around. Barring rain, they get walked (or jog or rollerblade) at least 6 days a week...and yes...even in the winter we like hiking in the snow! The deeper the better! Plus they're in obedience classes so they've got plenty to do. They don't have a boredom problem...just walking around gets 'em muddy!

I've got some seed left over from patching a spot where I removed a tree in my front yard. I think I might try getting some stakes and chicken coop fencing or something and trying to fix it by dividing the yard into 4 or 5 sections and doing it a piece at a time. It'll take a while but I can't figure out how I'll get it to grow unless I go that route.

Scotts patchmaster works really well. If you have a large area it could get pricey, but usually within 4-7 days you see the grass starting to grow provided that you haven't put any weed killer or crabgrass killer on your lawn. Dogs will have to be off of it for over a week.