If you are a petowner with a house and garden you will know the challenges of maintaining your lawn. How is it that some pet owners manage to keep a super health lawn despite having a number of pets using the lawn as both play area and outdoor potty? Here are some top tips to help you maintain a great lawn at home, while keeping pets happy and healthy.

A Pet Owner’s Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Lawn

From carpet stains to plumbing disasters to patchy, water-guzzling lawns, homeownership is no small feat. House-related mishaps are bound to happen. It’s your responsibility to manage the carnage. When you add pets to the mix, home maintenance can become even more complicated. They scratch your furniture, emit strong odors, and wreak havoc on your lawn.

As a pet owner, it’s easy to develop lawn envy for your neighbor’s perfectly green grass. Furry friends often ravage outdoor spaces by digging up holes, packing down the soil, and damaging grass with urine. While it may seem impossible to cater to your animals’ needs while maintaining a stunning curb appeal, there are numerous quick and easy solutions to keep you, your pet, and your lawn happy and healthy.

Repair bare spots

Unfortunately, even the best-tended lawns are susceptible to pet damage. High levels of nitrogen found in canine urine often burn grass, causing it to yellow and brown. Luckily, there are ways to mitigate patchiness by selecting the proper turfgrass, re-seeding where necessary, and restricting potty time to certain areas of your yard.

Start on the right foot by selecting a resilient grass seed compatible with your current climate. Warmer locations may need a more durable turf, as sunrays mixed with increased potty schedules will threaten the health of your lawn. When starting fresh, sprinkle grass seed like this and consider rooting in the fall or spring to ensure harsh summers and winters don’t kill the source prematurely.

To ensure your seed takes, flush the area with water from your hose. Remember to remove dead grass, and keep the site moist to encourage growth. Once you’ve laid down the seed, keep your furry friends away from new germination. Make sure to be diligent about maintenance to keep pet-related damage to a minimum.

Understanding how lawns get damaged

Without a thorough understanding of lawn-related damages, pouring time and money into lawn maintenance may be a fruitless effort. Whether you have a pet who snacks on grass, a dog who loves to dig, or an animal who tramples your lawn into the ground, you’ll need to tailor your solution to individual damages.

Pet behaviors leading to low lawn health

Some pet habits, like digging, can be trained out of your pet’s routine. However, others like urination are an unavoidable aspect of pet ownership. To avoid patchiness, create a pathway for your canine companion. Encourage them to potty in specific areas, avoiding lush, green grass.  To help your pet get used to this new technique, watch them diligently when they’re outside and praise them for pottying in the designated area.

If you are short on space or funding to create a designated area for your pet, practice diligent cleanup efforts, picking up droppings frequently, and flushing your lawn of urine consistently. However, you’ll want to avoid over-watering your turf, as it can result in further damage.

The importance of a healthy lawn

Besides boosting your curbside appeal, a healthy lawn has numerous health benefits for you and your family. Well-kept grass provides you with healthier breathing air. It also reduces allergens, and provides a lush green space for you and your family to bond. While it may require a lot of work and routine care, it allows you and your family a safe, luscious, beautiful space to play and bond.

The healthy lawn in essence

Maintaining a healthy lawn can be challenging—especially with furry friends wreaking havoc. However, by using nutrient-rich seed, engaging in consistent clean-up, and keeping a watchful eye on your pet, you can have lush, green grass in no time.

As a responsible pet owner you an achieve both, a healthy pet and a beautiful looking lawn. But it does take work.