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Your Guide to a Pet-Safe Backyard
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What Kind of "Woof?"
Before you start designing your yard, evaluate what your dog is like and what qualities might be important when planning!
Herding breeds, Retrievers, Terriers
Maximize exercise space, include heavy duty pathways and groundcover
Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Mastiffs, Akitas and Terriers
They can be territorial or aggressive. Protective fencing and obstructive shrubs prevent unwanted attacks.
Guard breeds, Terriers, Poodles
"Working" breeds thrive with tasks like agility courses and other active games
Poodles and water dogs, Setters and Spaniels, Retrievers and Collies
They love water and swimming. Consider a pool, pond, or fountain.
Bulldogs, Hound Dogs, Terriers
They're diggers or escape artists. Proper fencing and digging areas are must-haves.
Malamutes, Huskies, Great Pyrenees, St. Bernards, Newfoundlands, Akitas
They're heat sensitive. Breeds with thick fur coats developed for frigid climates must have abundant shade and water sources.
Tall Fescue
Best lawn for year-round green in sunny areas where drought tolerance is important. Good for small to medium sized dogs. Add 15% Kentucky Bluegrass to improve fill-in properties needed to handle foot traffic from larger dogs.
Hybrid Bermuda
Best lawn for heavy foot traffic, urine spot tolerance, and full hot sun. Trailing growth habit fills in high traffic pathways and urine spots rapidly during growing season. Good for small to large dogs. Not suitable for shaded areas.
Dwarf Tall Fescue
Tolerates a shorter mowing height and has a slightly finer blade than other Fescues, so it makes for a"well-groomed" lawn. Good for small to medium sized dogs, but it does grow more slowly than standard Tall Fescue. Routine spot seeding required to maintain with dogs.
Kentucky Bluegrass
Most common of the green year-round cool-season grasses. SHallow
St. Augustine
Considered the best looking of the warm-season grass, it has the highest shade tolerance. This tropical grass is not hardy against foot traffic, but it does grow quickly enough to repair damage at a moderate speed. Good for small to large dogs during both the warm and cool seasons, if maintained at a taller height of 2 inches.