The Grass Doctor

WHat type of grass seed should I use for extremely heavy pet traffic?

I have a dof that runs back and forth all day tearing up every type of seed I've tried to lay down. What kind of grass is grown at the parks? Or, what should I do to try and grow an extremely tough grass lawn. Thanks

Public Comments

1. We had the same problem! Remember the old say" Grass doesn't grow on busy streets " ? well it doesn't
2. My backyard consists of trees and dirt, the grass is dead, and the weeds don't bother trying. I hope someone has a good answer to this question. I have been thinking about trying paths, and hope the dogs like the ones i put in for them to use, and not run all over the grass, i will try to grow once again.
3. Rye grass, I've always been told, is the toughest of grasses - whether it would withstand this I don't know!
4. If you have shade of any kind, creeping red fescue is a great choice. It's tough enough to withstand traffic and takes little care once it's established. You can find it at most home centers or hardware stores. If you don't have shade, you might try a native grass mix that contains blue grama. It's not the nicest looking lawn you'll ever see but it's very tough. Better yet, check with a seed dealer in your area and they'll have ideas for the climate you live in. Here's a Web site for my dealer here in eastern SD. They could point you in the right direction. http://www.millbornseeds.com/
5. No grass can withstand constant traffic, especially with dog nails digging up the soil. You can construct a dog run with a crushed limestone base and fencing and train the dog to only run in that area. Then you can plant any grass in the rest of the lawn. If you have a lot of shade, it will be difficult to grow grass, you could try a shade mix but would be better to plant a shade tolerant ground cover. Most ground covers can withstand little to no traffic, so keep the dog off the ground cover.