How to Grow Grass in High-Traffic Dog Areas & Maintain Your Lawn

Co-authored by Benjamin Hansen and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

Think dogs and beautiful lawns can’t mix? Think again! While high-traffic areas do require a bit more love, with the right grass seed and upkeep, you can regrow bare patches and keep your lawn looking luscious all year round. In this article, we’ll walk you through picking out grass seed and regrowing your lawn to start fresh. We’ll also give you some advice on how to keep your dogs off of high-traffic areas and how to maintain a great-looking lawn.

Things You Should Know

Choose a deep-rooting grass species, like tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass, to give your lawn a fighting chance.
Rake bare patches and sprinkle grass seed mixed with potting soil into the dirt. Cover the area with straw or hay for extra protection.
Water the grass daily to encourage new roots.
Keep dogs off your newly planted lawn by building a fence or training them to go elsewhere.

1

Pick a hearty, deep-rooting grass species.

Deep-rooting grass has a higher chance of survival. When you’re buying grass seed, stay away from anything with short, shallow roots, like fine fescue, since it will likely get torn up by your dog. Instead, go for hearty grasses like:^{[1]
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2

Rake any bare patches.

Use a rake to stir up the soil and make grass more likely to stick. Grab a hard rake and gently go over the bare areas that don’t have grass growing. Till the top 1 in (2.5 cm) of the soil so the seeds can put down roots.^{[2]
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- If you have any dead or dying grass in your yard, use the rake to rake up the dead grass and remove it. Then, you can rake the soil underneath to get it ready for reseeding.

3

Mix grass seed and potting soil together.

Potting soil helps the grass seed stick to the ground better. To prepare your grass seed, mix a handful of seed with a handful of potting soil. If you’re covering a large area, mix a 1:1 ratio of potting soil and grass seed before spreading it.^{[3]
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- Potting soil also adds valuable nutrients to the ground to help grass seed grow.

4

Tamp the seed into the bare patches.

Pat the seed into the soil so it sticks. Sprinkle the ground with your grass seed mixture, then gently tamp the seed down into the soil. Use your hands or your feet to pat it down until the area is mostly flat.^{[4]
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- Grass seed is very hearty, so it will have no problem growing roots and establishing itself as long as it makes contact with bare soil.

5

Water the area and keep it moist.

Water the grass seed every day to help it grow. Grass takes a lot of water, especially during warmer months. As the grass grows, water it every day, and make sure the dirt around it never dries out.^{[5]
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- Consider using an automatic sprinkler system so you don’t have to worry about remembering to water. Plus, motion-activated sprinklers may help keep dogs off your lawn.

6

Protect grass seed with straw or hay.

Cover the grass seed so it has time to put down roots. After you’ve planted the seeds, cover them with a thin layer of straw or hay to lock in moisture and keep the seed from being washed away. Straw and hay provide some protection, but they probably won’t hold up against multiple dogs walking through the area every day.^{[6]
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- Straw and hay also helps avoid wet soil and mud during the rainy season.
- If you do have multiple dogs walking through the area every day, use other methods mentioned below to keep them away from the area.

7

Establish a bathroom area in your yard.

Take your dogs to 1 specific area away from new grass. When your dogs have to go potty outside, lead them to a section of your yard where you aren’t growing new grass.^{[7]
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- If your dogs are used to roaming free in the yard, take them out on a leash the first few times and lead them to their new potty area.

8

Fence off parts of your yard.

Put up a fence to keep dogs off of new grass. Putting a barrier around your grass ensures that dogs (and humans) won’t disturb it. A temporary fence made of chicken wire will protect your lawn until the grass seed is established.^{[8]
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- For a more permanent option, build a fence by digging post holes, installing the posts, and filling them in with concrete. Then, add either wood or chain link to connect the posts.

9

Pick up poo and wash away urine spots.

Remove waste from your lawn to avoid more damage. Your dogs are going to do their business on your lawn, but you can still maintain green, luscious grass! When they go number 2, pick up the poop right away and throw it out. When they pee, flood the area with water as soon as possible to wash away urine and stop the grass from turning yellow.^{[9]
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- If urine spots are a big concern, consider using a pet spot repair treatment on your lawn. Repair treatments help neutralize the acidity of urine and provide nutrients so the grass can grow.