720-630-0108CallBook a yard walkMenu
Call 720-630-0108Book a yard walk

Guides · Pets and turf

Pets and turf: what drains, what smells, and what a dog does to it

Smell, cleanup, digging and hot days: how to keep a dog yard clean and comfortable on turf.

A question these don’t answer? Call 720-630-0108

Pets · the guides

Eight questions, each answered up front.

Each short answer is right here. Open a guide for the full explanation and its sources.

  1. Guide

    Artificial Turf vs Grass for Dogs in Northern Colorado

    Is artificial turf or real grass better for a yard with dogs?

    Neither wins everywhere. Bluegrass copes with a dog in a big, sunny yard you can water, at the cost of urine spots and worn fence paths that 2026 watering limits slow to heal. Turf ends the mud and dead spots but can run 35 to 55°F hotter than grass and needs rinsing. Dog Tuff grass is the middle path.

    Inside

    1. What does a dog do to a bluegrass lawn?
    2. What does a dog do to artificial turf?
    3. How do bluegrass, turf and Dog Tuff compare for a dog yard?
    4. Which grass holds up to dogs in Colorado?
    5. When should a dog owner keep the grass?
    6. 1 more section

  2. Guide

    Can Dogs Dig Through Turf? How to Stop a Digger

    Can dogs dig through artificial turf, and how do you stop a digger?

    Rarely through the middle. Claws scatter infill and can pull loose tufts, but a digger gets real purchase at edges, seams and cuts around posts. To stop one, deal with why the dog digs (heat, voles, escape, boredom), fasten every edge to a hard border, and put wire under the fence line for an escape artist.

    Inside

    1. Where on artificial turf can a dog actually dig?
    2. Why is my dog digging at the turf?
    3. Is something living under the turf?
    4. What stops a digger at the fence line?
    5. How do you repair an edge a dog has dug up?
    6. 1 more section

  3. Guide

    Dog Poop on Artificial Turf: Potty Spots and Cleanup

    Can dogs poop on artificial turf, and how do you clean it up?

    Yes. Solid poop lifts off turf much as it does off grass; the trouble is residue, because turf doesn’t break waste down the way a living lawn does. Pick up daily, rinse and enzyme-treat messy spots, bag the waste for the trash, and train the dog to one potty spot so the cleanup stays in one place.

    Inside

    1. Does dog poop ruin artificial turf?
    2. Where should the dog’s potty spot go?
    3. How do you clean up after a pickup?
    4. What about diarrhea, baked-on residue and frozen piles?
    5. Where does the bagged poop go?
    6. 1 more section

  4. Guide

    Dog Turf Infill: Zeolite vs Coated Sand vs Silica

    Which turf infill should I use for dogs: zeolite, coated sand or plain silica sand?

    A layered fill suits most dog yards: zeolite underneath to hold urine’s ammonia, and an antimicrobial acrylic-coated sand on top for weight. Zeolite alone is too light to hold turf flat, and plain silica sand is ballast with no odor treatment. Plan on about 2.5 to 3 pounds per square foot in all, and on rinsing through a dry summer.

    Inside

    1. What does each infill do with dog urine?
    2. How does zeolite hold the smell, and what lets it go?
    3. Is coated sand better than plain silica sand with dogs?
    4. How much of each goes down in a dog yard?
    5. What does Firestone’s code allow under a dog yard?
    6. 2 more sections

  5. Guide

    Dog Urine Smell in Artificial Turf: Fixes in Order

    How do I get the dog urine smell out of my artificial turf?

    Work down through the layers. Soak the spots until water runs through; a light sprinkle can make the ammonia worse. Then saturate them with an enzyme cleaner and leave it on. If the smell is back within days, the infill or base is holding urine: add an odor-control infill, or lift the turf and rebuild the base.

    Inside

    1. Why does turf smell worse on hot days and after a light rain?
    2. What fixes the smell, and in what order?
    3. When does the turf have to come up?
    4. What if it’s the neighbors’ dogs on my front-yard turf?
    5. Do watering restrictions cover hosing off turf?

  6. Guide

    Is Artificial Turf Safe for Dogs and Cats?

    Is artificial turf safe for dogs and cats?

    Mostly, with a few things to manage. In full sun, turf runs 35 to 55°F hotter than grass and can burn paws, so give shade and let pets out early or late. Fasten edges so blades can’t be pulled up and swallowed. Keep pets off cleaners until dry, and pick cat droppings out of sand infill daily.

    Inside

    1. How hot is too hot for paws on artificial turf?
    2. Which dogs overheat first, and what are the warning signs?
    3. What if my dog chews the turf or eats the infill?
    4. Which turf cleaners are safe around dogs and cats?
    5. Will cats use the infill as a litter box?
    6. 1 more section

  7. Guide

    Pea Gravel vs Artificial Turf for a Dog Run

    Pea gravel or artificial turf for a dog run: which works better?

    For a run used every day, turf usually works better: waste sits on top where it can be picked up and rinsed, no stones get tracked inside or shoveled up with snow, and no bare soil turns to mud. Pea gravel drains well, but waste falls between the stones and can’t all come out. Both get hot in sun.

    Inside

    1. Which one keeps dust and mud out of the house?
    2. How do you clean poop and urine out of pea gravel compared with turf?
    3. What happens to each one in a Northern Colorado snow?
    4. What about heat, digging and a dog that eats rocks?
    5. Can an existing gravel run be turned into turf?

  8. Guide

    Pet Turf vs Regular Turf: What the Label Changes

    Is 'pet turf' really different from regular artificial turf, and is it worth paying for?

    Sometimes. A pet label can mean whole-sheet drainage, nylon blades, a shorter pile, antimicrobial yarn or no infill, yet one maker’s Pet Premium shares a spec sheet with a landscape product. It pays most with several dogs in a small run, and only over a base built to drain on Northern Colorado clay.

    Inside

    1. What does a “pet turf” label actually change?
    2. Is a flow-through backing worth it for one dog?
    3. What does an antimicrobial in the yarn actually do?
    4. Will a short pet turf pass Firestone’s rules, or an HOA’s?
    5. Does a pet backing help if my yard is clay?
    6. 1 more section

Other topics

More questions, sorted by topic.

Each topic has its own page of short answers. All 102 guides are listed on the guides page, with a box to search them.

Every guide, by topic

Next step

Planning a dog-friendly yard? Let’s walk it together.

Tell us about your yard and how to reach you, and we’ll set up a time to come out.

What are we building?

Pick any that apply.

Where’s the yard?

We work from Wellington to Longmont.

Roughly how big is it?

A guess is fine. We measure when we walk the yard.

Two quick ones.

Is there an HOA or metro district?

When would you like it done?

How should we reach you?

We’ll get in touch to set a time to walk the yard.

Best way to reach you

Rather talk it through? Call 720-630-0108

Step 1 of 5Your project

CallBook a yard walk