Question
Hi,
I'm writing from the UK. I have 2 dogs & very little lawn left due to their running & playing. Can you recommend a type of grass and/or any techniques for making a hard wearing lawn please?
Regards,
Ray

Answer
Ray,

That's a tough one.

I face the same question on the soccer field, and on the campus lawns where people take shortcuts.

I always use perennial rye grass.  It grows rapidly in good conditions, and puts down deep roots, so that its capacity to recover from injury is really quite good.

But I also practice a system of field use rotation.  I can't keep players out of their goals, so I periodically move the goals.  This gives the old injuries time to recover, and gives the players time to ruin another patch.

When I have cleared them off of a bad patch of grass, I'll reseed it, cover it with a thin layer of compost and wait.  I won't even mow that for two weeks.  Also, not every time, but as needed, I'll till the worst of the area up, rake it out and lightly roll it, before the reseeding.  This is because the bare patches are not just due to injury of the grass plants, but because of soil compaction, which removes necessary space for air and water from around the roots.

So I don't think you can have 2 dogs and an entirely healthy lawn, but I think you can make parts looks better than they do now.

Hope this helps,
Mark in Portland