Question
When my husband and I moved into our home, we didn't realize the poor state of the backyard. It seems as if you could easily peel up the sod without much resistance. Which is exactly what our dog does every time he goes outside. He very easily rips up the grass, and digs at the exposed dirt/mud beneath. In addition, every spring it turns into a swamp; just about half of it becomes a spongy flooded mess. We re-seeded some of the bare spots last summer, which took in some places, but most of them are ripped up again (again, it didn't take much). Is there anyway to make the whole yard stronger, thicker and just an overall better quality yard without re-sodding the entire thing? (The dog would should stop digging if he wasn't able to rip the grass out so easily- he likes the mud.)

Answer
I always say a house is not a home without a Dog.  Unfortunately, Dogs do not make it easy to grow a beautiful Lawn.  You are going to have to restrict Fido to his/her own personal space or you will never have Grass growing back there at all.

I need to know your Sun situation -- with trees on leaves, how much do you get?  Be honest here; the Sunlight factor is the major determinant in your Grass choices.

Next, we need you to get a Soil test.  It will tell you what your Soil needs to be the kind of fun place for Grass to grow.  You cannot grow first class Grass without first class Soil.  It's that simple.  Give me your zipcode and I will give you the contact details for a Soil test lab nearby; they will run a complete report and give you all kinds of information you never knew you needed.  Since you are relatively new there, it is the perfect time to do that.  No surprises this way.  You'll know what you're doing.

Last, if you would please tell me what kind of Seed you used last year to overseed, or reseed, and what other Grass is growing there.

rsvp,

L.I.G.