Question
I live in Illinois. I have five large (50 - 80 lbs.)dogs. They have the run of the yard and cause lots of damage in the "paths" that they frequently run. Mid summer this is usually not much of problem, since the grass seems to regenerate enough to keep the mud under control. Of course if the ground is frozen there isn't a problem. Most other times of the year, the yard looks like a pig farm! Can you suggest ways to plant or landscape that would hold up better to the beating the ground takes?

Answer
If you want grass to hold up, your best choice is going to be tall fescue. It is a long, broad, coarse leaved grass which can stand substantial traffic and abuse once established. The good news is that it is fairly cheap, too. The old "pasture" type K31 (Kentucky31) is the tried-and-true version which is very commonly found in seeds, but also the most coarse, rough, and durable version of seeds. This is what you want. I doubt they will be able to damage an etablished planting of K31 tall fescue. Today many modern hybrid versions are available such as Rebel, etc, but the old type K31 is the rough and tough version that you want.

(note K31 - or Kentucky31 - is the cultivar name for a TALL FESCUE grass type. It should not be confused with Kentucky Bluegrass which is less durable. Therefore, you are looking for Kentucky31 or K31 TALL FESCUE grass).

Another option is to create paths of mulch (nuggest of shredded wood) and use these for the dog, and keep the lawn areas free of dog traffic.

Kenneth