Have your boxers ruined your yard?!

[gussy98]

I looked and didn't see any similar posts, if I overlooked something already posted I'm sorry!

We just moved to a house in the country in September, and we were so excited that our dogs would finally have a big yard to play in! We have 2 boxers and 2 other large dogs, and our nice big grassy back yard has turned into a big nasty mud (and sometimes poop!) pit!

We have considered putting decorative stone to make it less maintenance, but we weren't sure if that would be good for their joints, etc. Would mulch be a good idea? We were thinking it would be a waste of time to try to replant the grass... what do you all think? Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Emily_7538]

Samson has a certain spot tore up, but that's it. You could try putting straw over the top.

 

[BoxerBubbles]

yep!! mine like to dig,especially one of the little buggers!! and of course when it rains,it's very muddy.and also,just where they get out there and run and play.i was thinking about planting grass too,but i really don't think there is much point to that.i have given up and just decided that it's THEIR yard!!

 

[Jill's boxer]

not sure how large your yard is, but maybe you could section/fence off one half or portion of it as a "dog yard"--that way you could still have your "nice yard" and the dogs could have their own area to get muddy, etc.

I can sympathize b/c we just moved into a new house, and Gracie has wrecked a bit of havoc on the landscaping! I do have an entire side/back area that is not landscaped that I am hoping to turn into a doggie playarea, and hopefully can encourage Gracie to leave the rest of the yard alone!

I don't really have any suggestions as far as decorative stones...I am just going to try landscaping with plants that are less appealing to Gracie as far as the chewing/pulling factor, and maybe use bark/mulch to cover the berms so that she won't be as inclined to dig around the plants, trees...

 

[pennylady]

Baxter can be quite the excavator. He really likes to dig and it’s been hard to break him of it. The thing that’s helped the most is outdoor toys to play with. My neighbor got him one of those balls they get horses. I added some big rubber snakes and toys my husband made out of nautical rope. He has an outdoor toy box.

For the poop…. We clean it up and use those yard sprays you can get at pet stores for doggie dodo.

Maybe someone can help you with the type of grass you have or maybe the mowing technique. My neighbor, at the old house, has a Vizsla (she’s awesome) and 3 Irish Setters. His yard always looks beautiful but he’s in the “men’s garden club” and knows more about that stuff than I do. Our yard get’s mowed and trimmed but if you drive by you can tell it’s the neighbor that knows what he’s doing and not me.

 

[gussy98]

Thanks everyone... I posted a similar thread on a great dane forum and they basically said to get used to it. We might try the rocks... I just get so sick of cleaning 20 feet everytime they go outside to go to the bathroom!! I guess that's the price I pay for having too many dogs! I would definitely still say the pros outweigh the cons...

 

[KCboxer4]

We have the three little darlings that absolutely run a race track out there!!! It's all fenced in and almost a 1/2 acre, but, it's all wood chips and crushed rock, and woods. It works The front yard is nicely landscaped, the back is as all our friends know, "doggietown" Good luck!!

 

[efb01]

I truely feel your pain. The way my backyard drains created a wet spot down the middle of the yard which is where the dogs run. After 2 years of dealing with mud, I went and bought a pallet of flagstone and laid it down the middle of my yard just off my deck. It has worked wonders on the mud. They also torn through the St. Augustine grass so I reseeded with a Bermuda grass hybrid that has really stood up to the dogs. Just experiment with different things. You can have a grass yard and dogs, too.

 

[BoxerBubbles]

when you all say wood chips..what kind do u mean?like we have cedar,pine,regular mulch.....is there any kind that you SHOULDN"T use with dogs?thanks

 

[leeshie45]

I think I, not Champ, have ruined the backyard. ti's small, and not dfenced in, so he doesn't get to do a lot of running back there, but I'm sooo lazy when it comes to picking up the poop. isn't that just terrible of me?? I get yelled at for it all the time...:( I'll try to do better.