The Best Grass for Dogs: Creating the Best Lawn for Pets & People

Updated on 30th September 2025

Your dog or pet is a part of the family. We love them and they have become a very important part of our Aussie lifestyle! The only downside? They can prove a bit of a challenge for maintaining a beautiful, healthy lawn!

The good news? Your pets and lawn can happily coexist. You don’t have to sacrifice great turf for your furry friend. In fact, you can create the ultimate pet-friendly lawn that they will love as much as you do!

In Victoria, the climate is also an important consideration when it comes to choosing the right instant turf type for pets. Cold, wet winters combined with your dog letting off some steam in the backyard can quickly churn up your beloved green space.

In this article, we’ll help you choose the best grass for dogs and other pets, based on wear tolerance and other factors. We’ll also give some handy tips and tricks for keeping your pet-friendly turf healthy for your pets for years to come.

Challenges Pet Owners Face in Maintaining a Beautiful Lawn

When choosing the best grass for dogs and pets, you need to consider what you want and expect out of your turf. As a pet owner, you’ll definitely need a turf type that can tolerate a lot of wear and tear and that can self-repair quickly with minimal maintenance.

Dogs and other pets usually see your beloved lawn as just another part of their territory. As such, nothing is off limits: running, jumping and digging, not to mention using the place as their toilet.

Homeowners with pets weighing up new lawn types should factor in the impacts their animals will have on a freshly laid lawn:

1. Wear and Tear to the Lawn

If your dog gets the zoomies (whose doesn’t!) and runs around your lawn like crazy, your turf can cop quite a hiding. For families with larger dogs, this can be an uphill battle to help the grass survive. The best protection against divots and worn patches is to choose a turf variety with good wear tolerance. Hard wearing lawns like TifTuf and Sir Walter Buffalo Grass will repair quickly if damaged. Another solution is to place an object or ornament in the path of your pet to give your lawn an opportunity to repair itself.

A turf reinforcement mesh is another option which will give your grass extra strength so it can withstand the wear, ultimately reducing the damage. These meshes are usually made from high-density plastics and are put down onto an existing lawn. Once laid, the mesh disappears in a few weeks as your turf grows over it. For households with chickens, this technique can also discourage birds from foraging for bugs and grubs, which damages the lawn.

2. Soil Compaction

Heavy traffic from pets or people can compact the soil base. This can hinder the soil’s ability to absorb water and prevent the turf’s roots from establishing properly. To help reduce compaction, you can use either a garden fork or a core aerator to help to fracture up the soil profile, better allowing for water and nutrients to get to the roots of your lawn. For more information, check out our blog on the importance of aerating your lawn.

3. Digging

What should you do if your dog is a digger? Well, let’s look at why dogs dig in the first place. Generally speaking, the root causes of this behaviour are: boredom, desire to escape, seeking protection, or simply for play. To help stop your four-legged friend from digging up your entire yard there are a few things you can do to protect your lawn from your furry best friend. Chew toys can serve as a great distraction and can help keep your dog busy while you’re not home. Regular exercise will also help keep your dog active, stimulated, and use up its energy.

4. Sandpits

If your dog just loves to dig, why not give them an area where they can dig all day long without causing any damage to your lawn! Treats and chew toys can even be added into this dedicated digging area to point your pup in the right direction. These sandpits can easily be constructed by a few pieces of timber, or simply by filling a kids’ clam shell with sand.

5. Dog Urine Burn

A potential hazard for any dog owner. Dog urine contains high nitrogen levels that burn and kill grass, leading to unsightly brown patches and bald spots in your otherwise green lawn. If you catch them in the act, apply a deep watering on the spot straight away to flush out nitrogen before it causes brown spots. You can also train your dog to use one lawn area or a synthetic mat, or purify their drinking water with filters or Dog Rocks, special volcanic rocks that can be placed in your dog’s drinking bowl to leech out hidden nasties that can harm grass.

6. Safe Fertilising Around Dogs That Eat Grass

Many dogs love chomping on some juicy grass. This is completely natural and not anything to worry about in and of itself. However, if your dog/pet is chewing on grass, you need to be careful when it comes to using herbicides or pesticides on your lawn.

Be sure to only use pet-safe lawn aftercare fertilisers that do not contain any heavy metals or toxic components that can prove harmful to pets if consumed.

7. Grass Seeds and Allergies

Grass seeds can pose issues for dogs, especially when they become embedded in ears, eyes, paws or skin, causing irritation and even infection. Older lawn types often go to seed, but modern varieties like Sir Grange Zoysia grass, Sir Walter and TifTuf spread by runners, not seeds. These grasses produce only sterile seed heads and are far less likely to cause problems.

But if lawn maintenance requirements like regular mowing and watering are not met, even these turf types can become stressed and start to produce seed heads, increasing risks for sensitive pets and people. All our grass options are considered low-allergenic and suitable for homes with pets, provided they receive the right care.