Rescuing the garden after a winter with 2 dogs!

[WonderIfThingsWillChange]

Hi, this winter is the first time we had 2 dogs living with us. Due to ill health I had to let them outside to play sometimes when I was too unwell to walk them. As a result the garden looks like a mud bath! It's become a bit uneven. Would it be ok to use a rotivator (if that's what it's called!) and put some seeds down and water well? Or will I need to do more preparation?

On the front garden some of the grass has died where they have had a wee. Can I put seed over this or do I need to dig up the dead grass first?

I really want to get the garden looking reasonable this year (I'm not setting standards too high!!)

Thanks

Hopeful little bump

Watches with interest.

I'm seriously considering astroturf or stabbing the whole garden as mine looks such a mess.

Slabbing, not stabbing!

I haven't tried these but they are supposed to stop the dogs wee killing grass www.dogrocksus.com.

I would make shore all the poo is picked up, mow the lawn (it may look worse strate after) then put down seed on any bald bits. If you have a lot of moss you could use moss killer then reseed the lawn a few weeks after. You could also feed the lawn in a few weeks when it is properly growing. Never mow a wet lawn as the mower will just pull out chunks of grass.

I would also trim any bushes ect about now as they will grow quickly so won't look like they have been hacked at too long.

You'll be amazed how fast it looks lovely again now it is spring.

Sorry. For the multiple posts. OP, you mentioned you were somtimes too ill to walk the dogs. Have you considered using www.borrowmydoggy.com or similar? Assuming they are well behaved it is a really good way to deligate one or more walks a week witch can be very helpfull if your not well.

Thank you for your replies weaselwords and stillyummy

One of my dogs us not the brightest, he would be likely to eat the rocks

I'm encouraged to here there is hope for the grass! Think I may fence off the patio and some of the grass area and put down clippings of some kind to make it low maintenance and keep it tidy. Maybe grow something up the fence to make it look a bit pretty? Then I can keep the other grassed part nice to sit in and for my son to play on. Or I could just stop worrying about it altogether! It looks such a state though!!

I have noticed that my neighbours, who breed terriers and have over 10 dogs at any time, have completely covered their garden with gravel. I have also noticed that my other neighbour has fenced off the patio by his house so that his staffy doesn't go on the grass and his lawn is lovely. I am a very nosey neighbour.

I have two weimaraners who go marauding around my garden several times a day and have long walks and my garden is just awful. There is a race track of mud around the edge.

The dog pees agent orange, judging by the way the hedge is dead for the first foot all the way around and the bitch digs holes when she thinks I can't see her, when she's not killing off the lawn with her pee.

I am not sure that I'll ever have a nice garden again