Hi. We will be moving to our new house very soon which has a patio then lawned garden, at the moment we have a yard with paved floor and slate chippings around the edge - I find this so easy to keep clean because Harvey wee's in the same spot, always in the slate chippings so I disinfect the area daily using bio wash liquid and bleach diluted. I'm wondering what I will do when we move if harvey decides to wee on the grass, will the grass die if I use the same cleaning solution or is there something else that I could use? I personally want to re-do the whole garden and have a new large slate patio and then the rest chippings - low maintainence and simple, however husband disagree's, he says that as we've waited a long time to buy a house with a 'proper' garden the we should have a lawn:rolleyes:

Hayley

Hi Hayley,

Congratulations on your new house - how exciting! 

Yes, disinfectants will eventually kill grass. The best thing you can do is have a watering can at the ready and immediately soak the area.  The good news is that if you don't do it, the grass will die but eventually will come back stronger and greener than it was orginally!  :-)   There are also products you can buy that are supposed to help, they are added to your dog's food.  I don't know anyone that has used them, so I don't know if they really do make a difference.

By the way - does Harvey lift his leg to wee?   If he does it's not your grass that will suffer, it's the plants and shrubs. Not all of them, some of them seem to be impervous.  Only the expensive new ones, or your favourite ones will sucuumb.   If he decides to lift his leg against an unglazed terracotta pot on your patio - well, it will reek for some time afterwards.  :-(  

I have a bitch and a dog and still manage to have a pretty garden, so all is not lost.  Drought, moss and heavy clay soil have done more damage to my lawn than my dogs by far.

Hi,
agree with other poster that the grass will die.
dont know how big your new garden is  ...we have a large long garden which enables us to fence the grassed area off we have a fence with a gate the girls are allowed in thier area which is flagged with plenty of room for them to  to toilet and play under supervision they rarely go on the grassed area during the winter which saves on the muddy feet and prevents the grass from being destroyed ....when its dry weather such as we are having at the moment and during the summer time  I open the gate after they have been to the loo and they play to thier hearts content on the grassed area.
This has worked out well for all my dogs past and present.....just an idea!

plus ..because they are so used to toileting in "thier area" they run back there to wee/poo most of the time!

Hmmm, that sounds like a really good set up Starryeyes but our new garden isn't huge - won't be able to fence an area off really. I think I'll wait until we get in and then talk my hubby round to my way of thinking - nice contempory, low maintainence garden without grass.......will have to make sure that my hayfever is really bad this yearlol

Hayley