Dog owners are very concerned about their pets and their investment in synthetic turf. Urine it for the long haul with synthetic turf! Do dogs dig up the fake stuff? How do you clean it? Will the turf give off a bad odor if pets continually go to the bathroom on it? These are all questions that homeowners ask frequently.

We have almost never received reports of dogs digging up the plastic grass. It seems as though animals understand it’s fake and have no desire to dig it up. Even if they tried to dig it up it would be pretty difficult as the turf is secured using sod staples and 6″ galvanized nails. Moreover, most turf is covered with over 1.5 pounds of infill product making the turf stay in place quite well.

As far as smells go the turf itself is non-absorbent. Unlike grass that absorbs smell, synthetic turf will not. Before you install the turf make sure that you tell your installer that you have pets. Typically, weed barriers are laid underneath the turf. While these weed barriers are permeable, the weed barrier can retain odors so weed barrier installation is not recommended. In addition, your choice of infill product should also take in to account your pets. SIlica sand or other organic infill products can retain the smell of animal waste. We suggest using a synthetic infill. Flexsand and Durafill are two examples of synthetic infill worducts that work well. Using black crumbed rubber is not recommended with pets however. Black crumbed rubber will not absorb smell, but it gets very hot in direct sunlight and your pets will probably not walk on it.

Synthetic turf is installed specifically for dog runs and is growing in popularity in kennels. It is easy to clean, is hypoallergenic and bacteria does not cling to it or grow on it easily. If you want the benefits of synthetic turf but are concerned with problems, there’s really no need to worry.