Will it smell?
This is the big one, so it goes first. Wee drains straight through the backing into the sub-base, and in a normal garden with one or two dogs, rain does most of the housekeeping. In dry spells, a watering can over the favourite corner once a week keeps everything neutral. For kennels, multiple large dogs or small courtyards, we fit an anti-microbial infill and specify a deeper free-draining base at the site visit; that combination deals with the concentrated cases honestly.
The two things brochures skip
- Poo needs picking up promptly. Same as real grass, but it does not decompose into the lawn; bag it, then rinse the spot. Sun-baked residue on fibres is the one genuine hygiene mistake we see.
- A determined digger will try. They will fail against the turf itself, but check your edges: a gap under a fence line is an invitation. We pin and trench perimeter edges on dog installs for exactly this reason.
Can they wreck it?
Claws, zoomies and skid-turns are what The Paddock was built for: a dense 30mm pile with a reinforced backing that has survived every Springer, Malinois and overexcited Labrador we have thrown at it. Wear paths appear on cheap thin turf, not on a properly specified one. If your dog is a serious chewer of edges, tell us at the site visit and we will detail the perimeter differently.
No yellow patches, no mud baths in November, no digging craters. The dogs adapt in about a day; the washing machine notices within a week.
Is it safe for them?
Our ranges are certified lead-free and heavy-metal free, with no pesticides or fertilisers involved, which removes the two most common garden toxins for dogs. The pile stays cooler than paving in summer, though in a heatwave any surface deserves a shade check with the back of your hand.
Which turf, then?
The Paddock, almost always. Its density stops claws reaching the backing and it brushes back up after rough play. For dogs plus a show garden, The Sunday takes the wear too; it just asks for a monthly brush to stay looking its price tag. Order both as free samples and let the dog vote. We are entirely serious: sniff-tested acceptance in the first minute is a genuinely good sign.