The WoW Style

Pet ownership can benefit your overall health in more ways than one. Science has proven that pets can buffer stress, provide social support, help you stay in shape, and ward off sickness. Pets can also encourage cognitive stimulation, improved behavior, and increase immunity among children.

And while being a pet owner can boost your health and wellness, this role requires commitment and a lot of responsibility. You need to meet the needs of your pets to ensure that they live a healthy and long life. This means that you should be keen on their food, physical activities, and surroundings.

If you want to provide more space for your dogs and pets without compromising the condition of your property, consider using artificial pet turf. With the benefits you can enjoy from artificial grass for dogs and pets, buying one can be a smart investment and make your life as a pet owner easier.

Artificial Grass For Dogs and Other Pets 101: The Basics

Artificial grass or artificial turf is a material made from man-made, synthetic fibers that are designed to mimic the appearance of real grass. Contrary to popular belief, artificial grass doesn’t imply the grass alone – artificial grass is actually a set of products that provides a complete landscape system to its user.

When you choose to invest in artificial grass for your dogs and pets, you should know that the ground will be prepared, and drainage will be used in the backing of the artificial grass. The use of infill materials will also be necessary to ensure that the blades of the artificial grass remain erect, and the entire landscape system feels natural. This groundwork is essential to maximize the lifespan of your artificial grass and guarantee that it will look good for the longest time possible.

Generally, the best artificial grass is one that is quilted directly into the backings and has an ultraviolet resistant coating. Since your artificial grass will be exposed to the sun and your pet’s daily activities, a UV coating can prevent the grass from turning white or blue.

When buying artificial grass, steer away from products that contain lead and other waste heavy metals such as gastric fluid and cadmium, as these chemicals can be hazardous to your dogs and pets.

Artificial Grass For Dogs and Other Pets 101: The Benefits

Once you know how to install artificial grass in your property, your role as a homeowner and pet owner can become a breeze. Artificial grass can make your lawn look good throughout the entire year without compromising the space and playtime of your pets. Although uncommon for some, artificial grass can be a better option than real grass.

In a nutshell, artificial grass can provide benefits that are just too great to ignore.

Listed below are the benefits you and your pets can enjoy once you choose to use artificial grass:

1. Resiliency To Rough-Housing

It’s common for dogs and other pets to play with each other. For dogs, play is important as it improves their physical and mental health while boosting their social skills.

However, there will be instances when playtime can progress to roughhousing. Instead of playing with a toy, your pets will jump into each other and begin scratching the ground. This behavior can be a cause for concern, especially if you’re a homeowner who is always looking after the appearance of your lawn. How can you make your lawn look good if it’s filled with holes dug by your dog? How can your grass thrive if your dogs scattered the soil all over the place?

Artificial grass can become an easy solution to this problem. Artificial grass is durable enough to support the roughhousing activities of your pets without affecting how your lawn looks. With the right construction materials and elements, your lawn will still look and healthy even if your pets tend to be aggressive at times.

With artificial grass, your pets can dig the ground all they want, and you won’t have to worry about a thing!

2. Safe From Your Pets’ Doings

Pets, regardless of age and breed, will need an area to relieve themselves. Your furry friends should have access to the litter box, a little path of gravel or natural grass in order to pee or poop.

When you use artificial grass and introduce the area to your pets, it won’t be long before they will use the space to relieve themselves. Since artificial grass mimics real grass, your pets won’t know the difference, and they will eventually adapt to the new area.

Regardless of how many times your pets start to pee and poo in your artificial grass, you don’t have to worry as this product is made from materials safe from any of your pets’ activities.

Artificial grass is made of tight and permeable backings, so urine and other fluids can easily flow to the drain. This drainage prevents your pets’ pee from forming a puddle in your lawn. Because artificial grass is made from synthetic materials, you won’t have to worry about any discoloration, as well.

Your pets can pee and poo in this artificial grass whenever they want to, and its color will still remain the same.

3. Easy To Clean And Deodorize

Aside from the materials and structure of artificial grass, this product is also very easy to clean and deodorize. This benefit will make it easy for you to keep your pets safe from germs and bacteria, and make your lawn sparkly clean!

You should always practice spot-cleaning once your pets get accustomed to relieve themselves in the artificial grass. This means that pet droppings should be scooped immediately, followed by a rinse from the hose.

If you noticed a lingering scent after cleaning and hosing down the area, wipe the surface with a vinegar mixture (a combination of white distilled vinegar and water). This is a homemade deodorizer that is safe for your pets yet effectively eliminates residual odor fast.

For smaller debris such as dirt accumulation and leaves, you can lightly rinse the area with a hose every week. A brush or rake can be used when cleaning larger debris.

To ensure that your artificial grass is free from bacteria, deep cleaning is a must. This can prevent odors from getting worse and prevent illnesses and diseases from spreading. When deep cleaning your artificial grass, look for a non-toxic cleaner that can be attached to the hose. You can also use a cleaning product that comes in with a built-in deodorizer. These products are easy to use, affordable, and safe for your pets.

4. No Pesticides

For real grass to look good in your lawn, the use of pesticides is necessary. These products are essential to keep pests out of your lawn and ensure that your grass will thrive and grow healthily.

Using artificial grass will make your pets safe from any kind of pesticides. Improper use and poor planning of pesticides can harm your pets. Pesticides are full of chemicals that can harm your pet’s health and skin once digested or absorbed. This is especially true if your pets are usually exposed to toxic pesticides.

You won’t have to use any pesticides once you swap real grass with artificial grass. Since it’s made from synthetic materials, artificial grass will look good and green even if you’re not using any pesticides.

Aside from this, artificial grass won’t provide a living area or food for pests or bugs, making your lawn pest-free. Weeds won’t become a problem when you use artificial grass, so there’s really no need to use pesticides and fertilizers.

The use of artificial grass ensures the appearance of your lawn and the safety of your pets. Not to mention how this product can protect the environment and help you save money in the long run!

5. Creates A Healthier Environment

The health of your pets is one of the most important responsibilities as a pet owner. Once you decide to adopt a pet, you should pay attention to the food they eat and the environment they’re regularly exposed to. Neglecting this responsibility will increase your pets’ chances of being infected with illnesses and diseases, which can also become the reason why their lifespan will be shortened.

Using artificial grass can help maintain your pets’ health. As mentioned, artificial grass is made from synthetic materials. The environment it creates isn’t ideal for pests and fleas to thrive. These microorganisms won’t get any nutrients from artificial grass, making it impossible for them to live in it.

For example, lungworms can pose a threat to dogs once ingested. When a dog gets infected by a lungworm, the larvae start to grow into adults and live in the blood vessels and heart of your dog. An entire lifecycle of these lungworms will take place in the body of your dog, making your dog’s heart, lungs, and kidney weak.

When it comes to cats, lungworms can cause difficulty in breathing and damage the airways. In worse cases, lungworms can cause your cat to lose weight.

When you use artificial grass, your pets will be safe from swallowing infected pests and bugs that can put their health at risk. Artificial grass can also prevent your pets from digesting harmful weeds and plants.

6. Suitable For Smaller Pets

Navigating through overgrown or tall grass can be intimidating for small pets and dogs that come in small breeds. Your lawn can become an obstacle, especially for pets that have small legs. As real grass continues to grow, your pets become more challenged to navigate in your lawn.

By using artificial grass, you’ll eliminate this problem. This product actually comes in different pile heights, allowing you to choose one that is suitable for your pet’s size. Shorter grass, around 16-27 mm, will look neat in any lawn and can be great for small pets.

When you use artificial grass suited for your pet’s size, it’ll be easier for them to navigate through your lawn. The pile height of your artificial grass might even encourage your small pets to get more exercise outdoors, socialize with other pets, and learn how to do their business outdoors.

7. Easily Adaptable To Pets

One of the biggest misconceptions on artificial grass is that pets will have a hard time adapting to the environment. Since pets usually have heightened senses, people think that their pets’ routines and behaviors will change once they are given access to artificial grass.

This isn’t true as pets can easily adapt to artificial grass. By using the right infill in your artificial grass, your lawn will feel and look like natural grass to your pets. Your pets won’t even know the difference!

Aside from the infill used, your pets will easily adapt to artificial grass because just like human beings, they enjoy a softer and warmer area. If the area was cold and hard in the past, replacing it with artificial grass that’s both warm and soft will allow your pets to enjoy and love the area better. With the environment created through artificial grass, your pets won’t find it difficult to accept and adjust to the turf.

8. There’s No Mud

Real grass should be planted in healthy soil to grow. Soil provides the minerals and nutrients your grass needs in order to survive. However, when moisture combines with soil, it can create mud – and this isn’t always good news for pet owners.

Pets, especially dogs, usually love to roll themselves in the mud. Mud baths might be beneficial to pets, but going overboard can compromise their health. Digesting dirt and other pollutants can be harmful. Most importantly, cleaning your home and bathing your pets can be stressful and time-consuming, too.

You can save yourself and your dog from this problem by using artificial grass. Regardless of the amount of moisture, artificial grass won’t cause any mud in your lawn, allowing your pets to play outside. Artificial grass can let your dogs explore the great outdoors without worrying about cleaning after their muddy tracks.

Other Factors Matter

Because more and more pet owners are now using artificial grass over real grass, expect to find options when you choose to buy the former. To narrow down your search, consider the pile height, pile density, and fiber material of the artificial grass.

Paying attention to these factors will make it easy for you to buy the perfect artificial grass for your pets without compromising the aesthetics of your property. A carefully-chosen artificial grass will surely make you and your pet happy!