Pet Friendly Artificial Grass vs Synthetic Turf for Dogs
How pet friendly are artificial lawns?
Whilst most good quality artificial turf manufactured in the EU/UK are pet friendly, meaning they are safe for pets to use and do not contain harmful metals or contaminants, they are not designed specifically for dogs. N.B. some Asian imported products may not have been as rigorously tested so aren’t always suitable for pets due to the way they are manufactured and the materials they can include such as heavy metals.
Products
Most artificial grasses on the market advertised as pet friendly grasses, whether latex (SBR) or polyurethane (PU) backed, rely on punched holes for drainage, usually every 4 inches, so urine has to make its way along the grass to a drainage hole to pass through and as such smells can develop from dried urine sat on the surface of the grass. So whilst they have some benefits over natural turf, such as no staining or the dog not being able to dig holes, they haven’t been designed with pets in mind so will not be the best option if the main purpose of your lawn is for your pets.
There are a lot of companies that market PU backed grass as being a dog grass but this is cheap sales pitch as they only offer the same or worse drainage rate as similar hole-punched synthetic latex backed grass and still require regular maintenance to avoid a build up of bacteria and smells. They often claim that PU is more hygienic as it doesn’t absorb urine like natural latex, but good quality artificial is most popularly backed with synthetic Styrene-Butadiene Rubber latex which is a water resistant bonding and sealing agent. As such both will perform pretty similarly in regards to their suitability for pets and can be used reasonably successfully with the correct groundworks and a regular maintenance plan removing debris, regular cleaning, disinfecting and using expensive enzyme cleaners to break down uric acid.
So don’t be suckered into paying more for a Polyurethane backed grass believing it will solve all your problems, it is still a hole-punched backing the same as latex-backed grass and therefore drains at the same rate.
Specifically Designed Grass
There are however specifically designed grasses made for dogs. Such as grasses with 100% edge to edge drainage offering superior passing of liquids (5 times faster than traditional turf). The quicker the urine drains away the cleaner and safer the surface will be. Edge to edge drainage means the urine can escape through the backing and doesn’t have to makes its way to find a punched hole to pass into the groundworks.
But it’s not just the grass that affects how suitable for pets an artificial lawn is, the groundworks matter too, using a free-draining granite base will help all types of artificial grasses (over a cheaper sharp/grit sand) allowing urine to drain away more quickly.
Cheap weed membrane (usually rippable thin black fabric or woven plastic) can cause issues too also slowing down drainage rates. A non-woven geotextile should be used to not impede the drainage rate of the artificial grasses.
So if you are looking for the best solution for pets to make your lawn low maintenance then our Lux Pawrous Canine Grass with its fast flow backing offering superior drainage is the best available on the UK market.