Choosing artificial turf that both you and your dog will enjoy can seem overwhelming at first, especially with so many options and opinions out there. Luckily, there are only two main components to consider.

If you’re thinking about installing artificial turf for your dog, the two most important components to consider are the artificial turf characteristics and the infill.

1. The Turf.

Yep, It’s Safe

Many pet owners are concerned about the risk of lead-related health issues to their pets. So, first things first: Purchase Green products are tested in the U.S. and are verified lead-safe. If this is a major concern of yours

Keep it Short, Keep it Dense

In general, we find that short high-density grasses are preferred by dog owners. This makes for easy cleanup. To that end, stay away from plush grasses, since they’re tall, and grasses like groundcover that are low in density.

Right, short and dense narrows it down a little. Now, let’s consider what your dog will be doing out there on the grass.

Traffic Level and Durability

For example, if you’re installing turf where your two large rambunctious dogs play, you’ll probably want grass with good memory, meaning it always returns to its original shape, and high durability, which is a combination of several factors, including blade thickness, blade material, and backing system.

On the other hand, if you’ve got one small dog who mostly lies around, a softer more natural-feeling grass might be the better choice.

The Cool Factor

Many pet owners have legitimate concerns about the temperature of artificial turf. Yes, it can get pretty warm, but don’t worry. We’ve got work-arounds.

First, artificial grass only warms up when exposed to direct sunlight. Air temperature has no effect on grass. This means, if your grass won’t get direct sunlight, there’s nothing to worry about.

Second, it takes direct, intense sunlight – the kind which only occurs between 11AM and 2PM – to heat up turf. So, if your doggo isn’t going to be on the grass during that time, once again: not a problem.

Third, we incorporate CoolYarn technology into many of our grasses. This reduces the temperature by 15% and is usually enough to make it comfortable at all times and in all seasons.

With this information, you have been equipped with everything you need to choose the right grass for your pet or pets. But what about the infill?

2. The Infill

Oh good! This section is short! Even so, infill can make or break an artificial turf installation. If you’re not familiar with it, infill is a sand-like substance that supports grass blades and prevents matting. In pet applications, however, it also has to deodorize and sanitize, both of which our MellowFill, and HeroFill infills do. In a pet application, we recommend steering clear of silica sand, as it’s not designed with the above features.

Next steps

There you have it! We hope this breakdown has given you some clarity as you seek the best turf for your pet. Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into deciding exactly which turf is for you  than we could ever fit in a simple blog post, so we highly encourage you to visit one of our stores, talk with our experts, and get a feel for the solutions available to you. We’ll happily provide a free estimate too! We look forward to working with you, and have a great day!

P.S. And remember, “What would S’mores choose?”

Got questions? Give us a ring at 844-877-3444 and we’ll be happy to help!