I have a backyard where grass won't grow.

Just to be funny - Cement it in and paint it green. Put artificial plants and shrubs around your property. Looks good - no maintenance. I can sympathize with you. My dear sweet dog passed so now I have a lovely lawn again. I miss him but not the mess.

Hi Laurie, Looks like in addition to your 2 dogs, you have active children too! Here's a link of hardscaping backyards. I only send you to this link so you can get some ideas of what other yards look like and maybe then you can decide what you would like to do. Once you have an idea, sketch out the general shape of your back yard and start planning and drawing out your ideas. If you still have trouble, you may want to consult a landscaper and get some ideas from them!

https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+hardscaping+a+back+yard+with+kids+and+dogs&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM3Yq5jaHXAhUBMyYKHfqMBJoQsAQIKQ&biw=1600&bih=794#imgrc=_

What ever you decide to do, have fun!!

Do you have a lot of trees? Grass needs sun and water to grow. Talk to people at a nursery to get ideas of what plants grow best in your area.

I found you a backyard planner too! http://www.smallblueprinter.com/garden/planner.html

This could be very helpful! :)

This isn't the fault of the grass, it is from having the dogs running around the yard. If you want one 1/2 of the yard growing, then block it off, and only allow the dogs to go to one side. Plant your grass seed, before rain, and hopefully before several days of rain, and then keep on doing this. The grass will come forth, and you will be so pleased. Best wishes, J.

I had the same issue with two dogs and three pet ducks. Living in Scotland the grass was always wet and it turned really, really muddy. Finally I gave in and got a company in. They removed what grass remained and the top layer of clay type soil. They then laid a weed mat, pea gravel and then sand. On top of that they laid a very realistic fake grass. Now there is no mud. The dogs and ducks (once they got used to the feel, which happened very quickly) can run about as much as they like (they all get on well!). We pick up the dog mess and use a hose to wash away the duck mess. I even caught my partner vacuuming the lawn once! And every time we look in the back garden we see three white ducks quite happily living on my always green lawn.

Plant azaleas and camellias in the back half. Build a ground level deck from the planted area to the back door. Plant grass in a small sunny area that is not planted or decked. Low maintenance, beautiful blooms except in summer, cuts down on dog dirt.

take several samples of your soil to your local ag dept. they will tell you what to do to your soil to help your grass....shrubs etc grow much easier

I was going to suggest the same thing as Penny, fake grass. It can be expensive. I have seen scraps and used pieces for sale on fb marketplace, offer up and Craigslist for a fraction of the price. I had the same problem years ago with my dogs, we poured concrete and I regret it. Good luck to you!

Did you ever use the fake grass??

i removed my lawn and put in pea gravel over a weed barrier. it looks awesome and the best part is i can now actually SEE the dog poop, so i pick it up every day.

Fake grass looks good but if you have hot summers, don't put it in because it is plastic and gets really hot to the touch.