I did not mention El Toro because the varieties of Bermuda you have referenced are a lot finer textured and much darker in color. Nothing wrong with El Toro and worth considering if you have some shade issues to deal with. You did raise a red flag in my mind when you asked " Do you think it is reasonable to go with Tifway 419 and use a Walker Rotary Mower most of the time if we keep it under control? Or do I need to go with another grass? Here is the problem all the varieties you are looking at are fine and dwarf textured. Tifway-419 can be mowed with a rotary type mower as long as it is a quality one that can get down to 1-inch, but performs better between ½ to ¾ of an inch with a reel type mower. TifSport will need a reel type mower because it needs to be down around ½ inch. But here is the kicker the TifGreen or TefEagle go one step beyond a reel mower if you are serious about a putting green as they need a very expensive greens mower. A greens mower is a reel type on steroids and a precision machine requiring a lot of maintenance in the form of blade sharpening and alignment. I think you mentioned 28,000?ft2 lawn and that gets into the riding type, and if you are serious about using a fine textured Bermuda like TifSport, you need to get a riding with ganged reel mower, and a greens mower for the putting green. So think carefully about this. If you intend to maintain 2/3 of an acre of grass and cannot do this, then you need to consider another grass type that does not need to be mowed at an inch or less. Zoysia falls into this category and is maintained between 1 to 2 inches. Not to mention Zoysia grows slowly and only requires mowing every 7 to 10 days vs 2 to 3 times a week for Bermuda, and every other day for a putting green. If budget is a concern I suggest you look at Tifway-I (aka 419), only one grass I know outperforms in its class which is TifSport. However Tifway in my area sells for 65 to 85 per pallet, and Tifsport 2 to 3 times that cost. I sure hope you have an idea how much TifGreen and TifEagle go for, prices vary from 500 to 900 per pallet.

When Blaze was in Puppy Kindergarten, the owners of the smaller dogs really bothered me. Blaze is a Golden, and so is Ricky, his brother. Ricky is about 90 pounds, and plays with Blaze all the time. Blaze is a puppy, and has no sense as far as I am concerned. I don't believe that a dog naturally knows to be protective of smaller dogs. Blaze really only knows the rough play he has at home. In the Puppy Kindergarten I watched Blaze so carefully, but people would come over, tell me that Blaze is so cute, and put their puppies practically in his face. If the smaller puppy tried to play with him, he might take his paw and foot and put them on the smaller dog. His paws are big, and that worried me. When they played off the leash, I did not let Blaze off the leash. It is my responsibility to know my dog, and to know his limitations. If I don't take care of him nobody else can. So many things happened when those 20 puppies were off the leash, and most of the people laughed and thought the dogs were cute. I saw danger. The yard was large and there was no way of getting to the dogs in time when there were problems. There were problems, and she stopped giving the off the leash time outside. It is really ok to be protective. Later after the dog is more trained, you may want to trust him and the others more. But had I not been protective, and had I allowed Blaze to race around and jump and play with all those little dogs, we could have had a dangerous situation. After all, if the tail of the dog can easily knock down another dog, the little dog is not automatically safe. This is why in my new class, I am so happy that they have divided the class, and Blaze is in a class with large dogs. There are only 6 or 8 of us instead of 20 plus. Sammy

I have a golden, Dexter who is close to two. I recently adopted a rescue Golden. The rescue is one of the sweetest dogs I've owned. But when he plays with Dexter he's very rough. The thing that worries me the most is he pulls Dexter's legs out from under him but grabbing his thighs or pulling from behind. Dexter rolls over and is down while the rescue holds him by the throat. The rescue also pulls Dexter's skin like it was a rubber band. The rescue Always allows Dexter to mount him and never tries to mount Dexter. So I don't think this is an issue of dominance per se. Dexter always comes back for more. But I've watched dogs play before and this is extremely rough play. I know that my rescue was on his own and found wandering the streets. I'm sure that has something to do with his play. I don't know how to teach him to be more gentle and especially not to pull on legs and thighs. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

I have three mutt females, big (about 50 lbs., 11 years), bigger (my alpha about 70 lbs., 6 years), and biggest (100 lbs., 2.5 years. Each have been introduced into the house separately, a few years between. When I look for a new dog, I consider everything, what type of breed they have in them etc., but especially their personality. For me, Labs and Shepards are a good mix, the two smaller have Lab, the larger has Shepard. All are very submissive to me, I look at them and over they go. They all get along swimmingly, never scuffle, and play all the time without concern. I think there are two things I always do when a new dog comes into the house that makes things work. The first is constant supervision of the new dog when it's not crated, for at least 9 months. This should be a rule for any new dog. This allows for gradual correction. Lots of people cringe when I suggest this type of supervision, but it works. Most of the time when you are doing something, you can make the dog lay down and chew on a bone, if this isn't possible, crating can take place. Thinking of this as a temporary thing until dog matures and has most negative issues resolved eases the sting some people get out of thinking about it. Plus, it is an almost always fail proof way of making positive things happen. The second thing has to do with feeding. All three must allow me to put my hand in their bowl, take food out, and give it to them, when they are eating. I also insist that I must be able to take food away when I want, only to give it back within a few seconds. This reinforces my alpha status over them beyond doubt. I also insist that each dog must be able to visit each others food bowls. The bottom dog of the house does this naturally, the other two might do it, but not always. This reinforces the bond that they have for each other, they all know that I simply will not tolerate any type of aggression, period, unless there is a threat. It seems to me that your dogs are trying to discover each other, and where they are going to fit into their little pack. This happens naturally, sometimes easy, sometimes not.. You have a very high strung younger dog that wantÂs to play, witness the biting. This is a natural play behavior, some dogs are just rougher than others. The hackle hair raising is natural when the dog is threatened. When playing it typically happens with the submissive dog and is harmless. Your older dog is adjusting to everything. What she is going through on a daily basis is simply trying to find her way. At this stage of things, she is not being very successful doing this, she jumped the fence trying to get away. Added to her problem is her health which she has simply not regained yet. Give her time! You need to nip not only your current problem in the bud, soon, but also anticipate others. Aggression, even in minor forms, can quicky escalate and become severe. Every second supervision (army basic training style, not mean, just sternly)is essential when they are not crated. You need to reinforce who is the boss, and take any necessary steps to do this. This may mean severely clamping down on both dogs freedom for a month or more, depending on how progress goes. Obedience supervision is simply a must. Make sure both dogs have their space, especially for eating and sleeping. Be involved with everything the dog does. If you donÂt approve of something they do you will need to figure out a way to correct it. Your intimate relationship with both of them will help solve lots of problems before they even start. A very important thought: Negatives need to be turned into positives. You have lots of negatives! Also, giving dogs their freedom needs to be done gradually, over the course of a few months. Doing this to fast confuses them, and they donÂt know what to do. All of this is probably going to take tons of time, and your patience will be severely tested. You need to educate yourself about the personality of both breeds (Google has tons of information), and consult who ever you can about what is going on. Rescue leagues are a good source, lots of times they can put you in contact with someone who gives advice free of charge. You have already done the most important thing, recognizing that there is a problem. Now all you need to do is figure out how to fix it. Good luck! SG