The rule of thumb
An average dog produces roughly three quarters of a pound of waste per day. Two dogs in a typical Northern Virginia back yard generate about ten pounds a week. Whether that's manageable depends almost entirely on the square footage it's spread across.
Start with square feet per dog
A rough guide we use when advising new customers:
- Under 1,000 sq ft per dog — twice weekly. This is most Arlington rowhouse yards, Alexandria courtyards, and Vienna townhome lots. At this density, waste never gets a chance to break down before the next deposit lands next to it.
- 1,000–5,000 sq ft per dog — weekly. The standard for most NOVA single-family homes and the frequency the majority of our customers run.
- Over 5,000 sq ft per dog — every other week is usually fine, assuming the yard isn't heavily wooded.
Three things that push you to more frequent service
Kids using the yard. If children play on the grass, weekly is the floor. Roundworm eggs need roughly two to four weeks in soil to become infectious — removing waste weekly means eggs never reach that stage on your lawn.
Summer humidity. NOVA's July and August combination of heat and humidity accelerates decomposition and odor. The same schedule that felt fine in April can feel inadequate in August.
Hardscape. Brick, flagstone, gravel, and pavers absorb nothing. Waste on hardscape sits, stains, and holds odor, so Old Town-style courtyards generally need more frequent attention than a grass yard of the same size.
What about winter?
This is where most people slip, and it's the most expensive mistake. Waste doesn't decompose in cold weather — it accumulates and freezes in place, then reappears all at once during the March thaw. Skipping December through March almost always converts a routine maintenance schedule into a paid catch-up clean. Yards in Oakton and other heavily wooded areas are the worst offenders, because leaf litter hides everything until spring.
Adjust rather than guess
Pick a frequency, run it for a month, and look at the yard the day before a scheduled visit. If it looks fine, you could go less often. If you're stepping carefully, go more often. There's no contract either way, so changing is a text message.
Not sure where to start? Our 30-second calculator will suggest a frequency based on your dog count and yard size.