Lawn Care and Dog Urine!

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What does lawn care and dog urine have to do with spoiling your dog you ask? Good question - easy answer!

We all have good memories of happy gatherings out on the lawn.

The lawn's the perfect place for having some fun with your dog. It's right there - no need to get dressed up to go anywhere. And your dog loves that "spoiling" time when he gets your one-on-one attention out on the lawn - be it a little training time or just some outdoor play. The thing about fun and games though is that they can be rather "stimulating" and this leads to...you guessed it...dog urine!

You love your lawn. It's a dreamy place to kick back in your hammock
on a summer's day, until...you spot those pesky brown patches. You need some lawn care and dog urine solutions ...f-a-s-t!

Lawn care will be next on your agenda - forget the hammock!

What to do?

Can you and Rover find harmony between lawn care and dog urine? I know you're gonna give it your best shot, because your dog enjoys the lawn as much as you do. Hopefully one of the several solutions I'm going to suggest will at least make a doggone improvement!

Some of these solutions are focused on dealing with the lawn care and dog urine itself - while others are related to adapting Rover's routine.

So here goes, let's start with the grass.

If you don't already have a well-established lawn, you might want to consider planting one that is more resistant to dog urine. Some that fall into this category are fescue and perennial ryegrass, but do some research with your local experts because water and soil conditions in your geographic area may impact the choice.

Some grasses that are best avoided are Bermuda or Kentucky Bluegrass. Studies have shown these grasses to be very sensitive to dog urine damage and result in harsh burning.

If you already have a decent lawn and don't want to change it, then we'll just tackle the problem of the lawn urine damage itself.

Lawn Care and Dog Urine - Chemistry

From your basic chemistry, many of you most probably know that the lawn damage is a result of the nitrogen content of the dog's urine. The burn reaction is similar to when you over-fertilize your lawn.

Female dogs tend to cause more damage because they usually empty their entire bladder in one place and saturate that spot on the lawn, whereas male dogs tend to "mark" areas of the lawn with a little here and there.

Lawn Care and Dog Urine - the pH factor.

Most experts agree that the pH level of a dog's urine is not the cause of the lawn damage. So, remedies aimed at neutralizing the acid in by applying baking soda or lime to the burned area, wouldn't be of help. Likewise, remedies to reduce the pH of your dog's urine internally, is also off-target for the same reason.

Though these things would no doubt reduce the uric acid in the urine, they would not do anything to help the burn effect caused by the nitrogen.

On the other hand, Green-UM is a product that can really help control lawn burn quickly and naturally. In addition to healthy nutritional ingredients, Green-ums contains an extract from the Yucca plant. This ingredient binds or neutralizes the nitrogen compounds in the urine or feces. Thus, Green-UM can benefit both your pet and your lawn at the same time. Green-UM® can also help prevent burns on plants and shrubs caused by pets using them as their "favorite spot".

Lawn Care and Dog Urine - Target the burn!

Continuing to work on the nitrogen angle, here are two other remedies you can try. Improve the drainage of the damaged area so that the nitrogen can be carried down below the roots of the grass. Applying Gypsum is one way to do this that also benefits soil quality. A similar idea, is to sprinkle brown sugar on the affected areas and water lightly. This method aims at attracting worms to aerate the soil - leading to better drainage.

Another simple approach for handling lawn damage from dog urine is to flood the area with water. Not just a bit - a lot, otherwise the nitrogen will go out only so far and leave a green ring. I like the water treatment because it has worked for me, but it's critical to water the area right after the deed has been done!

You could also try keeping your dog away from certain areas of the lawn by using a motion activated sprinkler. Adding another one to your front lawn may keep neighboring dogs from choosing your place as their favorite "watering hole".

Lawn Care and Dog Urine - Other Ideas.

OK, aside from the urine damage to the lawn itself, what can we do about Rover's routine to give the lawn a break and still provide a little spoiling for our best friend:

Take him for a walk more often to a local park or just around the neighborhood. Getting some extra exercise will do you both some good.

Section off a piece of your property for Rover's "own" use with a couple of trees, plus a Pee Post placed within a patch of grass or some gravel. The Pee Post, is a post treated with pheromones that attract and encourage your dog to eliminate in a specific area. It is easily inserted into the ground and your pet will be attracted to the smell for months.

For the first few times, you'll want to take him on a leash to the post, but after that, you can let the attractant do the work. Of course it can't hurt to give him a lot of praise for going where you want him to go!

Lawn Care and Dog Urine - Diet Help

Lastly, keep your dog on a well-balanced, premium dog food diet. This will help to maintain your dog's chemistry at a "normal" rather than "high" nitrogen level. Remember, Nitrogen is at the heart of Lawn Care and Urine damage solutions.

Try some of these suggestions with your own lawn care and dog urine challenges. They worked for some and could well lead you to greener pastures!



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