Spring and summer is great times for yard work. You work very hard at maintaining your lawn and gardens only for your dog to create ugly yellow areas of dead grass. If your lawn is looking a little less bright, that's because it's full of yellow spots from dog pee. These yellow spots are difficult to remove. Here are some tips to keep your dog from turning your grass into a pee-coloured pasture. Let's review why this happens and what you can do about it!
Why does my grass turn yellow after my dog urinates on it?
Dog urine is one of the most damaging things to a lawn. When your dog pees on the grass, it can turn it yellow and make your lawn look old and dead. When your dog pees on the grass, it doesn't just stay there. The longer your pet pees on one spot without completely eliminating the urine, the more damage it will cause to your lawn—and that's why you should keep an eye out for warning signs like yellow spots in order to prevent permanent damage.
As dogs' urine is high in nitrogen and when concentrated on one area in your lawn, it will burn and kill your grass. Females that squat to urinate tend to do more damage as they are concentrating high levels of nitrogen in one area. Most male dogs however lift their leg to urinate and therefore tend not to concentrate their urine in one specific spot.
What can I do to help reduce my dog from burning my grass?
There are a few ways you can achieve this and some may be more applicable and appropriate for your given situation.
1. Take your dog to a common area to urinate. If you have a cul-de-sac, for example, that may be an appropriate area to allow your dog to urinate. A close-by park would be another example.
2. If it is only feasible for your dog to urinate in your yard, have a watering can handy so you can dilute the urine. This will eliminate any possibility of nitrogen burning your lawn.
3. Make a small rock garden or mulch bed in the corner of your yard. You can then re-train your dog to pee on the rocks. When she asks to go outside, bring her out on a leash to the designated space. Use a command word so she can associate the space such as "go pee on the rocks". Soon, you can let her out on her own and tell her to urinate in that particular location.
Should I give my dog supplements to help from burning my grass?
NO! There are supplements that claim they will help or you may read about adding ingredients to your dog's food to help. Nothing is proven to work but the main reason not to supplement is for the health of your dog. By changing your dog's urine you can cause serious health implications. For example, one may try to reduce the acidity of the urine but by doing so, you will be promoting the development of bladder stones.
The best way to keep your dog from creating yellow spots on your grass is by taking him/her to an appropriate area for urinating. If you can't take them outside, have a watering can ready so that when they go in the yard, you water it down to dilute their urine. This will help dilute any high levels of nitrogen and prevent it from burning your lawn's green colour. There are also some supplements available but these should be avoided as they may cause more harm than good!