Over the last few weeks we have noticed several dead grass spots in the backyard. sigh............ Small, round, pee pee sized spots. Anything I can do about this? Any of you guys have this problem?
We have the same problem with Loki - finally we started making him go on the dirt that's just across our sidewalk.
I know there are things you can add to the lawn to help neutralize what's killing the grass... somewhere on this forum it was talked about. There are also supplements you can give a dog, but from what I've read they don't work that well and they're kinda controversial.
I just googled 'dead grass from dog urine' and it came up with a bunch of products - the tricky thing is finding a good one that actually works (and isn't so pricey!)
There are several contributing factors that increase the likelihood of developing lawn burn.
*Female dogs are more likely to cause lawn burn than males because they void their entire bladder in one location instead of lifting their leg and marking, like males
*Large dogs deposit more urine so they increase the quantity of nitrogen in one location, making lawn burn more likely.
* Those dogs, usually young active dogs, fed a high protein diet are more likely to produce a urine that causes lawn burn.
*Heavily fertilized yards are already receiving near maximum levels of nitrogen. The small amount of nitrogen in dog urine may be all that is needed to put these lawns over the edge and cause lawn burn.
*Lawns that are stressed are more susceptible to damage. Lawns that are suffering from drought, disease, or are newly sodded or seeded are more susceptible to lawn burn.
Solving the problem
Successfully treating and preventing lawn burn often requires a multi-step approach.
1. Saturate the urinated spots with water. After the pet urinates, pour several cupfuls of water on the spot to dilute the urine.
2.Feed a high quality dog food that does not exceed the pet's protein requirement. High quality foods have more digestible protein sources that are more completely utilized by the pet and create less nitrogenous waste in the urine.
3. Encouraging your dog to drink more, will help dilute the urine and decrease the risk of lawn burn. Small amounts of non-salted broth in the drinking water may help increase your dog's water intake.
4.Train your dog to urinate in a location that is less visible. This approach is very effective for some owners that do not want to add supplements to their dogs' diet.
5.Replant your yard with more urine-resistant grasses. The most resistant grasses tend to be perennial ryegrasses and fescues. The most sensitive tend to be Kentucky bluegrass and Bermuda.
6.Feed your dog a supplement like Drs. Foster and Smith Lawn Guard, or apply a product to the lawn such as Dogonit Lawn Treatment. These products bind and neutralize the nitrogen in your pet's urine.
7. Reduce the stress on your lawn by not over- or under-fertilizing and by providing frequent watering.
8.If neighbors' dogs are causing the problem, you may advise your neighbors of the leash laws. Using a fence or motion-activated sprinkler may be helpful in keeping these dogs off of your lawn.
Brown spots created by lawn burn are not a medical threat to your dog, however, they can be unsightly and potentially expensive to repair. By understanding the cause of these spots, and then making a few changes, you should be able to give your dog full range of the yard and still enjoy a trouble-free lawn.
Thanks...from experience with my guys, I can see how the drinking lots of water would help. Tikaani drinks like a fish, which makes him pee like a horse, but because of that every time he pees it's practically clear. He's the biggest dog I've ever lived with, with the biggest puddles made, and he hasn't left a single grass burn mark. My sister's dog rarely drinks, and he's left quite a few burn marks.
We also have lawn burns, we give the Drs Foster and Smith Lawn care tablets to the dogs which greatly reduces but does not eliminate the burns. We also have a sprinkler system that goes off every morning which helps to dilute the urine, but it still is never completely clear of lawn burns.
Comments
I know there are things you can add to the lawn to help neutralize what's killing the grass... somewhere on this forum it was talked about. There are also supplements you can give a dog, but from what I've read they don't work that well and they're kinda controversial.
I just googled 'dead grass from dog urine' and it came up with a bunch of products - the tricky thing is finding a good one that actually works (and isn't so pricey!)
Contributing factors
There are several contributing factors that increase the likelihood of developing lawn burn.
*Female dogs are more likely to cause lawn burn than males because they void their entire bladder in one location instead of lifting their leg and marking, like males
*Large dogs deposit more urine so they increase the quantity of nitrogen in one location, making lawn burn more likely.
* Those dogs, usually young active dogs, fed a high protein diet are more likely to produce a urine that causes lawn burn.
*Heavily fertilized yards are already receiving near maximum levels of nitrogen. The small amount of nitrogen in dog urine may be all that is needed to put these lawns over the edge and cause lawn burn.
*Lawns that are stressed are more susceptible to damage. Lawns that are suffering from drought, disease, or are newly sodded or seeded are more susceptible to lawn burn.
Solving the problem
Successfully treating and preventing lawn burn often requires a multi-step approach.
1. Saturate the urinated spots with water. After the pet urinates, pour several cupfuls of water on the spot to dilute the urine.
2.Feed a high quality dog food that does not exceed the pet's protein requirement. High quality foods have more digestible protein sources that are more completely utilized by the pet and create less nitrogenous waste in the urine.
3. Encouraging your dog to drink more, will help dilute the urine and decrease the risk of lawn burn. Small amounts of non-salted broth in the drinking water may help increase your dog's water intake.
4.Train your dog to urinate in a location that is less visible. This approach is very effective for some owners that do not want to add supplements to their dogs' diet.
5.Replant your yard with more urine-resistant grasses. The most resistant grasses tend to be perennial ryegrasses and fescues. The most sensitive tend to be Kentucky bluegrass and Bermuda.
6.Feed your dog a supplement like Drs. Foster and Smith Lawn Guard, or apply a product to the lawn such as Dogonit Lawn Treatment. These products bind and neutralize the nitrogen in your pet's urine.
7. Reduce the stress on your lawn by not over- or under-fertilizing and by providing frequent watering.
8.If neighbors' dogs are causing the problem, you may advise your neighbors of the leash laws. Using a fence or motion-activated sprinkler may be helpful in keeping these dogs off of your lawn.
Brown spots created by lawn burn are not a medical threat to your dog, however, they can be unsightly and potentially expensive to repair. By understanding the cause of these spots, and then making a few changes, you should be able to give your dog full range of the yard and still enjoy a trouble-free lawn.