Is the Battle of Dog Urine vs Your Lawn Going On?
Let’s face it…we love our dogs, but we certainly don’t like what they do to our lawns. Their going “potty” on the lawn is turning it spotted brown – but what’s a dog gonna do? You can’t really expect them to stay off the lawn altogether.
So rather than fight the problem, maybe we should look for a solution that could make both dog owner and pup happy!
Why the damage is caused…
It’s kind of like using too much nitrogen-rich liquid fertilizer on your lawn, a small amount makes your lawn lush and green, too much burns it and turns it brown. That’s where the problem lies with your pooch, his/her urine is nitrogen rich. And if you have a female dog, you should be aware that a female’s urine typically does more damage than does a male’s.
You should also know that sometimes it’s not even your dog that’s killing your lawn, it could be a type of grass fungus that is making it turn brown. There are a couple of ways you can determine which one is the culprit…
- If the ring of grass around the brown spot is bright green, then it’s not a fungus, a brown fungus caused spot is brown only.
- Test your lawn by pulling up a little section of a brown spot, if it resists your efforts it’s caused by Fido, but if it comes up easily, it’s most likely a fungus, which you will want to treat.
So what can you do to help protect your lawn?
- Train your pooch to go “potty” in the same place all the time. Obviously it’s great if you could train her when she is a puppy, but even if she is an older dog, she can still learn new tricks and be trained to use “her space”. (Maybe you could make “her space” in a remote or not so visible area of the yard) Not only will this keep your lawn looking better, but it also makes using the pooper scooper easier.
- If your dog is a small breed, you could train her to use a litter box or a pup pad.
Water is a great neutralizer, if you could spray or pour water on the area after it has been used, the nitrogen would be diluted and less harmful to the lawn.- Along those same lines, make water more accessible for your dog’s drinking. Not only is this good for your pup, but it will, like with the lawn, help make the urine less nitrogen concentrated.
- If you’re planting a new lawn, or re-seeding the one you have, there are hearty, urine resistant grasses available, some will grow faster and recover from the damage quicker. There are also less hearty grasses out there, so ask a landscaping specialist which one would be the best for you to use.
At BowWow Fun Towne, dogs are our business, and we are experts in dog day care. Our facility features a full size swimming pool for fun and exercise. We are dedicated to assisting you and providing the best care for your dog while you’re away.
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