How to Stop Dog Urine Killing Grass?

Frequent urination by a dog on grass in your backyard causes the grass to die. What you see is yellow spots everywhere where grass cannot survive anymore.

Then it comes to your mind that your dog has been peeing on those spots. So is there any solution to it? Do you wonder after all what is in its urine that is so deadly to the grass? The reason is Nitrogen and we shall cover all about it in this article.

These steps will help your grass to live longer and you happier:

Neutralize Nitrogen by Keeping Your Dog Hydrated
Similarly, Use Nitrogen Neutralizing Diet
Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Make Habit to Avoid Grass and Use Some Other Place
Consider Using Dog Rocks Product
Clean Up the Grass after Urination
Use the PetLoo Product by PetSafe
Use Soil Penetrant Grass Treatment Method

In this article, I will give you a sneak peek into my home remedy and a store-purchased fix that will repair spots that are already ruined. Take a look.

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How Nitrogen in Dog’s Urine Kills Grass

Excessive nitrogen in a dog’s urine can kill your grass. Yes, dog urine contains nitrogenous compounds that cause yellow patches on grass. Excessive nitrogen will kill grass on your lawn, but in the right concentrations, nitrogen is beneficial to your grass.

That’s why you’ll see thick healthy dark green patches surrounding the yellow spots.

It’s still debatable if the concentration of nitrogen in a dog’s urine varies with the sex of the dog. For instance, some people argue that female dogs may cause more harm to your lawn compared to male dogs.

The explanation is that male dogs spray their urine over a large area while female dogs usually pee in one area.

But no matter the sex, dogs pee may kill your grass. The high nitrogen compounds in the urine may be due to a diet that is high in proteins, as we know, the breakdown of proteins results in nitrogen compounds. Thus high nitrogen levels in dog’s urine are what causes grass to burn in your lawn.

It’s also essential to know drought conditions increase the chances of pet urine burning your grass. Since roots at this season are yearning to get some water, they will absorb any liquid that comes their way.

It’s therefore essential to make sure your lawn gets sufficient water during summer. Let us see some ways to stop urine killing grass.

1) Neutralize Nitrogen by Keeping Your Dog Hydrated

One of the excellent ways to prevent dog urine from burning your grass is to make sure your dog’s remain hydrated every hour of the day. Besides diluting urine, water is vital for your dog’s health.

When your dog drinks sufficient water, they will pee dilute urine that will have a minimal effect on your grass. Therefore instead of waiting to repair patches in your lawn, ensure your dog gets adequate water.

Although you may not be at home every time to supervise how much water your dog drinks you can install and automatic drinker or a water fountain to ensure your dog has a steady supply of clean, fresh water at any moment. If your serving dry foods to your dog make sure they get enough water.

2) Similarly, Use Nitrogen Neutralizing Diet

Since proteins are the primary source of nitrogen that ends up in urine, it’s vital to make sure your dog gets proteins that match to their dietary needs. If your dog feeds on excess proteins, the result will be highly concentrated urine that burns your grass.

For example, a typical family dog doesn’t require a diet with high levels of proteins, as most commercial dog foods have. You must know that high protein dog foods don’t translate to superior quality foods for your dog, actually, low protein foods offer sufficient nutrients for your pet.

You should feed your dog with a well-balanced diet that will offer the required nutrients to your pet. This will ensure the dog won’t generate excess nitrogen compounds that will end up in the urine. But before deciding for low-protein pest foods, you need to consult your vet to make sure your dog gets adequate nutrients.

Alternatively, you can feed your dog with human foods that will counteract the nutrients in the dog foods. For example, feeding your dog with the following human foods can result in dilute urine: peanut butter, carrots, celery, bananas, cheese, broccoli, and berries. Talk to your vet about these foods to ensure they won’t have any effect on your dog.

3) Use Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has innumerable uses in the home. You can use this product to fix many stains at home. Most people agree that adding an ACV to your dog’s drinking water will result in less acidic urine.

Add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to your dog’s water to counter the nitrogen imbalance. Alternatively, you may add the ACV in the dog’s food.

When shopping for ACV, makes sure you purchase the natural type and not what you get from the supermarket that is pasteurized. Visit your local food stores or horse tack shops. Pasteurized vinegar will be less effective in countering excess nitrogen in your dog’s urine.

4) Make Habit to Avoid Grass and Use Some Other Place

If your dog is used to urinating in the lawn, you need to train them to use a different spot. You must acknowledge training your dog will take some time, therefore, allow them to make some mistakes in the beginning.

Choose an area in your backyard with mulch or gravel as the designated area to pee. Consider the behavior of your dog when selecting the area; if they prefer unsightly spots honor their demands. Be patient as your dog learns this new location. If your dog is used to peeing anywhere in the compound, it may take longer to adjust to the new location.

If you have challenges in selecting an ideal location for your dog to be urinating, you may consult a landscaper to design a perfect location in your home for this business. For example, they can design a beautiful space lined with rocks or mulch that will make the dog comfortable.

5) Consider Using Dog Rocks Product

If you have tried several methods to reduce the nitrogen levels in your dog’s urine and they have failed, you should try using Dog Rocks.

This is a product that you place in the dog’s water bowls to assist the dog in eliminating dilute urine. While these rocks may not be 100% effective in dealing with this problem, they’ll go a long way in reducing patches and yellowing in your lawn.

Dog rocks work well if the dog’s bowl has a maximum of 2 liters of water. Additionally, you need to ensure you replace these rocks after every two months. Besides, ensure adequate sanitation when using these rocks. These rocks are sold purposely to reduce the amount of nitrogen in a dog’s pee.

These dog rocks are believed to be paramagnetic; meaning they have some magnetic power. They work by attracting and absorbing impurities such as ammonia, tin, nitrates, etc., that are present in tap water.

Dog rocks are popular to many pet parents all over the globe as an effective way of stopping pet urine from burning their grass. These rocks are completely safe and will eliminate nitrogen from your dog’s drinking waters and assist in making your lawn every green without any patches of burned grass.

Before placing the rocks in the dog’s water, you need to wash them. Additionally, the rock sho8uld be submerged entirely in the water. You can easily purchase the rock in online sites such as Amazon, eBay, or Chewy.com.

6) Clean Up the Grass after Urination

When the dog has already urinated in your lawn, identify these spots, and implement some strategies that will limit the effect of the urine on the grass.

One of the best methods is to dilute this nitrogen with water. This method is effective in up to 9 hours after your dog has peed on the grass. Locate the spot and spray the area with adequate amounts of clean water to dilute the nitrogen.

Alternatively, you can water your lawn before tour dog dogs to the bathroom if you know the spots they prefer. Take a hose and walk to the locating and soak it in sufficient amounts of water. When you get used to this practice, you’ll never see any yellow spot in your lawn.

If you spent very few hours in your home, you could consider watering your lawn in the morning and evenings to dilute your dog’s pee and avoid its adverse effects on your grass.

7) Use the PetLoo Product by PetSafe

PetLoo is a useful and artificial product that mimics the conditions in the lawn. As the name suggests, this means you will have to train your dog to use the product, but it doesn’t mean it’s a dog’s toilet.

It’s a small square patch with artificial grass that you’ll train your dog to pee on. This is an affordable and effective way of preventing your dog’s urine from burning your lawn. Additionally, it minimizes odors from your dog’s pee.

If you live in an apartment or an earl with limited space, PetLoo will work miracles for your pet. It’s easy to install and maintain. You should install this product in, and outdoor area that is properly ventilated. This ensures it won’t stink up your laundry area.

PetLoo comes in varying sizes ideal different homes and dog breeds. The grass on the product feels and looks authentic; thus training your dog to use PetLoo becomes easy. Besides its hygienic and eco-friendly therefore you can go wrong with PetLoo.

8) Use Soil Penetrant Grass Treatment Method

The soil penetrant grass treatment method enables you to spray a treatment liquid to the areas affected by the dog’s urine. Suitable lawn-repair treatment will bring in nutrients and healthy enzymes to the pee-damaged soil. These substances will enable the grass to healed and promote the growth of new healthy grass in the affected area.

When shopping, choose a product specially designed for repairing grass damaged by the dog’s urine. These products are readily available at your local supermarket or home improvement stores.

Common products in this category include Neuturine, GrassSaver® Soil Conditioner, Revive Dog Spot Treatment, and Spotless Lawn among others

Other Products to Fix Nitrate in Dog’s Urine

If all the methods highlighted above have failed, you can use supplements that will reduce the level of nitrogen in the dog’s urine while in the body. These include products such as Ammonil, Green-UM, and Lawn Guard. Before settling for these supplements, you must consult your vet for advice.

Alternatively, you can feed your dog with tomato juice to neutralize nitrogen in the urine.

References

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