Dogs and Lawn Damage

A dog’s urine has a high content of nitrogen and this can cause a problem if it is concentrated in a certain area in the grass. Although small amounts of nitrogen act as a fertilizer for the grass, its excess can be damaging, leaving the grass patches dead or burned. Some of these patches may replenish with time; however, the dead patches may require reseeding.

Female dogs are the root cause for the “dog spot disease” in which there is a brown burned spot on the grass with a green ring around it. The brown spot arises when a female dog urinates all at once in a particular area. The excess nitrogen burns the grass at the center and as the margins are diluted, the limited nitrogen acts as a fertilizer.

Research was conducted on certain grass types and indicated that the pH of the urine is not harmful but the nitrogen content has the most detrimental effects. The issue arises with the nitrogen concentration of the urine and not the volume. Festuca sp. Var. Kentucky 31 (fescue) and Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) were found to be quite resistant to urine effects; on the contrary, Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass) and Cynodon sp. var. Fairway (Bermuda grass) were found to be extremely sensitive to urine concentrations.

Suggestions

Train your Poodle: Dogs should be trained to eliminate in a certain area as opposed to anywhere in the lawn. This can be achieved my perhaps collecting the urine in a cup and using it in the area where you want your dog to eliminate. Efforts should be made to establish this as a routine by rewarding good behavior and assigning certain commands to this task.

Change in Diet: A veterinarian should always be consulted before any changes are made to your Poodle’s diet. Reducing the protein content might prove beneficial; average dogs don’t need high protein foods. Since some proteins are easily digestible, this results in more urine and should be avoided. Dilution of the urine should be attempted by providing more liquids; alternatively, feeding canned food, adding water to food, and adding salt or garlic salt to the food might help to dilute the urine. Tomato juice; vinegar; or baking soda, all with a high content of salt and water, might be a good addition to the diet. Although salt can help with dilution, it might have side-effects for dogs with preexisting kidney or heart conditions. A supplement made from Mojave Yucca might help to make the urine less toxic.

Water the Area: Watering the area right after your dog is done urinating might work to prevent burned grass.

Lawn Adjustment Strategies

Replant: It might be best to replant in case of grass damage.

Alternatives: Stone and masonry might be better alternatives for lawns in case of homes with dogs. Mulch might also prove helpful.

Grass Types: Determine the different grass types and decide which one would work better and stand up better against wear and tear and perhaps nitrogen concentration. Kentucky bluegrass is better in cool seasons; and Bermuda grass is better in warm seasons.

Green Alternatives: Clover lawns are green as well but more significantly, it does not stain as much.

In a nutshell, dogs are inherently helpful and can provide several benefits to their owners. Dogs and grass don’t complement each other very well and this becomes an issue for those people who love dogs and would also love to maintain green and beautiful lawns. But help is there. Training your Poodle to use other areas of the yard and accommodating certain changes in their diet may turn out to be the way to get around this common problem. Lawns and dogs can coexist!

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