Dog pee can kill grass, leaving behind dead patches and bare spots. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to save your lawn and ensure that it remains a safe space for dogs to do their business.
Dog urine ultimately damages your lawn because it is high in nitrogen. Whilst nitrogen is usually a good thing to apply to your lawn, and you may indeed notice your grass get (suspiciously!) green in patches, if not diluted with water it will scorch and burn your lawn.
Will grass grow back after dog urine? Yes, with help. Even though brown grass is dead grass, you can reseed those brown spots and have a lush green lawn again in no time. Even if you don't reseed, the surrounding healthy grass should eventually grow over the dead patch.
Dog urine contains a variety of nitrogen compounds. Too much nitrogen will burn the grass and create yellow patches. But appropriate concentrations of nitrogen can actually be beneficial to the lawn, which is why you'll often see rings of thick dark green grass around the yellow patches.
The problem is that most dog owners have not only trained their pups to pee onto trees, they think it is good for them. It isn't. The old trope that canine urine is a fertilizer is but a fertile lie: While urea is rich in nitrogen, and plants require nitrogen for leaf growth, urea is also rich in salt.
While N is a vital nutrient for plant growth, its excess application has negative effects on soil functions and the quality of both ground and surface waters. The urine of dogs is rich in urea, which breaks down to available N in the form of ammonium in the soil through the process of hydrolysis.
Prolonged exposure to the odor can also cause skin and eye irritations like skin burns, permanent eye damage, and even blindness! Additionally, your dog's urine can also cause tracheal burns, airway damages, cough, shortness of breath, the list just goes on.
Cat, dog, or human hair or urine sprinkled in a garden also appears to have no impact on rats. Beware of anyone claiming they have a secret weapon or chemical that will get rid of rats. There is none.
Dog urine spots typically have a dark green ring.
The brown spot is where the high levels of nitrogen in the pee killed the grass. Sometimes the spots may be yellow, which indicates that the grass is not dead yet.
Dilute with Water
One of the easiest ways to stop dog wee from killing the grass is by diluting the nitrogen concentration. After your dog pees, you can use a watering can or a garden hose to pour water on the area. It helps to dilute the nitrogen and prevent it from becoming too concentrated and damaging the grass.
Many (but not all) dogs hate the smell of citrus, so using citrus smells like citronella, lemongrass, lemon, and even bergamot can repel some dogs from an area. You can use these smells in scented candles or sprays to see if it keeps your dog away from an area where you don't want them peeing.
Dilute the nitrogen with water
After your dog has urinated, pour water on the area, this will help to dilute the nitrogen within the urine and lessen the damage caused to the lawn by preventing the grass and soil from soaking up too much nitrogen.
In addition to nitrogen burn, dog poop can kill your grass in a more roundabout way: It can cause lawn fungus to grow. Many fungal lawn diseases will kill your lawn if they have a chance to spread. Fungi love moisture, and an excess of nitrogen in the soil helps them grow and spread faster.
Figure 4. Where dog urine does not kill grass, its nitrogen causes plants to grow faster and darker than surrounding turf, compromising lawn uniformity. Figure 3. It takes only a few “doggie spots” to significantly reduce the quality and uniformity of a lawn.
Even if the rocks removed nitrates, for which there is no evidence, the change in the nitrate concentration in the urine would be insignificant. Basically, there is no theoretical reason to think that Dog Rocks should work and there is no practical evidence that they do. Dog Rocks don't rock.
Dog poop attracts rodents.
“Dog waste is often a leading food source for rats in urban areas,” D'Aniello says. Although it is good that the waste is being eaten, it's definitely not ideal that dog poop that isn't picked up will likely attract both rats and mice, D'Aniello says.
It may sound disgusting but uncovered cat poop is food for cockroaches and roaches are also attracted to the smell of urine.
Predator urine, specifically fox urine, is a noxious but harmless olfactory stimulus. The results of previous studies have shown that fox urine is aversive to rats, and that rats react to fox urine in a similar manner as to other psychostressors.
The bacteria that grow in pet urine stains are not particularly dangerous to regular, healthy people. However, getting rid of these stains can be quite bothersome. For people with healthy immune systems, these bacteria can cause problems like sinusitis, allergies, and airway inflammation.
Although pets are an important part of millions of lives, cleaning up after them is a responsibility that should never be neglected. Over time, animal urine can cause allergy-like symptoms, strong odors, mold growth, and even structural damage to your home.
For the best test results, vets prefer the sample to be between two and four hours old. However, if you can't collect the sample so close to your vet appointment, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
Dead grass and brown spots can be a common and unwelcome result when your lawn doubles as a pet potty. At first you may notice some spots on your lawn looking especially green as the nitrogen acts as a fertilizer for your grass, but as it accumulates you'll start to notice the dog waste is actually killing it.
Dog waste compost can be used as a soil additive for revegetation, lawn establishment, and planting beds. It should not be used on crops grown for human consumption. When used in a potting mix or flower beds, a 25 percent compost blend is recommended.
To neutralize dog urine odor in soil, writers from Pet Helpful suggest a homemade remedy. Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 4 cups of water in a spray bottle, shake well and spray onto the brown spots. You can substitute lemon juice or vinegar for the baking soda, and try that instead if you like.
WHEN YOUR DOG GOES ON THE LAWN, REMEMBER IT DOESN'T JUST GO ON THE LAWN. Rain washes dog poop and its bacteria into storm drains. From there, it goes on to pollute our waterways.