Dog owners are all-too-familiar with patches of dead grass scattered throughout their lawn.
While we want our furry friends to urinate outside, it leads to problems for our grass. Dog pee is potent. The urine kills grass and strips away its plush green color. A few sprays of dog pee can destroy months of careful lawn care treatments.
Why does dog pee harm grass? And is there a way to stop dog pee from killing grass? Let’s find out if it’s possible to have a dog and a good-looking lawn.
Does Dog Pee Kill Grass?
Why does dog pee destroy green grass? Dog pee is loaded with nitrogen compounds. Nitrogen is a by-product of protein digestion, which is why it naturally is found in all urine. When proteins break down, they create nitrogen compounds called urea and ammonia. These compounds exit the body through the kidneys.
The nitrogen compounds are what give dog urine its strong smell and yellow color. While nitrogens appear in all dog pee, diet and genetics play a role in how many nitrogens are in the dog urine.
While many lawn care experts utilize nitrogen to fertilize grass, everything must be done in moderation. Applying nitrogen-based fertilizer to your lawn combined with the added nitrogen from dog urine is too much of a good thing. The high levels of nitrogen burn and destroy the grass rather than helping it grow.
Dog pee on grass is harmful when your canine always sprays in the same spot. If your dog isn’t picky about where he pees, then the added nitrogen compounds may help the grass grow. But constantly sprinkling the same patch will create brown and yellow grass patches.
How to Protect Grass From Dog Pee
Many Americans view their lawns as an investment. Green grass and a well-maintained lawn do wonders for curb appeal and enhance your home’s overall aesthetic. That’s why 40% of American homeowners hire professional landscapers to provide regular lawn care services and keep their grass looking plush.
If you want to keep your lawn in tip-top shape despite having a dog, there are a few preventive measures to keep grass green.
Choose Males Over Females
When it comes to maintaining a green lawn, male dogs have the advantage.
All dog genders contain the same amount of nitrogen compounds in their urine, but how they urinate varies. Female dogs create more severe urine stains because they squat, leaving their mark in one specific place. Males lift their legs. As they do, the urine sprays across a wider area and does not saturate one specific patch of grass.
If lawn care is important, consider adopting male dogs rather than females. If you have a female dog, you may need to be more proactive to ensure your grass remains green.
Frequently Water Your Lawn
To prevent dog urine from killing your grass, grab a hose and water down the patches your dog loves to pee in. The water will rinse away some of the nitrogen compounds, which will help the grass continue to grow.
Guide Fido to Different Areas of the Lawn
A key part of how to keep grass green is controlling where your doggo urinates. Peeing over the same patches over-and-over again destroys the grass. When you take your pooch outside, guide him or her to a new area of the lawn. Make a note of where your dog peed recently, and avoid that place during the next potty-run. Your grass can handle a few extra nitrogen compounds, but it cannot survive a constant stream of dog urine.
Change Your Dog’s Diet
High probiotic and protein diets can offset the number of nitrogen compounds secreted in dog urine. However, simply adding more protein to your dog’s dinner will not do the trick. The quality of the protein is what makes the difference.
Pet owners should look for all-natural and fresh protein sources. The less-processed the protein, the better it will be at reducing urine burn. Consider switching your dog to a raw diet to enhance digestibility and decrease the potency of Fido’s waste.
Keep Your Doggo Hydrated
Dehydration can make dog urine more yellow, which is bad news for your lawn. The more water your pooch consumes, the more diluted the urine. Less acidic dog urine has a lower risk of destroying the grass.
Signs your dog might be dehydrated include:
- Loss of appetite
- Dry nose
- Panting
- Dry-looking eyes
- Thick saliva and sticky gums
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Lethargy
Canine dehydration usually occurs when dogs do not have ample access to water. In the majority of cases, if you give your dog water, he will drink it.
Always leave your dog with a full water bowl before leaving the house. Bring water bottles when you take Fido to the park or on a walk. The more water your dog drinks, the better hydrated he will be. Not only is that good news for Fido’s health, but it is also good news for your grass.
Keep Grass Green: The Natural Way to Stop Dog Pee From Killing Your Grass
Dog urine on grass can destroy a lawn. If you want to keep your yard looking plush, we have the solution you need.
Pet Honesty’s Keep Grass Green uses probiotics to boost your dog’s digestive system and balance nitrogen levels to prevent urine burn. The turkey and duck flavored chews promote healthy bowel movements, so you don’t have to worry about dog pee wreaking havoc on your lawn anymore.
Try our Keep Grass Green Multi-Flavor Pack today. Not only are the chews a treat for Fido, but they make it possible to have a healthy dog and a luscious-looking lawn. For once, the grass will not be greener on the other side.
Sources:
https://blog.homesalive.ca/dog-blog/dog-pee-killing-grass
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/warning-signs-dehydration-dogs/
