Dogs are great. They are wonderful friends and loyal companions. There are so many positive traits that dogs possess that it’s almost impossible to find a flaw. But there is one drawback to dogs, but this “flaw” isn’t even your dog’s fault at all. For anyone who has ever had a dog, you know that their pee can end up killing the grass on your lawn. If you’re someone who has a dog but is also proud of having a green and manicured lawn, you might be in a little bit of a conundrum.
And if you don’t enjoy a patchy lawn full of brown spots, there might be something that you can do about it. Everyone knows that having a dog means you’ll probably have to contend with a lawn spotted with the small patches of yellow grass – a result of where your dog has gone bathroom. While you can’t completely stop your dog from killing the grass, since it’s the nitrogen in a dog’s pee that kills the proteins in the grass, you might be able to lessen the effects it has on your lawn.
One of the most obvious ways of lessening the damage is to water your lawn right after your dog since watering can help to dilute the pee so it is less damaging to the grass. Of course, this isn’t the most feasible solution since we all can’t be following our dogs around the yard 24/7. But one of the more manageable solutions is to train your pet to pee in one specific spot. You can do this by giving them easy, reward-based training in order to get them to pee where you want them to. That would mean you either get your dog to go in one specific spot of the lawn or on a special pad in the porch. Another idea that will help your dog pee in one spot is to maybe get your dog a “pee post.” This is more suited to male dogs since it’s a stick you place in the ground that naturally encourages your male dog to want to go pee against the post. This can get your male dog to pee in an area you’d prefer them to tinkle. You can also give your dog more water to drink. While this might sound counter-productive, making sure that your dog stays well-hydrated can actually help to dilute their pee – so even if they pee more it’ll be less damaging. Walk your dog first thing in the morning. If you take your dog out for a walk first thing in the morning means that they’ll do their business on the walk rather than in your yard.
How do you care for your lawn with a dog? Do you have any helpful tips? Let us know!
