Dogs and Lawns
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009It is spring time again; it’s getting warmer, the trees are getting their leaves back, and the lawns are turning green. But as many dog owners can sympathize, this is the time that they realize how much damage their dogs have done to their lawns. Some parts grow back nice and rich and green. Others remain brown and dead. Those spots, of course, are where our favorite four legged family member urinates.
So the question is: how do you keep a nice lush green lawn and not have to go through the trouble of teaching your dog the intricacies of indoor plumbing? Well there are a few tricks that you can use. But the first thing to look into is exactly WHY our lawns turn brown.
A dog’s urine is rich in nitrogen. Now isn’t that good for grass, you ask, since many of the fertalizers tout their nitrogen enriched solutions? Well yes, but too much of a good thing is just that . . . too much. Just like if you over fertalize your lawn it’ll die, that is what happens with your dog’s super nitrogen-rich urine. So what are some things you can do to reduce and prevent urine burns in your lawn?
#1 Water!
Urine that is less concentrated can cause less of a burn. This can be accomplished through encouraging your dog to drink more water, or even watering the area that was just peed on immediately after urination.
#2 Fertilizer
Cut back on fertilizing the parts of your lawn that your dog uses to eliminate.
#3 Grass Type
Use urine-resistant grasses, such as ryegrass and fescue. These have a higher nitrogren tolerance than other grasses (though can still succumb to urine burn).
#4 Dietary Supplement
There are many different dietary supplements out on the market that are supposed to bind with the nitrogen in the urine. We suggest that you use these under the advice of a veterinarian.
For more suggestions how to keep your lawn green and your dogs happy, and a more indepth article of this issue, please check out this article written by Dr. Steve Thompson, DVM Dog-Gone-It Lawn Problems.
