Last Updated on November 11, 2023 by Linda Richard
If you’re tired of certain grass spots in your yard burning out, here are our 10 easy tips for how to stop dog pee from killing grass. This is one of those problems that few people even think of before getting their dog. But, it’s unfortunately true – if your dog makes it a habit to pee on the same spot every time, you’re almost certain to see your grass there get ruined.
So, what can you do? There are a few remedies that tackle the problem from multiple directions. But, first, let’s examine the problem itself.
Table of Contents
Dog Pee Killing Grass? Why is This Happening!
Dog pee often burns grass because it’s full of nitrogen compounds that most grass can’t handle. These nitrogen compounds won’t burn grass right away but over time will start having a noticeable effect. The grass will first turn bright green, then – yellow, and will eventually die.
Simply put – dog pee is toxic.
How To Stop Dog Pee From Killing Grass?
Given that dog pee is inherently toxic to grass, solving the problem sounds complicated at first. Fortunately, there are many ways to go about it. Some of them can solve the issue outright while others can mitigate it. We’d recommend utilizing all 10 tips for the best possible effect.
So, how to prevent dog urine from killing grass?
1. Train Your Dog To Wee Somewhere Else
The first solution is to train your dog to pee in a grass-free place. This can be done in many ways:
- Walk your dog regularly outside of your pee and time those walks with your dog’s regular loo breaks. After a while, your dog will get used to peeing outside.
Read more about: How Fast Can A Lab Run and Do These Dogs Make For Good Running Buddies?
- If you’re ok with your dog peeing in the yard you can train the pooch to pee on grass-free areas. These can include gravel, sand, tanbark, soil, etc.
Just observe the dog and get him to the right spot whenever he seems ready to pee. - Consider using products such as pet pee posts to get your dog’s interest. These can easily help guide your dog to pee on the right spot.
2. Use A Repellent To Dissuade Your Dog From Using Certain Spots
Combine the above tip with a citrus repellent spray applied to the vulnerable grass patches. This can easily repel your dog from doing his business there.
3. Get A Pet Loo For Your Pup
If the first tip doesn’t work for you and you have a smaller pup, you can use a pet loo instead. Some of these products are even big enough for an adult Labrador.
4. Use Dog Rocks To Reduce The Nitrates In The Dog Urine
Dog rocks are ingenious little stones that are meant to be placed in your dog’s water bowl. They work by removing trace amounts of nitrate, tin, ammonia, and other such undesirable minerals from the water. This way, dog rocks reduce the toxicity of your dog’s urine and make it less harmful to grass.
5. Water Your Damaged Grass More Than Usual
If you want to nurse your damaged grass back to health you’d want to water it extra well. This won’t stop the dog pee from killing the grass but it will slow things down.
6. Stop Fertilizing The Damaged Grass
The nitrogen compounds in your dog urines are effectively “over-fertilizing” your grass from a certain point of view. So, you’d do well to ease up on the fertilizer for the time being. Adding more fertilizer will mean even more minerals, including more nitrogen compounds.
7. Get A Lawn Repair Treatment
There are certain lawn repair treatment products that help grass by cleansing the harmful salts in the soil and introducing organic enzymes into it.
8. Replant The Areas That Are Damaged Beyond Repair
If the few tips above don’t help, you may have to replant the grass area with a different type of grass. We’ll list a few suggestions for dog pee-resistant grass below.
9. Consider Some Dietary Supplements For Your Dog
There are some canine dietary supplements that are specifically designed to help with your dog’s urine toxicity. They have compounds that bind with the nitrogen in the urine and make it less harmful.
10. Keep Your Pooch Properly Hydrated
Last but not least, remember that the better hydrated your dog is, the less toxic his urine is. Effectively, more water will dilute the nitrogen compounds. This is a remedy of the issue and not a full solution, of course. However, proper hydration has a lot of other benefits anyway.
6 Types Of Dog Pee Resistant Grass To Help Stop Dog Pee From Killing Grass
If you’re looking to replant a damaged area in your yard or the whole lawn, there are quite a few good options. Dog-friendly types of grass are more resistant to dog pee because they handle nitrogen better. They also tend to be more hardy and fast healing. This is great not just for dog urine but for general wear and tear too. After all, a dog tends to damage lawn grass in more ways than just peeing on it.
So, here are our 6 suggestions for good dog pee resistant grass:
- Perennial Ryegrass – hardy, tolerant of dog urine, and sturdy in moderate climates. It’s also a beautiful option for most lawns and gardens and doesn’t require extra fertilizer and water.
- Fescue – does well with active dogs and endures physical damage. It’s also resistant to dog urine and doesn’t require too many nutrients to thrive.
- Centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) – this grass does need more acidic soil as well as lots of water. It does great in hot weather, however, and is very tolerant to dog urine and damage.
- Zoysia – dense and pretty, Zoysia doesn’t need much water and tolerates heat. It’s also sturdy against paw damage and the nitrogen in dog urine.
- Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) – durable, fast-growing, and fast healing, this is a very popular option for hyperactive dogs. The blue-hued grass blades are also pretty stylish.
- Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon) – deep root systems make this grass very sturdy and give it fast healing properties. It doesn’t require frequent watering and is fairly resistant to dog pee.
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