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Burnt grass spots from urine

7K views 40 replies 18 participants last post by  Jenny720 
#1 · (Edited)
Surprising our grass came in really nice this spring. I did not think possible in some areas. I seem to give up but was really enjoying the nice lush green grass in the recent weeks. Now the grass is getting destroyed again by the urine spots. I believed I asked this question before but it is very difficult to hose down the grass after the dogs do their thing. Is there a sturdy grass seed that is more resistant to dog urine. You can see the spots in the grass in the photo. Is it better to keep the grass longer. I ask the landscaper they just say I have to many dogs not much help. Lol! I do regret not training them in a spot in the yard as pups but they were winter pups so it was potty time was as close to the house as possible and still seems to be where they go to this day.



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#3 ·
Lol! Some spots are not that pretty. I was really on the verge of giving up but do enjoy that green grass. I think I’m looking for magic seeds lol! They must be out there. We have a friend that has 6 dogs they have a area where they do their thing in a fenced off area. I’m just not set up for that maybe one day.
 
#6 ·
When we lived with another family, they were slightly OCD about their yard being perfect. They insisted we give my dog some grass saving treats everyday. Supposedly the treats prevented those burn spots. It did seem to work, but I did not like giving her random, probably unhealthy treats that were full of chemicals. If you can find something more natural to give your dogs, that may work for your grass.
 
#8 ·
I read that grass burns where the heaviest urine concentration hits but the out parameters of grass benefits. After reading it, I did notice how lush the grass was around the burn spots. The spring rains usually do a good job of diluting so the burn spots won't show up until a little later in the season.
 
#12 ·
The only thing I know that isn't going to affect your dog's system is just pouring some water on the area after they have peed so that you dilute it so it isn't strong enough to burn the grass. The worst pee is the morning pee that they've been holding for a long time.

We have this issue too... I love my green grass, I don't like the burn marks.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Pythias-I heard about something but I heard was not healthy to give dogs.

Heart and soul yeah interesting.

Maaresy-Luna is a digger but she seems to have gotten better but everyone and then a pot whole appeared she almost dig up the patio the other day caught her just in time lol!
 
#14 ·
I once read to try tall fescue. The idea is that their roots go deeper so they might sustain less damage. I basically try to encourage my dogs to pee in less noticeable areas. I have a crazy mix of ground cover in my yard, so grass is not my area of expertise.
 
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#17 ·
Mieke would lay on top of the hole and lay her head down when you would clearly catch her and yell at her. She also got angry as we followed her around with a shovel and filled the holes in. She developed OCD with digging (supposedly) they tried to manage it with different medications but my mother didn't like that it nuked her personality. She got better as she got a bit older. Oh also the dead looking tree was a bush my guy Nitro in the picture (that handsome fella wearing all white) was determined to kill. I think it stayed so long because my mom was determined to make it work.
 
#23 ·
Curious, have heard that it tends to be female urine. Heard it on a local gardening show.

I have females, but no dead spots. I also feed with about 3 cups of water twice a day, so they are use to having lots of water which would tend to help them not have such concentrated urine.

I started because one of my girls got into something she shouldn't and needed to drink lots of water to help flush her out. What I did with one… I just continued.
 
#25 · (Edited)
@milka’s Mom I put water in their food often because I use the dehydrated pAtties but that is not daily so something I can try. oddly all the dogs I had this is the first time I had issues with urine spots male/ female with all emptying their bladders when they need to. I can’t even tell if any are from Luna because max always emptied his bladder in the backyard and caused them. There sure are more spots so it must be both.
 
#26 ·
:rolleyes:a gardener tried to tell my brother-in-law that the females are the ones who burn the grass because of the estrogen. More likely the real reason is that females will squat in any number of places while a male is more likely to wet a post. So you have a bare spot at a bottom of a post, no biggy. A burn in the middle of a green field of grass, you notice right away. Since it is the excess nitrogen that burns the roots of plants, I guess the more water they drink the more diluted the pee.
 
#27 ·
Yes car2ner that makes sense even though they drink like camels I’m going to give them water in their food daily. I did not throw a pot of water on any pee this morning even though my intentions were good. Im got some really great ideas here I wanted to thank everyone.
 
#29 ·
Plant nerd warning.....

Jenny, where do you live?

See if you can get ahold of Poa Supina seed. It's expensive and not that common, but upscale garden and landscape suppliers should have it. It is aggressive, and has a higher tolerance for intermittent blasts of Nitrogen.

Make sure you do NOT fertilize your lawn with anything containing even moderate amounts of N (the first of three numbers listed on fertilizers). If your lawn is already getting dosed with N, the additional N from dog urine can do it in. This is where a LOT of well intentioned dog owners and lawn snobs go wrong.... a little is good, a lot is fine, too much = dead grass.

I ended up overseeding a mix in my yard that contains vetch (clover, as mentioned above) also can work). It's green, it's mowable, I don't put any fertilizers or herbicide on it, and the "pee corner" looks no different from the rest of my backyard. The most suitable blend will depend on where you live and what your soil is like.
 
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