Pee killing grass

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trasmuson
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Pee killing grass

Post by trasmuson » Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:02 pm

Does your dogs urine kill your grass? There are so many dead spots in my yard due to him peeing there. What do you guys do to protect your lawn from this? I am a new home owner, so I dont know the tricks and techniques... Thank you for your help.

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Gertie
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Gertie » Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:42 pm

You're going to hate it but it works. I follow my dog outside with a water can. She finishes and I dilute the area with about a quart of water. The urine has a lot of nitrogen in it and nitrogen, in small amounts, is good for the grass but 'full pee strength' burns it. The dilution effect actually makes the grass greener where the dog peed. It's a real pain-in-the-you-know-what and I'm only doing it until I get out of this rental and get moved into the house we just bought and then it'll be natural landscaping or gravel in the yard!
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AzDoggin
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by AzDoggin » Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:59 pm

Gertie has the only way I know to help also - soak it immediately and dilute the urine. If I posted a pic of my grass, you'd see I'm not as disciplined as it sounds that she is.

I'd say trade in the female dog for a male, but the dog that trashes my yard is a MALE -- a squatter. :roll:

I may train my next pup to pee in the gravel area, not in the grassy area of our back yard. Seems like it'd be worth it.

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BillGraves
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by BillGraves » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:18 pm

I have a neutered male and he makes the grass grow greener and taller where he pees! Maybe it's the food...we should start another dog food thread :wink:

Bill

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Sharon
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Sharon » Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:03 pm

When I fertilize the lawn in the spring the new grass fills in the brown spots or rough them up and put some grass seed down on them.
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SetterNut
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by SetterNut » Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:23 pm

You have grass actually growing in your yard :wink:

The thundering herd keep plenty of bare dirt in my yard. The corners around the house look like the banked corners of a motocross track.
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AzDoggin
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by AzDoggin » Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:56 pm

SetterNut wrote:The corners around the house look like the banked corners of a motocross track.
I can picture it .... with the dogs leaning in as they corner. :lol:

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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by mcbosco » Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:01 am

BillGraves wrote:I have a neutered male and he makes the grass grow greener and taller where he pees! Maybe it's the food...we should start another dog food thread :wink:

Bill
It is linked to food. The yellowing of the grass is linked to nitrogen in the urine, just like when you overfertilize a spot. The more digestible the protein is in the food, the less nitrogen in the urine. Bluegrass is very suceptible to this by the way, fescue seems to be ok.

trasmuson3
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by trasmuson3 » Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:24 am

It could be the food... Do you think changing the type of food would prevent it?

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ezzy333
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:43 am

trasmuson3 wrote:It could be the food... Do you think changing the type of food would prevent it?
It normally happens when the grass isn't growing good. Once it really starts growing they will disappear. All that happens is the nitrogen which is acidic burns the leaves. You can dilute it by rinseing the area or just wait till you get a good rain and they will disappear. It is not a major problem but does look kind of unsightly. A change in food will have little if any effect.

I had them all over in the backyard close to the house last winter and early this spring but you can't find a one now.

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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Gertie » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:03 am

BillGraves wrote:I have a neutered male and he makes the grass grow greener and taller where he pees! Maybe it's the food...we should start another dog food thread :wink:

Bill

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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AzDoggin
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by AzDoggin » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:09 am

BillGraves wrote:I have a neutered male and he makes the grass grow greener and taller where he pees! Maybe it's the food...we should start another dog food thread :wink:

Bill
:D Or a gardening thread...or a "honey, we need a few more dogs so our lawn will look better" thread. :D

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mcbosco
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by mcbosco » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:11 am

From Texas A&M:

"The quality of the protein also has an impact since some proteins are highly digestible, meaning less is dumped in the feces and possibly the urine, than other proteins. In general, the premium and super premium pet foods, available from pet stores and veterinarians, will have higher quality protein and more digestible proteins than standard grocery store brands. The higher digestibility translates into smaller fecal size as well."

The American Lawn Guide;

"The quality of the dog food is also important, the cheaper dog foods have a very low quality protein component which increases the conversion of Protein into Nitrogen, whereas many higher quality dog foods have higher quality protein which is more readily used by the dog instead of converting it to Nitrogen."

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Buckeye_V
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Buckeye_V » Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:12 am

Watrer, water, water is biggest impact to a greener lawn. When a lawn is stressed from lack of water, then pee and poo will "burn" the grass. Light watering in the morning and evening are the best way to curb this. If you can.

Thats why you don't see the pee spots when it rains a lot. :wink:
We have done something with nothing for so long we are now qualified to do everything with anything....

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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Steve007 » Fri Apr 27, 2012 6:31 pm

Also available through the same very reputable supplier in (cheaper) liquid.

G-Whiz Lawn Saver Treats®

http://www.jjdog.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?S ... ode=GWD305

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Gordon Guy
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Gordon Guy » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:56 am

I currently have 4 dogs and do not get the dead spots as many do. I have areas that suffer from heavy use but no dead spots from dog urine. I think the dead spots are from a combination of a high nitrogen fertilizer that many folks put on their lawns and the nitrogen in the dogs urine. Combining the two events causes a burn spot in the grass. The fertilizer I use has very low nitrogen levels therefore the spots where the dogs pee doesn't experience a burn from too much nitrogen.

That's the only reason I can think of that explains why I don't have burned spots in my lawn.
Tom

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ezzy333
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:38 am

Gordon Guy wrote:I currently have 4 dogs and do not get the dead spots as many do. I have areas that suffer from heavy use but no dead spots from dog urine. I think the dead spots are from a combination of a high nitrogen fertilizer that many folks put on their lawns and the nitrogen in the dogs urine. Combining the two events causes a burn spot in the grass. The fertilizer I use has very low nitrogen levels therefore the spots where the dogs pee doesn't experience a burn from too much nitrogen.

That's the only reason I can think of that explains why I don't have burned spots in my lawn.
I never have them either except for a year ago in the early spring before the lawn started to grow. Thats the only time over many years I have seen it and it was just a temporary thing.

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Buckeye_V
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Buckeye_V » Mon May 07, 2012 12:43 pm

Again, high stress periods with little water to dilute the urine causes this.
We have done something with nothing for so long we are now qualified to do everything with anything....

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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Greg Jennings » Mon May 07, 2012 12:52 pm

After 6 years of work, I have a beautiful, lush, healthy stand of fescue. The dogs urine will still brown it unless I, or nature (rain), dilutes it quickly.

They will also tend to urinate in the same spot multiplying the problem.

My solution is training them to do it in the empty lots next door. Worked great till someone built there.

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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by JIM K » Mon May 07, 2012 1:20 pm

fenced in yard with FEMALE, you will get burnt spots.my sister lost 400 dollars in plants do to her female.
in winter she will climb on the plants and pee.
killed everyone of her nice plants.

males will kill plants too, i had one that peed thru neighbors fence and killed my tomatoes.
owner sat there and watched it happened.
what kind of person would let their dog do this? i was mad. :twisted:

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AzDoggin
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by AzDoggin » Mon May 07, 2012 6:21 pm

JIM K wrote:fenced in yard with FEMALE, you will get burnt spots.my sister lost 400 dollars in plants do to her female.
in winter she will climb on the plants and pee.
killed everyone of her nice plants.

males will kill plants too, i had one that peed thru neighbors fence and killed my tomatoes.
owner sat there and watched it happened.
what kind of person would let their dog do this? i was mad. :twisted:
Oh man, that reminds me of a story of an old cowboy here in Az whose hound dog constantly peed on his front screen door. The old boy got one of those hand-crank generators from an old phone, hooked it up to the screen, and cranked away as the dog sauntered up to whiz....you know the rest of the story. Behavior changed with a litle creative use of electricity. :D

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Buckeye_V
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by Buckeye_V » Tue May 08, 2012 7:39 am

The rye grass seems to be affected more than the junk stuff in the other part of the yard. In August or July or September when the water from the sky uis hard to come by is the only time I see brown.

Maybe I am feeding a super green food :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
We have done something with nothing for so long we are now qualified to do everything with anything....

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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by fishpond » Tue May 08, 2012 8:09 am

I've got 2 neutered males and a female in a fenced 2 acre yard.
Don't have any problem with my grass, but all my shrubs are "pi$$ burned" from the ground to about 18".

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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by SHORTFAT » Tue May 08, 2012 12:03 pm

Man, I've tried for three years to get my dog to stand on her hind legs and spray a bigger area!!! I'd like her to kill the whole stinkin' yard cuz I hate mowin'! :mrgreen: My wife gets mad tho', cuz if I leave and don't take her with me, she will poop right at the gate so I step in it when I come back in! :lol:
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Re: Pee killing grass

Post by slistoe » Tue May 08, 2012 6:50 pm

What is the difference between a male and a female dog?

The female will kill your lawn and the male will kill your shrubs.

Water it well and then the brown spots in the grass will grow back greener than the rest.

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