Tricks for Healthy Lawns With Dogs

Dog owners who pride themselves on keeping beautiful lawns should be aware that canine urine can greatly diminish the health of their grass. This is primarily a result of the high levels of nitrogen typically found in dog urine. Fortunately, you can keep your pooch happy while making sure your lawn is safe from her urine.

  1. Water the Grass

    • Frequently watering your grass can be an effective way to dilute the lawn-killing effects of dog urine. For best results, make a point of watering your grass on a daily or twice-daily basis. If you're particularly diligent, give the grass a quick watering whenever your dog expels urine on it.

    Altered Diet

    • Making some healthy alterations to your dog's diet can help reduce the nitrogen levels in his urine. In addition to increasing your pooch's water consumption, try getting him to regularly drink tomato juice. These changes should make your dog's urine less concentrated and therefore less acidic. However, they won't completely solve the problem.

    Lawn Sprinklers

    • Motion-activating lawn sprinklers are an effective, albeit expensive, way to discourage your dog from urinating on your lawn. When your dog is proceeding to sniff out a good spot to do her business, she'll be sprayed with cool water. Over time, she'll start saving her urine for trees she encounters on walks and sidewalk grass.

    Urine-Resistant Grass

    • If you're tired of putting forth the effort to combat dog urine in your yard, consider switching to a urine-resistant type of grass. Certain varieties of perennial grass, particularly Fescue, are well-equipped to stand up to even the fullest canine bladder. In fact, dog urine actually helps some of these grasses grow.