When a little dog waste can actually contribute to a greener grass, too much of it will damage and even kill it.
The damage caused to your lawn can be very frustrating: lawn burns and dead patches are very unsightly and difficult to get rid of.
The high content of nitrogen in dog urine can be devastating to your yard, especially if you own multiple dogs.
Although we know of a few dog owners who actually tried this, following your dog with a watering can around the yard each time he/she has to relieve himself/herself, seems like a lot of work…There are better solutions and prevention.
SOLUTIONS
· Dog food selection
Select your dog’s food carefully. Feeding your dog a high-protein diet will produce more nitrogen in its urine. A high quality food will have protein sources that are more digestible (real chicken or lamb meat, therefore, produces fewer waste products.
· Lawn fertilizers
Do not over-fertilize you lawn, as all lawn fertilizers already have very high content of nitrogen.
· Grasses
Plant more resistant grasses, such as Rye grass.
· Lime
Sprinkling lime on the damaged areas and watering them often will help in restoring the grass. And again, water often!
· Sodding
Sodding lawn dead patches is a quick efficient fix.
PREVENTION
· Dog supplements*
There are many diet supplements that you can find at local pet stores. NatureVet* grass saver wafers and NutriVet* green grass supplement are among many.
A UK company claims that Dog Rock*, a mined Australian mineral rock, added to your dog’s water will take care of the problem.
· Natural supplements
The PH of dog urine has no effect on lawn damage: adding vitamin C, baking soda or apple juice to your dog’s diet will not be effective, and might actually increase the risk of infections or bladder stones.
· Drinking water
Encourage your dog to drink more water to dilute its urine. This will lead to less concentrated nitrogen deposit when relieving himself/herself.
Keep a couple of water bowls outside during the hot summer days. Make sure to refill them often with fresh water.
· Training
This is by far the best solution and prevention!
Train your puppy when he/she first arrives to its new home.
Establish a “bathroom routine”. Lead him/her on a leash, to a remote, designated area and use food rewards.
Before you know it, he/she will go to the specific area on its own.
This will save you a lot of frustration, time and money.
For an older dog you might want to change its “summer routine”.
We have done it with our Black Lab, Bird.
We encourage him to “go all the way”, meaning “go all the way back in the yard, where I cannot see it”.
And he does!…Yes, he is that smart! Yes, we are that lucky!
Now, we all can enjoy the summer lawn!
Right Bird?… Good Boy!
Whiner and Diner Eco-chic Pet Accessories
2 comments:
Wow! What a beautiful labrador! That's a really good idea "go all the way". But that must be something you trained him with as a young dog, no? Ours is getting on these days, and cannot learn any new tricks, not for want of love nor money....
This is such helpful advice! A week after my boyfriend and I finally finished perfecting our lawn, a stray dog came into our lives. He's amazing, but what he does to the grass isn't :)I'll be trying out some of these tips for sure, thanks so much.
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