Is Your Dog Ruining Your Lawn?

You dog may love your lawn, but that doesn’t mean your lawn loves your dog. While your lush green grass is the perfect place for your fur baby to run and play, it may also be his favorite spot to urinate. Burn spots throughout your turf due to your pet’s bathroom habits can be a very frustrating problem. If you can’t seem to train your dog (or the neighbor’s dog) to potty on the mulch or other non-grass area of your property, there are still things you can do to reduce urine lawn damage.

What Causes Burn Spots from Canine Urine?

In order to understand how you can prevent burn spots on your lawn, it is important to understand how and why this happens. It all comes down to pH – or the acidity of your dog’s urine. Since dogs are carnivores, they typically have a slightly acidic pH level in their waste. A healthy dog should have a pH of 6 or 6.5. However, if it is higher, it is considered more alkaline and can burn your lawn. A pH that is lower or higher than the suggested range can not only cause lawn damage, but also compromise the health of your dog. Therefore, it’s worth asking your vet for pH strips to test your pet’s levels. There are supplements available for dogs to help neutralize their urine and prevent lawn damage.

Check Your Dog’s Diet

The most influential factor in your dog’s urine pH is their diet. If you are feeding your canine a lot of dry grains and alkalizing foods, they are much more likely to have a waste output that kills your lawn. Instead, offer moisture-rich, grain-free foods that contain more acidic proteins so that your dog’s urine can act as a fertilizer instead of a threat to your lawn.

Splash Some Water

If you can’t seem to control where your dog goes to the bathroom and what your dog eats, you can take matters into your own hands. Start carrying a water bottle with you when you take your dog out for potty breaks. After your pup urinates, pour some water on the area to dilute the urine and reduce its reaction on your lawn.

At EarthCare Landscape Management, we believe that a healthy dog and attractive lawn can and should coexist. If you are frustrated with frequent burn spots on your grass due to pet urine, we are happy to help. Call our Gainesville lawn experts today.