When my dog piddles on the lawn the grass gets brown for awhile then green again?

Question

Is there anything I can do to the brown patches to make it green again faster?

Answer 1

If you water the spot right after the dog piddles it wil ldilute the urine so it won't burn the grass.

Answer 2

It's the high nitrogen level in urine that kills the grass much like you pouring lawn fertilizer in one spot only. The initial contact zone dies, but as the urine/nitrogen difuses out, the nitrogen is used by the grass. The brown center may be dead or just burned, we don't know from piddle to piddle. First thing I'd suggest is get those spots wet as soon after the dog pees as possible, that will prevent or lessen the burn. Then the choice is wait for the lawn to green back up, wait for it to naturally fill in or reseed/resod those spots. One of the fastest germinating seed is perennial ryegrass......not annual rye, you want the turf quality perennial ryegrass. (this is for a bluegrass type lawn, not for bermudagrass or other warm season lawns) .

Forget feeding your dog something to lessen the brown spots, they don't work. For as long as your dog eats protein rich food, they will burn the lawn.

If you have a smaller yard, you will never have a good lawn with a dog unless you can train the dog to pee in a separate area. It can be done, but you have to be good about training and keeping the lavatory clean.

Answer 3

Youre very lucky that at least it turns green again later! Mine just dies after a pee or two in the same area. I've heard that watering the area with a bit of fertilizer added can help.

Answer 4

You might think this is daft, but mix a spoonful of tomato ketchup in your dogs food - it neutralises what ever turns the grass yellow!!

Strange but true....

Answer 5

ketchup works, it neutralizes the nitrogen in your females urine.