Dog Urine Damage

[Kyle Tobin]

This is the most common question we get.

Myth: only female dogs cause damage to lawn.
Fact: any dog's urine can burn a lawn.  It all has to do with the high nitrate content in their urine. 

Uric acid has a high amount of ammonium in it. Ammonium is the key ingredient in nitrogen fertilizer.  Nitrogen is what makes the lawn nice and green and also increases the rate of growth.  It is also what will burn your lawn if you put too much nitrogen fertilizer down.

Any dog that deposits their urine in one spot (usually from squatting) is what causes these burns in the lawn.  That is why many think it is only female dogs.

The burn usually shows as a yellow or brown spot in the middle with a deep dark green ring of grass around it that seems to grow faster than the rest of the lawn.  That is because the nitrogen burned the roots of the grass in the centre, and dissipated to the perfect amount of nitrogen for the green ring.

What to do?
1. The best thing is to try and water areas where dogs urinate as quickly as possible after they do their business.  This will help to dilute the urine and prevent a burn.
2. Train the dog to urinate in one spot if possible.
3. Don't try to seed the areas until the area is fully diluted, you'll be wasting your time.