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Permalink Reply by Linda on August 8, 2015 at 11:05pm

I have 2 corgis....guess burn patches are the price you pay for having dogs.  I'm not being flip but just what can you do other than get use to it, encourage crabgrass...that doesn't seem to be as affected by urine...walk them elsewhere or follow behind them with a hose to dilute it.  If there is such a thing as urine proof grass I've love to hear about it.

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Permalink Reply by Vic on August 8, 2015 at 11:23pm

Sign. I just want to have a nice lawn...

What interested me is the grass in park seems ok with dog pee. I asked the grass guy if the grass will be ok with dog pee, he said yes, But the fact is no.

The dog pee is so powerful that it kill grass faster than the Roundup. This is something I don't understand. 

My theory is that my dogs eat too well. Their dry food is Acana, duck or pork or lamp. There is just too much meat protein, so their pee is poisonous. But it is just my theory and don't have any proof nor taste their pee.  

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on August 14, 2015 at 11:51pm

Interesting. I don't have grass, of course -- everybody nearby has desert landscaping because water is too expensive to throw on the ground, at least for normal humans.

However, we live near an outpost of Richistan, and we also have a grassy park in the center of the 'hood. People who can afford the water bills build lawns of bermudagrass -- which I think may be what folks in other regions call crab grass  or devil grass. Dogs pee all over the neighbors' yards and the park, to no ill effect. Another type of grass that grows here and may grow in cooler climes (it doesn't mind shade) is called St. Augustine. It's hard to mow, but it's practically indestructible.

Hm. If the park grass is unaffected, why not call your city Parks & Recreation dept and try to find out what kind of grass they use. Or maybe they know something about fending off dog pee that we don't?

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Permalink Reply by Vic on August 17, 2015 at 2:16am

It is a good idea to call city about what grass use. Just I am not sure is it available for purchase. The grass we use is call Kentucky bluegrass, pretty much every shop in town sell this grass. It suppose to be pretty good when deal with dog pee. But if you can see my lawn, I can tell you it stand no chance in front of my dog. I even install a wireless watering remote just for the dog pee. But again, it seems useless. 

I just check the St. Augustine, it seems it is not very good to deal with cold climate here, sometime it will get as cold as -35C/-31f. 

I am wondering is there anything that I can put in my lawn to help the grass to defence the pee.

thanks

Vic 

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on August 19, 2015 at 7:31pm

Have you thought about xeric landscaping? Dunno where you live, but here in AZ the cost of water is so high that relandscaping with xeric (so-called "desert") landscaping will pay itself in 18 months. So a  most people have stuff on the ground that doesn't have to be watered and mowed. My backyard sports quarter-minus, which is mild enough for me to walk on barefooted and for the dogs to tear back and forth on, but which does not wither under the onslaught of poochiepee.

Try googling "xeric" + the name of your region to see if there's something you could put on the ground that would look not enrage your neighbors but also not require grass at all.

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Permalink Reply by Linda on August 9, 2015 at 7:44am

Trust me...I get it.  But when you have dogs or kids you need to rethink priorities.  The warn furry snuggles and the I love you mommy are worth more than a perfect lawn or an immaculate house.  Being a week shy of 65 I think I have enough experience to say with certainty that you won't have any regrets in the end.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 10, 2015 at 10:50am

Best thing is to put a half-bucket of water or so over every spot immediately after they pee.  A pain I know but it works.

Other option is to find a non-grass area for them to go on.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on August 10, 2015 at 11:44pm

It is not a factor of what they eat, so you can keep up the good diet. 

When I lived in a development, I had the same problems you are having.  The best thing is to either designate an area where you want the dogs to eliminate ( yes, it can be done.  I had a fairly large area with pea gravel for this purpose) or dilute the urine with abundant water.  When I moved out of the suburbs and to a rural area, once in Colorado and once in Virginia, no burn spots from urine, even when the dogs repeatedly went in the same area....  I think that grass which has been naturally established has better resistance than what has been established through laying sod, as they do in developments, even if the sod was laid years and years prior..... Just a guess from my observation.  

There are products on the market that you add to the dog's food or water and  claim to solve this problem.  They work by changing the acidity of the urine and I would never use them because you risk urinary or bladder infection when the natural acidity of the dog's urine is changed.

An then there is artificial grass.....

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Permalink Reply by Frances P Moloney on August 19, 2015 at 7:06pm

Thank God for the rain in Ireland: we have no shortage of quality grass and the regular rain dilutes dog pee automatically!

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