How To Stop Dog Wee Killing Grass

Does Dog Wee Kill Grass?

Yes! Unfortunately dog wee does kill grass.

Nitrogen present in dog urine is the reason dog wee kills grass. In the right concentration, nitrogen is great for the grass. It's so good that most commercial grass fertilisers are based on nitrogen which promotes lush, green grass - the sort of grass that we all dream of having.

Unfortunately too much nitrogen will ruin your grass. Dog urine is too high in nitrogen hence the yellow patches of dead grass which are so common on the lawn.

How to Stop Dog Wee Burning Grass

The good news is that there are a number of ways to repair and neutralise dog urine marks on the grass.

Check out our tips below.

Training

The most effective way to deal with the problem is to train your dog to urinate somewhere else. This may be easier said than done as dogs often prefer to pee on an absorbent surface - such as grass. If you have a puppy you might stand half of a chance. When you are toilet training, encourage your puppy to pee in a particular area of the garden. Offer plenty of praise and reward when they pee in the right place.

Drinking

Increase your dog's fresh water intake and you will help to dilute the concentration of their urine. You can encourage your dog to drink more by feeding a wet food diet or if feeding a dry food then there is no harm in adding some water to their daily meal. Many dogs (like humans) don't drink sufficient water so there may be some real health benefits in encouraging them to drink more.

Water the Garden

You will probably find that during the wetter months of the year the brown patches are less evident. This is because the rain has diluted your dog's urine for you. It's not very environmentally friendly but regular watering of the lawn is a simple way to ensure that dog urine does not affect your grass.

Supplements

There are a number of food supplements, chews and even rocks that you can put in your dog's water to prevent brown patches. We have tried and tested most of these over the years. Our preferred option is Green Peez. This is a herbal liquid formula that is added to dog food on a daily basis and seems to do a good job at preventing brown patches. Yucca is the magic ingredient in the formula which its manufacturers say binds the nitrogen in the dog urine to prevent it burning the grass. It also contains tinctures of burdock root, celery seed, goldenrod and dandelion which are all known to support the urinary tract so is good for your dog too.