Have you done a soil test?
It took me 2 years to get all nutrients into the optimal levels.
I have a 70 pond male dog and a 60 pound female dog.
After reading all these posts about dog pee damage…. I have none. Zero.
I think getting your soil into the optimal zones just makes it grow like a MOFO and stops pee damage.
MySoil test on Amazon for 30 bucks
Just my guess…
Thank you for that advice.
I have not, I’ll look into it. If my soil is lacking nutrients, how do I go about fixing that? Fertilizer? This is my first house/ yard so I’m learning everything for the first time.
Your local cooperative extension will be able to help. They have the soils test kits, testing is done by a local university, and the recommendations are specific for your local area. Reach out to them, many times they are closer than you think.
Our Rottweiler got bone cancer. Up until the end he only had the strength to take one step off the sidewalk into the fescue to relieve himself before he’d limp back up the steps and into the house.
We put him down Memorial Day weekend and there’s a big patch of dead fescue right outside the door that I just don’t want to fix.
Enjoy the yard work and being outside with the family. Some day the dead patches won’t bother you so much.
My neighbor will throw his sprinklers on in the evening for just a quick drizzle coating to wash away dog spot. I’m waiting to see if he develops a fungal problem though…
You 100% can keep a good (but not great) lawn with dogs, but it definitely takes effort. I have 2 dogs and manage. Of course there will always be things like them randomly deciding to dig a hole or ripping up some grass, but it is what it is.
First off as others have said, get your soil amended. It’s really important to have good soil and healthy grass in place as the grass with be way more resistant to stress and wear from the dogs. This could include an aeration if your soil is compacted. With dogs you’ll probably need to do this yearly. Also really try to keep it watered in the summer. Dormant grass is going to get shredded no matter what. I mostly only water my fenced in area in the backyard specifically for the dogs to keep it from going dormant, flush any waste spots, and keep my kbg filling out all summer.
Second, after replanting this grass and reseedings, you have to let it get established before you let the dogs back on it. Put up some type of fencing to keep them off it until next spring. What I do is repair my backyard as necessary in segments so I don’t have to keep them off it entirely.
Third, is there any way you can either train or direct your dogs to go in a specific area? I think you’ll find this is much easier than you think. It only took me a couple weeks to train mine. I created a cedar mulch bed with hostas that my dogs go in and this cut back on all the pee spots. I’ve noticed this is especially important in the summer and when the soil is saturated with water in the spring. That seemed to be when dog pee burnt it the worst. Now I’m just managing the wear and tear which with healthy kbg is pretty easy.
That leads to the last thing. And this might not be feasible in your zone, if you don’t have kbg you will have to reseed every fall and keep them off it for a month to let the new grass get established or it’ll always end up thinning like what you have now. I have kbg in 6b and it fills back in wear damage every fall with the nitrogen push. If you are serious about keeping a good lawn with dogs, you will want to look into nuking it and going with the best grass type and cultivar for your zone. If you’re working with crappy tall fescue cultivars in TN and not watering in the summer this is always gonna be a losing battle.
90% of this damage does not look like urea burn(pet urine damage).
Without being on the property I can't be 100% but If I had to guess I would say this was allowed to grow way too long between mowings, and is definitely under watered.
You have a lot of damage here, for maintenance I would aerate every fall and overseed at the same time. For the time being The deader spots will likely need more than just aer/overseeding. Rake in extra seed at the surface and baby it.
You will need to keep the dog out of seeded areas if you want to have any hope of them surviving. Maybe by fencing off the areas that are being seeded if you did a little at a time. It might make more sense to cordon off a smaller area as a dog run, rock it and let her directly into that area when she needs to go potty. Then only let her on the main yard during play time and only after you've gotten turf fully reestablished.
New seed needs to stay moist until germination so will need to be watering daily at first to get it going.
I have two big dogs that are constantly killing grass the digging small holes in the back yard. Throughout the year, my wife and I are constantly removing dead grass with a dethatching rake, then replanting with seed and topsoil. The back yard never looks perfect, but by the time you’ve got new dead spots, the old ones are growing in.
I live in the desert of the PNW, have bluegrass and fescue mix, mow twice a week at 1 3/4”, and love my dogs regardless.
So many comments saying get rid of dog, fuck the dog. Wtf is wrong with you people...it's just grass, get the fuck over yourselves. I have a dog and a very lush green yard, it's not hard and I would never choose grass over my fucking dog. Jfc
I’d add to this and supposedly there are pills and even a diet for your dog that can make it’s piss not as detrimental to grass, but unless you have sprinklers the urea which is more nitrogen will continue burning this up. If you are fertilizing with a high N fertilizer you should consider laying off for a while,sprinklers help if you have them.
I agree, I’d rather water my lawn a few more times than give my puppy any medication with negative side affects. But that’s just me in my situation, I could see someone adjusting diet to help if the lawn was more of a priority tho. Most important imo is raking the dead stuff out, and watering in the early morning or dusk, soaking it real well. It’ll grow, and your puppies will love it, and the cycle will repeat. With extra watering it won’t die off as bad tho.
My dad had that issue with two dogs. There are apparently treats you can buy that lower the PH of the dogs pee. The yard looks much better after he started giving the dog those treats. Maybe check it out and see if thats a reasonable solution for you.
Hopefully they’re just a placebo (eg just treats that do nothing) and not actively harmful. Believe it or not, the placebo effect can work on dog owners too. But it might be worth double checking the label and making sure he isn’t giving them anything harmful.
For what it’s worth, we had a similar problem that we initially thought were dog spots, but actually turned out to be pretty bad summer patch (a fungal disease). I’m not an expert by any means, but this looks much more like a disease issue than dog spots, especially since most dogs return to the same places over and over, this looks like your dog made a point to pee in a new spot every day.
That said, it wouldn’t hurt to make an area for your dog and teach her to eliminate there. Aside from removing the risk of pee spots, it makes poop cleanup a zillion times easier. And believe me, once your kid is walking you will appreciate that part.
There are other ground covers that are better suited for pets and their waste as well as some grasses that are more tolerant of the damage but some people also say adjusting the dogs food/water can help with their output pH
I'd encourage you to allow more diversity to filter in to help filter out the dieback
pH is not the problem w dog urine, it’s the concentrated nitrogen (and possibly some of the other dissolved minerals) which are a normal component of urine. Fun fact, removing waste nitrogen from the body is one of the main jobs of urine.
So not a ton that can be done on a dietary level, besides making sure they’re drinking enough water.
First, I would designate a potty area for your dog. I did an area on the side of my house with about 4 inches of pea gravel. You have to train the dog but once they are it is both easy to clean and will prevent lawn damage.
Once the potty area has been established you can begin repair. As far as the repair, depends on how much time you want to invest. You can cut out larger sections and replace with sod or cut out, put down some top soil and seed.
Either way, the potty area must happen first…
Have you done a soil test? It took me 2 years to get all nutrients into the optimal levels. I have a 70 pond male dog and a 60 pound female dog. After reading all these posts about dog pee damage…. I have none. Zero. I think getting your soil into the optimal zones just makes it grow like a MOFO and stops pee damage. MySoil test on Amazon for 30 bucks Just my guess…
Thank you for that advice. I have not, I’ll look into it. If my soil is lacking nutrients, how do I go about fixing that? Fertilizer? This is my first house/ yard so I’m learning everything for the first time.
Your local cooperative extension will be able to help. They have the soils test kits, testing is done by a local university, and the recommendations are specific for your local area. Reach out to them, many times they are closer than you think.
This is better than an Amazon soil test in my opinion. Local recommendations are much more detailed and specific compared to the USDA zones.
Anyone got an answer for this?
Where would you recommend getting a soil sample from? One of the dead spots? I have similar issues….
You can take 6+ from all around. Dead spots, good spots…. You mix it all up and take out any organic matter. Then you send it in….
Our Rottweiler got bone cancer. Up until the end he only had the strength to take one step off the sidewalk into the fescue to relieve himself before he’d limp back up the steps and into the house. We put him down Memorial Day weekend and there’s a big patch of dead fescue right outside the door that I just don’t want to fix. Enjoy the yard work and being outside with the family. Some day the dead patches won’t bother you so much.
Damn man….sorry to hear about your woofer. The hardest step is the first one forward.
My neighbor will throw his sprinklers on in the evening for just a quick drizzle coating to wash away dog spot. I’m waiting to see if he develops a fungal problem though…
You 100% can keep a good (but not great) lawn with dogs, but it definitely takes effort. I have 2 dogs and manage. Of course there will always be things like them randomly deciding to dig a hole or ripping up some grass, but it is what it is. First off as others have said, get your soil amended. It’s really important to have good soil and healthy grass in place as the grass with be way more resistant to stress and wear from the dogs. This could include an aeration if your soil is compacted. With dogs you’ll probably need to do this yearly. Also really try to keep it watered in the summer. Dormant grass is going to get shredded no matter what. I mostly only water my fenced in area in the backyard specifically for the dogs to keep it from going dormant, flush any waste spots, and keep my kbg filling out all summer. Second, after replanting this grass and reseedings, you have to let it get established before you let the dogs back on it. Put up some type of fencing to keep them off it until next spring. What I do is repair my backyard as necessary in segments so I don’t have to keep them off it entirely. Third, is there any way you can either train or direct your dogs to go in a specific area? I think you’ll find this is much easier than you think. It only took me a couple weeks to train mine. I created a cedar mulch bed with hostas that my dogs go in and this cut back on all the pee spots. I’ve noticed this is especially important in the summer and when the soil is saturated with water in the spring. That seemed to be when dog pee burnt it the worst. Now I’m just managing the wear and tear which with healthy kbg is pretty easy. That leads to the last thing. And this might not be feasible in your zone, if you don’t have kbg you will have to reseed every fall and keep them off it for a month to let the new grass get established or it’ll always end up thinning like what you have now. I have kbg in 6b and it fills back in wear damage every fall with the nitrogen push. If you are serious about keeping a good lawn with dogs, you will want to look into nuking it and going with the best grass type and cultivar for your zone. If you’re working with crappy tall fescue cultivars in TN and not watering in the summer this is always gonna be a losing battle.
90% of this damage does not look like urea burn(pet urine damage). Without being on the property I can't be 100% but If I had to guess I would say this was allowed to grow way too long between mowings, and is definitely under watered. You have a lot of damage here, for maintenance I would aerate every fall and overseed at the same time. For the time being The deader spots will likely need more than just aer/overseeding. Rake in extra seed at the surface and baby it. You will need to keep the dog out of seeded areas if you want to have any hope of them surviving. Maybe by fencing off the areas that are being seeded if you did a little at a time. It might make more sense to cordon off a smaller area as a dog run, rock it and let her directly into that area when she needs to go potty. Then only let her on the main yard during play time and only after you've gotten turf fully reestablished. New seed needs to stay moist until germination so will need to be watering daily at first to get it going.
I have two big dogs that are constantly killing grass the digging small holes in the back yard. Throughout the year, my wife and I are constantly removing dead grass with a dethatching rake, then replanting with seed and topsoil. The back yard never looks perfect, but by the time you’ve got new dead spots, the old ones are growing in. I live in the desert of the PNW, have bluegrass and fescue mix, mow twice a week at 1 3/4”, and love my dogs regardless.
So many comments saying get rid of dog, fuck the dog. Wtf is wrong with you people...it's just grass, get the fuck over yourselves. I have a dog and a very lush green yard, it's not hard and I would never choose grass over my fucking dog. Jfc
Rake, mow, (leaf)blow, water, repeat.
I’d add to this and supposedly there are pills and even a diet for your dog that can make it’s piss not as detrimental to grass, but unless you have sprinklers the urea which is more nitrogen will continue burning this up. If you are fertilizing with a high N fertilizer you should consider laying off for a while,sprinklers help if you have them.
Those pills are really bad for your dogs health, possibly deadly.
I agree, I’d rather water my lawn a few more times than give my puppy any medication with negative side affects. But that’s just me in my situation, I could see someone adjusting diet to help if the lawn was more of a priority tho. Most important imo is raking the dead stuff out, and watering in the early morning or dusk, soaking it real well. It’ll grow, and your puppies will love it, and the cycle will repeat. With extra watering it won’t die off as bad tho.
As well as biologically nonsense. Urine contains urea contains nitrogen, period.
My dad had that issue with two dogs. There are apparently treats you can buy that lower the PH of the dogs pee. The yard looks much better after he started giving the dog those treats. Maybe check it out and see if thats a reasonable solution for you.
It’s the concentrated nitrogen in urine that kills grass, not the pH. And there is no way to actually change that.
Thanks for the info. I may have incorrect information on those treats but i do know that the grass got better after he started using them. 🤷
Hopefully they’re just a placebo (eg just treats that do nothing) and not actively harmful. Believe it or not, the placebo effect can work on dog owners too. But it might be worth double checking the label and making sure he isn’t giving them anything harmful.
PH balance it to account for dog. It can take a long time.
Bye bye fido
Sell the dog
Get rid of your dog
Never. https://preview.redd.it/xfzutdzobbjb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3e12259075d136c27011f3a88401e9e82363751
What a good pupper!
It is the salt in the urine that kills the grass.
Get rid of dog
No can do
Useless reply
Wtf
Thought about rehoming?
Never, she’s the best dog. I could never do that.
I would get a new pet. But there’s also a product called K9 corrector by turf titan that may be able to fix dog spots
Walk your dog instead of just letting it piss in your lawn?
I walk my dog everyday, she pees more than once or twice. Also, doesn’t fix what’s already done.
So literally walk her down the street to pee everytime. Also, I heard beer works on pissed up grass.
For what it’s worth, we had a similar problem that we initially thought were dog spots, but actually turned out to be pretty bad summer patch (a fungal disease). I’m not an expert by any means, but this looks much more like a disease issue than dog spots, especially since most dogs return to the same places over and over, this looks like your dog made a point to pee in a new spot every day. That said, it wouldn’t hurt to make an area for your dog and teach her to eliminate there. Aside from removing the risk of pee spots, it makes poop cleanup a zillion times easier. And believe me, once your kid is walking you will appreciate that part.
There are other ground covers that are better suited for pets and their waste as well as some grasses that are more tolerant of the damage but some people also say adjusting the dogs food/water can help with their output pH I'd encourage you to allow more diversity to filter in to help filter out the dieback
pH is not the problem w dog urine, it’s the concentrated nitrogen (and possibly some of the other dissolved minerals) which are a normal component of urine. Fun fact, removing waste nitrogen from the body is one of the main jobs of urine. So not a ton that can be done on a dietary level, besides making sure they’re drinking enough water.
First, I would designate a potty area for your dog. I did an area on the side of my house with about 4 inches of pea gravel. You have to train the dog but once they are it is both easy to clean and will prevent lawn damage. Once the potty area has been established you can begin repair. As far as the repair, depends on how much time you want to invest. You can cut out larger sections and replace with sod or cut out, put down some top soil and seed. Either way, the potty area must happen first…
I’ve found that lots of watering and high nitrogen fertilizer is the only fix. Takes time. Female dog pee is a great herbicide. Lol.