There's more than one way your dog can put holes in your lawn. Just peeing on the beautiful grass can leave burned areas of dead grass. How does this happen, and how can it be stopped?

The burn marks are caused by nitrogen in the dog's urine. In the right amounts nitrogen is an important fertilizer, but your pooch's sprinklings are just too much of a good thing.

Some people advocate pills or supplements to reduce the ammonia in your dog's urine. Many others argue that these methods are useless, but they promise a very low-effort way to control the problem. Here are a few methods that don't involve tampering with your best friend's internal chemistry.


Training - try training your dog to go in the same spot each time. Of course, this may cause unwanted odor in that spot, so make sure to use a location either far away or down-wind (or both) from places where you spend a lot of time.

Reduce Fertilizer Concentration - A well-fertilized lawn has a lot of nitrogen in it already, making it more likely that your dog's blessings will push it over the edge. Reducing the fertilizer concentration in your lawn will give your grass a margin of safety.

Flood the Zone - Diluting your dog's urine with a good dose of water will help prevent burning. Of course, you have to be there to make this work.

Flood the Dog - Giving Rover lots to drink will reduce nitrogen concentration in his urine, and will probably make for a happier dog. Again, expect to spend a little more tending time for this method if you don't have a well-oiled dog door.

Get Tougher Grass - Kentucky Blue Grass and Bermuda grass are supposed to be more resistant to nitrogen. While not a cheap solution, it may make good sense if your lawn needs extensive repair already.




We’ve tried to find the best sources we can for the information above, but you should always consult a veterinarian, professional trainer or other expert for any pet problems.