Pets are a huge deal to families and the impact they have on our lives could never be replaced.
Even though they can cause mayhem in the house from time to time, there’s nothing more wholesome than seeing your dog zoom around the garden as its tail whizzes round and round.
But as they spend so much time running between plant pots and bushes, you might have noticed your dogs wee damaging the grass in your outdoor sanctuary.
This is a problem more common than you think, as allowing your dog to urinate on your lawn not only results in dry, patchy grass, but it can also cause long-lasting damage by completely killing your lawn.
If you have tried numerous different ways to rescue it but nothing has been a quick fix, we have expert advice on some other methods you can have a go at.
How to stop your dog's wee from damaging your lawn
Matt Adams, lawn feed expert and founder of The Relentless Gardener shares his top tips on how to prevent your dog from ruining your cared-for lawn.
The best start
“To give your lawn the best start against your pets, you want to make sure it’s in the best condition it can possibly be. One way of ensuring your lawn is at its optimum level of health is to feed it with a fertiliser that contains a high level of seaweed. This helps with turf recoverability and overall stress tolerance.
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“If you’ve got dogs, or any other animals, I’d always recommend you use organic lawn feeds on your lawn, including organic liquid seaweed, as it’s pet friendly, and therefore will reduce the risk of causing any potential harm to your pets.”
Keep your dog hydrated
“Making sure your dog gets plenty of water is not only going to keep them healthy and hydrated but it’s also going to protect your lawn too.
"The damaging element of your dog's urine is the amount of concentrated nitrogen it contains and the result is nitrogen burn on the grass - if left on your lawn it can and will kill the grass plant.
"By keeping your dog hydrated, their urine will become diluted and so it’s much less likely to damage, or even burn, your grass.”
Give them a designated area
“Teaching a dog to go to the toilet in a specific area is very similar to house training a puppy – training and repetition is key!
"You should create a designated area for your dog to go to the toilet and encourage your dog to go into that area, and once they have, be sure to praise them. Remember to remove any faeces outside of this area to avoid confusion.
“It might take some time, but if your dog can stick to an area of the grass, it will be more beneficial to the rest of your lawn further down the line.”
Dilute it
“If you catch your dog peeing on your lawn, the best way to prevent it from becoming damaged is to immediately water the area down with your watering can.
"This will dilute the nitrogen in your dog's urine, limiting the amount of nitrogen going into the soil and therefore reducing the overall damage.”
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