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When Your Lawn Goes To The Dogs

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Spring is in the air and many of us are watching our lawns start to green up. Right about now, you might be noticing some brown, more or less cirular spots in your lawn, especially in the areas frequented by your dog. Some people mistake these spots for lawn diseases, but the truth is the grass has been damaged by your dog's daily deposits. Dog urine is highly acidic, salty, and a bit of a nitrogen source as well. The acidity and salt cause the grass in the center of the spot to turn brown and often die, while grass around the perimeter will be lush and deep green from the effect of the nitrogen in the urine.

So is it possible for dogs and lawns to coexist with no problems? Not really, but there are some things you can do to minimize the damage. Straight off I'm going to say that the best way to keep your lawn green, lush, and beautiful is to keep your pets off of it. But for a large percentage of homeowners, that is not practical or desirable. There is nothing quite like flopping down in the cool grass right after romping around with your panting furry friend. So with that in mind, here are a few suggestions to help keep your lawn looking good.

Keep Your Lawn Healthy! A good watering and fertilizing program will keep your lawn healthy and growing vigorously. A healthy lawn not only does not succumb as easily to stresses like dog urine, but it also recovers more quickly.

Water,Water,Water After Rover finishes doing his duty, pick up feces at once and water areas copiously to leach the salts out of the soil.

Try A Hardier Grass Variety Try using a tough variety of grass like a Tall Fescue mixture. This grass is very hardy, stands some abuse, has a deep root system, and makes an acceptible lawn grass.

Listen To Jerry Baker! Yard Guru Jerry Baker, recommends applying 50 pounds of Gypsum per 1000 square feet of turf every spring to help offset Spot's damage.

Those are just a few suggestions and there are no guarantees for preventing damage to your lawn. One myth I'd like to dispel too, is the one about bitch urine being more damaging than male urine. Male and female urine is the same, its the application method that causes the problem. Females squat and concentrate their urine in one spot, whereas males lift their legs and mark their territories on bushes, rocks, and poles. If your male squats, which some do, then he will damage the lawn as much as a female. Additionally, some veterinarians say that changing your dog's diet can help with the acidity of the urine.