Urine Grass Burn

At this time of the year our grass is most susceptible to urine burn from our dogs.  Also, unfortunately the bluegrass that is our most common lawn grass, is also the most susceptible to urine burn.  The cause is the high nitrogen concentration of urine, due to it’s the ammonium content.  Just as over fertilization will kill the grass, so does the urine.  The only real cure is to liberally water the lawn where your pet is urinating.  Once we get into the wetter and warmer time of the year, and we actually get into the growth phase of the grass, this is no longer such a problem.  During the snow covered winter months the urine is often sufficiently diluted by the snow cover and so causes less damage.  So if you are concerned about the spots of killed lawn, now is the time to start watering where your dog urinates. 

Females dogs are more damaging to the lawn as they squat and localize their urine.  Male dogs often urinate up against objects and so are urinating into the flower beds or have a disseminated stream.

For the most part many of the products that are recommended to prevent grass burn which are sold for dogs are poorly effective or potentially harmful.  After many years of experience with a variety of products, we have yet to find anything that works any better than water, re-seeding and time.