If you have a dog, you know the look: round brown patches in the lawn, each one ringed with a circle of extra-green grass. Here’s what causes them, how to keep them down this winter, and how to fix them in the spring.
What causes the spots
It’s the nitrogen in dog urine. A little nitrogen feeds grass, which is why the edge of each spot is so green. Too much in one place burns it, like spilling fertilizer. The University of Saskatchewan’s gardening experts note that female dogs often leave worse spots, simply because they squat and the urine pools in one place. It isn’t about acidity, diet or hormones.
The simplest fix: water it down
When the ground isn’t frozen, the best fix is to dilute the urine right away. Pour water on the spot soon after your dog goes, about three times as much water as urine. For an average dog, that’s roughly a litre from a watering can or the hose.
Winter: pick a spot and stick to it
You can’t water a frozen lawn, and dogs tend to use the same few places in the snow all winter. All that urine sits in the snowpack, and when it melts in spring, those spots can come up brown. A few things help:
- Shovel a small path to one potty area, ideally a corner you don’t mind, or a patch of gravel or mulch. Dogs tend to go where the path takes them.
- Keep it to the same place all winter, so only one small area takes the damage instead of the whole lawn.
- Praise and reward them for using it. As the University of Saskatchewan puts it, training a dog to use a designated spot takes time, patience and lots of praise.
- When the chinooks melt things down, and the ground isn’t frozen, give that area a good soaking to flush it out.
Spring: repair the damage
- Rake out the dead grass once the lawn dries out in spring.
- Water the spots well to flush any leftover nitrogen down past the roots.
- Overseed when the soil warms up and grass is growing, usually from May on here. Loosen the soil, sprinkle seed, press it in and keep it moist.
- Keep the dog off the new seed until the grass is up and growing. A bit of temporary fencing works well.
Skip the pills and powders
You’ll see supplements and products sold to stop lawn burn. The University of Saskatchewan says there’s no evidence they work, and some can cause health problems for your dog. If you’re tempted, talk to your vet first.
For more on keeping a lawn healthy in our clay, wind and chinook winters, see our Lawn care through the year guide.
Source: University of Saskatchewan Gardening at USask: Dog pee patches.
— From all of us at Lethbridge Weather