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Keeping Fido off the grass
by Roy Jonsson
The popularity of dogs has increased dramatically in the last few years.
This has created a variety of problems for their owners and neighbours, particularly if they have lawns.
Dog urine and feces can be a frustrating problem when it comes to lawn maintenance. Of the two, urine creates the most damage. It is the amount and strength of the urine that will determine the degree of damage.
Dog urine and feces damage to grass and shrubs is related to the concentration of nitrogen. Urine and feces are waste products that remove excess nitrogen from the kidneys and intestine. The nitrogen results from the breakdown of protein in the dog's diet. An excessively rich protein diet will create more nitrogen in their waste.
A small amount of dog urine will create a green patch while a large amount will cause a dead spot generally surrounded with a bright green ring of rich growth. The outer green ring forms where the urine has been diluted and acts as a fertilizer.
Feces is less of a problem for burning grass but it has its own set of problems when left on the lawn.
If the feces is picked up immediately before it has time to dissolve or leach out the nitrogen, burning will not occur.
Removing feces from the lawn also reduces the risk of cross contamination with children. Apart from soiling shoes and clothes, dog feces may be infected with such things as round worms, hook worms and salmonella. These parasites and bacteria can be picked up by children playing in contaminated areas.
Contrary to popular belief, urine from female dogs does not vary in strength nor its ability to burn. All puppies and females squat to urinate so the nitrogen is concentrated in one spot and causes burning. Male dogs usually learn after approximately a year to lift their leg and deposit urine on a post, bush or rock, which helps to disperse the concentration of urine and do less burning. However, if they use the same spot repeatedly the burning will occur on the shrub or grass at the base of the post or rock.
Male dogs often use their urine as a way of marking a spot, which attracts other dogs to do the same. A boulevard lawn may have five to 10 dogs per day visit the site, creating an extremely high concentration of nitrogen on a well-scented shrub.
Certain grass species are more prone to urine or nitrogen burning. Unfortunately, most of the grass species we grow are the least resistant to burning. In tests done on common lawn grasses it was shown that the concentration of urine was more damaging than the volume.
Knowing the problem is one thing, solving the problem is another. Building fences, picking up feces and advising neighbours about leash bylaws may help protect your lawn but what about your own dog?
Few dog owners realize that dogs can be trained to use a litter box or designated area in the garden where they can eliminate their nitrogen rich wastes and stop damaging the grass or fouling the lawn area. The litter area must have a suitable base such as gravel or wood chips that will allow good drainage. Providing a suitable post, large rock or faux hydrant will make the site more appealing to male dogs. Scenting the area with the dog's own urine and feces will make the training easier.
Taking the dog to the site on a leash and rewarding it with food for using the site will establish a pattern of behaviour. Consistency over a two- or three-week period with a puppy may be enough, whereas with an older dog it may take a month or two. Some dog owners have found it helpful to develop an elimination command as well.
Repairing the damage done to a lawn by dog urine can be accomplished in several ways. Diluting the urine with three times the volume of water soon after it happens is fine if you see the dog urinating. If the burn has already occurred, add water and then scratch the soil surface to create a seed bed. Cover the seed with a dusting of soil and the patch should be green again within 14 to 21 days. A third method is to cut out the damaged sod to a depth of three to five centimetres (one to two inches) and insert a new section of lawn sod. This is the quickest way to repair the lawn. Cutting sections of turf from the edges of your own lawn to use as patches will ensure you have the same type of grass and that you don't have a quilt-work of different coloured grasses.
roy_jonsson@telus.net
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