# Dog spots!



## potterwc (Jul 1, 2019)

Tif419 at 5/8" HOC in San Antonio. I have two large dogs that burn my grass pretty bad every time they go outside. I walk them twice a day, but it doesn't help. Currently just applying gypsum in the heavily urinated
areas. Is there anything that I can do other than just pour a bucket of water every time they go outside?


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## Philly_Gunner (Apr 23, 2019)

I have the same issue, looking forward to seeing opinions on this. I've seen some people that put a piece of carbon, charcoal or something like that in the dogs water bowl. Apparently it's supposed to neutralize the acidity of the urine. Unfortunately my dog always drinks from the toilet so it's hard to control. &#129315;&#129315;


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Your backyard would look WAY worse if you didn't walk them. I've heard that you just have to follow them around when they first go out and flush the spot they pee with lots of water. I don't know that I would be brave enough to dink around with their water or diet.


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## potterwc (Jul 1, 2019)

My dogs only drink out of the toilet or waterhose as well. They always have access to a big bowl of cool water and they rarely touch it. I am definitely not going to add anything to their diet or water to stop the burning.


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## 985arrowhead (Jul 15, 2018)

Very interested in this thread but I have had no luck with anything.

This year I gave up on reel mowing the back yard because of this and now there are so many "spots" where the grass just won't fill in or is taking forever to fill in that I am losing my mind!

I started just scalping every cut with my rotary on its lowest setting waiting for al the grass to be the same height before I raise to maintain.

The higher HOC does seem to make the severity of the spots less.

Previous treatments included heavy dosing of humic, a jerry can of h2o at the back door, a dog run or kennel area in a corner to "train" to go in the same spot, a pocket hose to rinse the areas, regular walking, etc. but in 2k sqft there just isn't enough space. Add in all the "family" that swore they were gonna take care of this beast and their inconsistency in anything to do with this fire pissing dragon it was or is just a lost cause......

Will stay tuned!

Charcoal in their water? 
Like a piece of burnt wood😂?

August last year:

The culprit:

Sept last year:

Yesterday:


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## Jeremy3292 (Apr 30, 2020)

I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0758J6G8P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_VMDWEbP9APYY1

Also I take a pitcher of water and drown my dog's first morning pee as that is usually always the worst one. Other than that there's not much you can do.


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## Quitplayingcrabgrass (Apr 3, 2019)

FWIW, if there are any scientists out there, my dogs pee never burned my 419 until he got fixed at 4 years old (hunting dog I had dreams of breeding). He had cystine bladders stones and they said likely it was hormonal so they took his manhood. Now his pee burns the lawn. I believe they try to keep the pH a little higher (I think?) with prescription food.

So what I'm getting at is someone smart should figure this out for us! I probably wouldn't touch his diet but I'd definitely spray something 2-3 times a week.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Jeremy3292 said:


> I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0758J6G8P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_VMDWEbP9APYY1
> 
> Also I take a pitcher of water and drown my dog's first morning pee as that is usually always the worst one. Other than that there's not much you can do.


Ive used these and they do work. In time all the damaged spots in my lawn recovered and I had no new spots to deal with.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

MeanDean said:


> Jeremy3292 said:
> 
> 
> > I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0758J6G8P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_VMDWEbP9APYY1
> ...


That's awesome. I didn't know there was anything out there. I've heard that if you put lemon juice in their water it'll help. But I have no idea if that is true. 
Looks like there is 90 chews in there. I have 2 dogs, 1 small,, and 1 larger so I'd need 3 chews a day. So 25 bucks a month. I just wonder if anything else is out there.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

Has anyone found the best way to urge quick recovery to these areas? Top dress with sand?


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## Jeremy3292 (Apr 30, 2020)

rjw0283 said:


> Has anyone found the best way to urge quick recovery to these areas? Top dress with sand?


Good humus compost is the best or quality garden/potting soil - not mulch.


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## Krs1 (Apr 2, 2020)

I used these with great success, it took a few months for the urine to spot making brown spots but after that it was all good. I have two jack Russell terriers 1 is 20lbs and one is 30. They are supposed to be 1 month per bag I would push it 3-4 with no issue. https://dogurinegrassrepair.com/lp/


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## BobRoss (Jul 3, 2019)

I normally do not have issues in the summer, but this is what happens after the snow melts every year.  
I can never use pre-emergents because I am always trying to do so much damage control in the spring.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

Krs1 said:


> I used these with great success, it took a few months for the urine to spot making brown spots but after that it was all good. I have two jack Russell terriers 1 is 20lbs and one is 30. They are supposed to be 1 month per bag I would push it 3-4 with no issue. https://dogurinegrassrepair.com/lp/


Interesting, I wonder if just using filtered water would make any difference. I have a 4 stage reverse osmosis water unit for drinking water, however I just give the dogs regular tap water. I am going to try giving the dogs the good water from now on, and see if that has any effect this summer. I'll post results.


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## acegator (May 31, 2018)

It took two years but my mutt now goes on the side where the rocks are but he still sneaks into the grass from time to time..


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

I haven't had the opportunity to test this because none of the neighbors dogs that pee in my front yard have ever burned the grass. I read somewhere a long time ago that sprinkling a little sugar on the area will speed in the recovery.

The logic is that it's the concentrated dose of urea from the dog urine that causes the burning.

By adding sugar, you are increasing the food supply for the micro herd to breed and grow and break down the urea more quickly which theoretically should speed recovery.

I seem to remember reading that the end effect was not only a faster recovery by a rebound in growth similar to PGR wearing off and the grass rebounding.

If someone were to test this and see positive results, it might be worth applying a regular, say monthly, application of molasses to the entire yard as a preventative/maintenance program.


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## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

Yep. Dog pee spots suck. I've tried Humic acid before and didn't seem to help. Also, I think when your yard is already under a optimal fertilization schedule, it's hard for the grass to take in any additional nutrients. So, the sugar/molasses theory might be sound.

Over the past three weeks, since I've been stuck at home, I've trained my GSP to pee on the side yard which is all mulch. My lab is obstinate though and get her to reliably pee over there. BUT, with just one less dog, my grass is getting so much better! I might buy those rocks and plop them in their 3 gallon water bucket outside just to see if it help with my lab.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

after looking into the Dog Rocks, I just don't see how they could work. How is putting rocks in a bowl of water supposed to prevent grass burn from the nitrogen they produce? They claim the rocks decrease nitrates in the water which equals less nitrates in the Pee, if there is any truth to this. I'd get the same effect by giving them water from a RO system (reverse osmosis) that filters contaminates such as nitrates from water. So I started giving the dogs the fancy water starting today, we'll see what that does. If anything they get better tasting water. I am skeptical that it changes anything, but paying 15 bucks for dirty rocks to put in my dogs water is a little weird. The dog's high nitrogen content is from their high protein diet, I would think the only to truly prevent the pee stains would be to change their diets or just follow them around with a garden hose.


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## Thor865 (Mar 26, 2018)

Went threw this and only thing to guarantee it is to water every spot in heavily as soon as they go. Haven't had a pee spot in I can't remember how long


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

+1 for cats!

*ducks*


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## ktgrok (May 25, 2019)

This was actually one of the deciding factors in my choice of st augustine for the backyard....supposedly the less dense grass lets more go through and drain vs a dense bermuda or zoysia, that traps some of the urine right on the blades where it burns more than if it made it to the soil.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

ktgrok said:


> This was actually one of the deciding factors in my choice of st augustine for the backyard....supposedly the less dense grass lets more go through and drain vs a dense bermuda or zoysia, that traps some of the urine right on the blades where it burns more than if it made it to the soil.


St. Augustine is way better, I believe my yard use to be about 90% St. Augustine, then my dogs happened about 9 years ago and DESTROYED IT!. I am talking 3 foot deep holes. I sodded with bermuda, tiffway 419. because of the durability, I didn't know about the vulnerability to dog pee. I sodded with 3 pallets, so I covered about 60% of backyard, to fill the craters and areas the dogs had destroyed. The bermuda has taken over, however I do have a small section of St. Augustine that still remains and it rarely gets pee burns. (My front yard also had some type of bermuda so that was part of the reasoning of going with the bermuda in the back as well.) I've seeded over the years with different types of bermuda to combat the dogs so I have lots of various bermuda in the back. Good news is... the dogs have lost the desire to dig in their older age, so the back is starting to look great minus the bare spots from PEE!!


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## calebbo (Jul 30, 2019)

I just trained my dog to pee past my yard. But some of you have tall fences.

My belgian malinois can hop a 6ft fence lol

I trained her to go into the green belt past my yard and do her business and come back. That may be an option for some of you with like a 3ft picket fence.


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## seebryango (Feb 21, 2019)

@calebbo I have 2 Blue Heelers (very smart) and 4000sf of brand new TifTuf sod..... One of them already goes in the pine straw but I am going to have to train the other one. We installed a fence this winter, but before that, they went to the green space outside of my maintenance area. Poops are ok bc I can remove that easily


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

calebbo said:


> I just trained my dog to pee past my yard. But some of you have tall fences.
> 
> My belgian malinois can hop a 6ft fence lol
> 
> I trained her to go into the green belt past my yard and do her business and come back. That may be an option for some of you with like a 3ft picket fence.


That's awesome. My dogs are 11 and 10, so they are set in their ways. Maybe I could train them to pee in an area, but at this point they would probably look at me crazy, and just go where they have been going for the past 10 years.


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## potterwc (Jul 1, 2019)

It is definitely the urea burning it. Its funny that in the PGR I have noticed an unusually dark ring and then sudden burn. Obviously the more water the dogs drink, the less concentrated the urine would be. Diet and drinking water additives are out of the question for my pups, as well as training them to pee in a certain spot. In my Bermuda the pee spots last about two to three weeks and they aren't exactly pissing me off, but I would like to speed that process up. I have tried using granular lime when I notice a burn beginning, but I did not use a solid scientific system to measure if it helped. The sugar comment does seem interestingly plausible.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

potterwc said:


> It is definitely the urea burning it. Its funny that in the PGR I have noticed an unusually dark ring and then sudden burn. Obviously the more water the dogs drink, the less concentrated the urine would be. Diet and drinking water additives are out of the question for my pups, as well as training them to pee in a certain spot. In my Bermuda the pee spots last about two to three weeks and they aren't exactly pissing me off, but I would like to speed that process up. I have tried using granular lime when I notice a burn beginning, but I did not use a solid scientific system to measure if it helped. The sugar comment does seem interestingly plausible.


Yes, I've researched the sugar a little, and I have found a few sites that say it works, but not much feedback on whether it actually works. If giving dogs water that is nitrate free from a water purification system that is intended for humans actually works (extremely unlikely) I will ensure everyone knows about it.


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## cutigers08 (Aug 16, 2019)

Fixed my problem. :lol: Once they go out and do their business I can let them into the yard to play.


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## FedDawg555 (Mar 19, 2020)

I threw in the towel fighting urine destruction. I tried everything from watering each pee spot after they pee to humic, Organics, to changing food to a lower protein. Nothing really worked and the dog area lawn Just got worse. Finally this spring removed 300 sq ft of dead semi dead grass and installed a gravel dog area with TrueGrid. Sectioned it off and my headaches are over. Their happy I'm happy and no more losing The battle.


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