There’s nothing more beautiful than a lush, green summer lawn.  People spend lots of money and lots of time keeping their yards attractive all year long.  For owners with pets, urine spots can be detrimental to that perfect grass.  If your pet is urinating in your lawn, there are a few things you can do to make the spots less numerous and less noticeable.

The first factor you should consider is your pooch.  No, he isn’t a bad dog for urinating all over your lawn.  He simply has not been taught not to do those things.  You can train him to urinate in a desired location, but it will take time.  Start by choosing a desired urination location.  Pick an area that is hidden from view or that will not be easily affected by urine.  For instance, if you have shrubs or bushes surrounding your property, then pick a spot that is concealed by the greenery.  Or, if you have an area with fine gravel (not rough or large) or mulch, then make that the potty zone.  Wherever you choose, make sure that it is somewhere your pet will want to use and feel comfortable using.  It should not be an area with high traffic, nor should it be near your dog’s “home” area.

Start training as soon as possible.  It’s also a good idea to not leave your dog unsupervised until the training is complete.  When you let your dog out to pee, whether he is leaving the house or a fenced in area, take him directly to the desired spot before allowing him to run around the lawn.  Come up with a command such as “potty,” and reward your dog for obeying.  When he urinates in an undesired location, then tell him “no” or use an equivalent command.  Don’t get angry with him; remember, patience is key.  Don’t be fooled; it may take awhile for your pet to understand what you want.  While your pet is in training, there will probably be lawn accidents.  If your pet urinates in an undesired location, then grab a bucket of water or a hose and pour water over the area.  Diluting the area can help ease the burns that your grass may suffer.

Many people believe that adding substances to your pet’s diet can change the composition (and, in return, the harmful effects) of his urine.  Tomato juice, baking soda, and specially formulated treats have all been named as lawn helpers.  Until you speak to your veterinarian, do not introduce any sort of extra substance to your pet.  You never know how the dietary change could affect his health.  You can, however, make sure that your pooch is drinking enough water.  The more water he drinks, the more diluted his urine will be.  Do not force him to drink more water or add substances to the water that promote drinking.  Instead, encourage him to drink by making the water more appealing.  On those hot days, try to keep the water as cool as possible by adding ice cubes and refilling the bowl often.  He’ll enjoy the cool refreshment!

Instead of focusing on your dog’s diet, continue to focus on his behavior as a way to stop the urination.  In the meantime, you can work on getting your lawn back to being beautiful.  There are many companies that make lawn repair products that cover the spots and promote new grass growth.  Brampton Instant Lawn Repair and K-9 Yard Patch are two such products.  Your best bet is planting a grass that will better withstand urine spots.  Before you seed the area, make sure you use a rake to scrape away the topsoil.  Follow the directions on the seed packs to get your new grass growing.  Aerating your yard can also help promote new growth. 

Sometimes, it can be tough to manage a beautiful lawn and a beloved pooch at the same time.  Your dog’s urine can cause yellow or even dead spots all along your grass.  Just like housetraining, you may need to implement a potty training program for your pooch.  Teaching him where to urinate can help protect your lawn.  Never add any sort of substance to your pet’s diet in an effort to change the composition of his urine.  Instead, provide him with plenty of water.  Until your pet is trained, you can find products that cover the spots.  Once your pet is trained, consider planting grass that is not easily burned by urine.

Article provided by pet-super-store.com a website featuring dog carriers, pet strollers and aluminum dog crates.