Question
I have a small backyard and two dogs.  At the beginning of the summer, I put down new sod (fescue) all over the yard - now I realize that may have been a mistake.  Despite the fact that we give our dogs lawn guard supplements, they have still managed to kill about 95% of the sod.  The sod in the front yard is doing fine, so I know the yellow spots in the backyard are from dog waste.  I would like to try something new next year and was hoping you could give me suggestions on types of groundcover that might be able to survive these conditions.  I was thinking of creating a park-like setting with shrubs, pea gravel and some sort of ground cover.  I still like the look of a nice lawn, but I just don't think it is possible with my situation.  I live in St. Louis, just so you know what type of climate I'm dealing with.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Amy R,

About URINE SPOTS in LAWNS from DOGS:

Often it seems impossible for the Greens-Keeper and the Kennel Master to obtain a satisfactory compromise in these matters-
------

IF you do have a very small yard with extensive urine spotting, you can indeed probably work-out some sort of alternative landscaping scenario using pea-gravel and 'protected' areas for various plants. Few plants can tolerate exessive salty urea-nitrate in the root-zone, so the gravel idea may be a practical solution for you. This may be a summer project for you, or you may hire a landscaping architect or similar knowledgeable individual to help make the changes from lawn to alternative design.
Your city probably has one or more 'trucking companies' listed in the yellow pages.  These business will often sell a variety of pea-gravels, grits, peebles and colored sands you might can work into your plans.  You may simply have to experiment to find what works best with the least maintenance.

Below here is my standard article to address this rather common problem.

-----
About URINE SPOTS in LAWNS from DOGS:

"Dog Urine lawn spotting" is the most common problem I get questions about with this service.  There is no commercial chemical remedy at present;....perhaps a smaller dog with a larger lawn is the best cure there is.

Please DO NOT punish a Dog for being a Dog! It will not accomplish anything positive.

 Dog urine is a mild fertilizer with a nitrogen source as a SALT called UREA. As an isolated salt, urea itself is very high in nitrogen and can make an excellent fertilizer for the lawn and gardens when carefully applied to the grass and top-soil. In lawn-spotting and with pet-damage, the burning (hypertonic effects) of the salt on grass foliage and subsequent physiologic damage is typically widespread and random in nature, as dogs rarely will choose a favorite spot.

 If you are able to simply hose down the areas before the urea can burn the grass foliage or have its concentrated effects in the top soil, it is actually a good fertilizer and if the rest of the yard is well fertilized, you will not see any negative effects or spotting.

 If the dog is kept away from a urine damaged area, time, rain and watering will fix it as all the microbes in the root-zone work to bio-degrade the urine/salts and re-establish a normal soil ecology.

There are reports that Urine on the lawn can be neutralized with about a cup of gypsum.  I have found no testimonials or technical studies-research as to the validity of this, however. And, as stated, I know of no scientifically tested urea-canceling chemicals you can use.  There are sprays you can find at pet centers which supposedly attract dogs to a specific area so spottings due to salting effects are less of a problem. Some people have good results training especially the younger dogs to use certain areas to relieve themselves.

 Some people believe they can add herbs, baking soda and other chemicals to their pet's drinking water to help with lawn spotting. Please Do NOT add anything to your pet's drinking water unless such action is under a veterinarian's supervision! Adding chemicals to the water will NOT affect urea production by the animal's kidneys and may in fact cause an illness or a toxic condition for your pet.

  If the dog persistently urinates in a small area, the soil can become irreversibly too salty for almost any plants or grasses to grow. With this you will have to under till the top soil or, better still, replace it with fresh top soil or potting soil/compost (cheap and available in bagged form at many garden and department stores).

So, encourage or train your dog to go where you prefer with attractant sprays and rewards, or else keep the spots immediately flushed with diluting water are the best remedies for your lawn spotting problem.


 Although there are NO PET-PROOF GRASSES available, some grasses are considerably better than others for a dog's domain. The best lawns for dogs are those grasses that spread by either stolons or rhizomes (usually these are for warm climates). In southern climates, Improved HYBRID BERMUDA Grass cultivars,(example: "Savannah"), are excellent choices for dog lawns. Aggressive lateral growth habit during the warmer months of the year will help to heal damaged areas. During the early Fall, you may consider over seeding these lawns with  perennial rye grasses (Lolium specie) for improved durability during the cooler months.  Tall Fescues are also more resistant to hypertonic effects than other grasses.  Tall Fescue can be grown in all parts of the USA. Mixing Bermuda with Fescue/Rye may also be a compromise for dog spotting in Northern States; the Bermuda will become blanched and dormant in the cold weather, while the Fescue or Rye will stay green.  Remember these grasses are not absolutely urea resistant...just more so than other grass choices and may be worth a try for you.

 Confining a large dog to a kennel run to keep it off the lawn is another way to prevent lawn spotting; this, however, is a sad choice and one which may give you a spot free lawn but a very bored and unhappy dog.

---------
With a good fertile-loamy well draining top-soil, best quality hybrid grass type(s), 1-3 inches of water per week, plenty of sun-light, ...almost anyone can have an excellent lawn with a minimum maintenance effort.
--------

I Hope this has answered your question(s)!
Have the best Summer ever!

Visit my Lawn & Gardens webpage for more Tips, Facts and Links:
http://hometown.aol.com/eilatlog/lawnol.html

Your Questions and Comments are welcome at ALLEXPERTS.com