Preventing lawn brown spots

How do I prevent prevent brown spots on my lawn after my dog pees?

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##FULL QUESTION## Dear *Gardening Life*, Is there anything I can do to stop the grass going brown where my dog pees? I do rinse it with water. *—Jean Fraser, Burk’s Falls, ON*

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##FULL ANSWER## Jean, Dog urine is very acidic and has a high nitrogen content. This is what burns the grass in the same way that too much lawn fertilizer does (it also contains nitrogen). Low levels of nitrogen feed the lawn safely, so watering the peed-on area will dilute the urine for a “fertilizer effect.” This should be done within eight hours; if left longer than 12 hours, the grass will burn more severely. Encouraging your dog to drink more, wetting its kibble and giving it high-quality food are supposed to help. You could also give the dog its own separate toilet space, or install tougher turf grasses such as rye or fescue. For dogs just passing by, barriers are the best solution. My neighbours put fences around all their front-garden trees to avoid the daily dog attention. *—Marjorie Harris, Editor at Large* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Eliminating earwigs from clematis flowers Beetle damage to spruce trees Removing whiteflies from hibiscus leaves Building a cactus garden Maintaining redbud trees Maintaining Boston ivy growth Using black walnut leaves for mulch Stopping powdery mildew on maples Planting trees near a swale Growing on a septic field How to battle weeds between flagstone and alternative options Mysterious orange powder on the lawn What to do with end-of-season potatoes on the vine How to control Japanese knotweed What to grow in a dry area The proper way to plant astrantia What is the star flower and how do I manage it? How do I eliminate my ant problem? Preventing red beetles from attacking lilies Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees Annual resembling Japanese maple Planting ivy near cedar trees In search of the 'Sundance Kid' sunflower Caring for canna bulbs A supplier for barren strawberry ground cover Winter care for roses Cutting back mauna loa The best time to harvest curly-leaf lettuce Eliminating invasive trumpet Caring for double-flowering hibiscus trees Eliminating white aphids from honeysuckle vine Where to purchase Japanese blood grass An alternative to rhododendrons Growing a vegetable garden over a septic field Dividing and replanting daylilies Proper care for oakleaf hydrangea The best care for shrub roses 'The Fairy' Pest eating purple leaf sand cherry

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