Dogs are creatures of habit, and when they pee in the same spot a few days in a row, they can create spots on the lawn. Most will be yellow or brown, and the dead grass may even spread. However, not all dog urine spots are bad; some are a darker green. Here’s how you fix dog urine spots on your lawn to make a healthy, consistent space.

How to Fix Dog Urine Spots on the Lawn

Dog urine has a lot of nitrogen in it, which is an essential nutrient for plants. Small amounts of dog urine or diluted dog urine may actually be beneficial for your lawn, resulting in patches with greener, healthier grass.

However, the longer your dog pees in one spot, the more likely the nitrogen is to overwhelm the grass. Too much nitrogen kills the grass and leaves a brown or yellow thatch behind. This is especially likely to happen if your dog goes in spots where your grass is frequently walked on or otherwise stressed.

So, how do you fix dog urine spots? For dead grass, you need to cut out the dead portion, and lay down new grass seed. While the grass is establishing, you will need to water it and keep it safe from your dog. A small, temporary fence around the area is a wise investment, especially if your dog likes to dig.

Be sure that you are laying down seed that is the same grass species as the kind you already have in your lawn.

What about spots where the dog’s urine has helped the grass? You may want to bring the rest of your lawn up to this standard of health. Put down some nitrogen fertilizer, and the rest of the lawn should respond in kind.

How to Prevent Dog Urine Spots on the Lawn

There are a few ways that you can protect your lawn from the potentially destructive effect of your dog’s urine. Here are some ideas you can consider:

Rinse: After your dog pees, use the garden hose to rinse the urine away. Diluting it will limit its impact on the grass and spread out its nitrogen too.
Train: You can train your dog to go in a different spot on the lawn so that they don’t cause damage. Select a rock bed, a sandpit, or just a part of the lawn that you don’t often see and train your dog to pee there.
Hydration: Dogs that are better hydrated will have more diluted pee, which is much less harmful to a lawn. Make sure your dog has access to water before he or she goes outside and while they are outside.
Add hardscaping: If you can’t convince your dog not to go in the same spot, you can add stone, interlocking, or other hardscaping there so that you don’t have to keep re-seeding the grass.