No doubt about it: Man's Best Friend is Lawn's Worst Enemy. Distress over brown spots caused by dog urine hits homeowners everywhere. Sometimes it's not even your own dog. What's a homeowner to do about dog damage?

Contrary to popular belief, it's not the acid pH that turns those greens brown.

The pH of dog urine tests between 6 and 8 - depending on what the dog ate for breakfast, how much water it's had, age, health and other factors. Most turfgrasses grow just fine within that 6 to 8 range. Grass damage comes not from acid in the urine, but from the Nitrogen in the urine. Meat-eating canines ingest N as an important part of their protein diet; it's processed, then excreted in their urine. To grass, too much N is lethal. Over-feed your lawn with urea-based Nitrogen fertilizer, and you'll get the same results.

That's why the best remedy for dog damage caused by urine is the same one you'd use if you put down too much fertilizer.

Hosing down the spot after Fido is done will dilute the N. The sooner you do this, the better.

But dogs wait for no man, and if you wait too long, saturating the soil with water won't be enough to avoid that basic brown blotch. Gypsum - Calcium Sulphate (CaSO4) - solves this problem. Powdered Gypsum particles bind to ions in the urine; add water and the toxic molecules leach right out of the soil. Soak well; then sprinkle with Gypsum, 1 lb per 10 sq ft of grass, and repeat with H2O before re-seeding.

If you've heard that female dogs have stronger urine, with deadlier damage, know this: That's a myth. Female dogs mark less territory, so there's more urine in one small place. Male and female urine is equally bad for grass.

You can figure that since pH is not the problem, feeding your dog special pH-changing supplements won't end yellow and brown lawn spots. Ignore ads for special pH pills, baking powder or tomato juice that claim to solve this problem. Giving more water to your dog, however, will dilute the urine, and do less damage to the grass.

Want to keep that blemished grass to a minimum?

Teach your dog to go in the same less-visible spot. Male dogs like to mark their spots and prefer small landmarks like fire hydrants. Keep water handy so you can access it as soon as needed. And make sure your dog has plenty of H2O around to spread out the N.

Some grass tends to be tougher when it comes to dog damage. Tall Fescue and Perennial Ryegrass showed almost no signs of burning in one study by a Colorado veterinarian. Clover is known for its healthy, Nitrogen-fixing benefits and takes more abuse than turfgrass.

But there are no easy answers here. One 'expert' claims to have the whole problem solved. His answer: Get a cat.

Learn more about this author, The Long Island Gardener.
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