- Updated April 12 2025
- Reading time: 5 minutes
What causes dead stains of grass on your lawn and how can you stop it? Dead grass is ugly and early action can help solve the problem before it gets too serious.
In our experience during decades of dog ownership, we have brainstormat and tested a number of causes. We have also consulted dog coaches, experts and business doctors for lawn to help with troubleshooting the solutions.
In this article, we:
- Help you diagnose the problem.
- Make sure it is actually your dog that causes it.
- Give tips for fixing it in the long term.
What causes brown spots on the lawn?
Playy grass combustion can occur for several reasons, so it is worth making sure that it is actually your dog that causes the problem. Some ways to limit this may be:
- Are the patches small or large? Urine patches tend to be smaller and appear as several brown spots on your lawn, rather than a large continuous dead zone.
- Have you seen your dog pee in the general area? If your puppy uses the same places for Wee and the same places are where the grass dies, it is more likely that they may be the cause.
- Are the spots surrounded by thicker green grass? Dog Pee is often high in nitrogen. Where it does not kill the grass, it can run out to the edges and actually help to fertilize it!
- Are the grassroots still strong? Fungal disease can also kill grass, but it tends to also rotten roots. Dog Pee leaves the root system intact and only damages the tips of the grass.
Why does the dog kill urine grass?
There are two main scientific supported reasons that Hundurin can damage grass:
- Hundurin contains high levels of ureak weave. Nitrogen is a fertilizer, but when it is very concentrated it can burn the grass tips and make them brown.
- Hundurin also contains varying concentrations of lactic acid, depending on the diet. High concentrations of lactic acid have a proven herbicide effect.
So, what can you do about it?
In this guide we help you find practical solutions and ways to prevent further damage. Helps you maintain a healthy, green lawn, while sharing it with your dogs.
Natural solutions to prevent the dog from being injuries to the dog
Now that we have diagnosed the problem and we are pretty sure that it is our furry friend who causes it, we are ready to try some investigated solutions. The most effective we will detail here.
Dilute the affected area
If you see your dog pee on the lawn, you can use a water can to rinse the area down and dilute lactic acid and nitrogen. This can go a long way to prevent further damage in the short term. But it is not practical to always follow your dog around like this, so you need more permanent solutions.
Provide adequate hydration
You can reduce the concentration of the urine by allowing your dog to drink more water. Making sure your dog has plenty of water in an available water bowl can help dilute the urine at the source.
Feed a balanced diet higher in water content
The type of dog food is important. Kibble does not contain natural water, so your dog is completely dependent on additional water intake to remain hydrated. Feeding your dog a raw diet that already has plenty of moisture will make a difference here.
The nutritional balance is also important. Feeding a complete and balanced diet with naturally digestible ingredients will put less load on your dog's kidneys. Healthy kidneys provide more balanced urine. This is particularly relevant for the production of the lactic acid.
Go your dog at specific times
Dogs usually have a preference for when they urinate. Most dogs will have to go out when they first wake up, or after a meal. Take the opportunity to take them out, either a long walk or to a place where their pee cannot damage the grass.
Train your dog to pee on the command
To encourage your dog to go to the toilet in a specific place or do it when you target them to help a lot. Be patience and they will learn. When they urinate, tell them “Wee Wees”, so they associate the words with the action. Soon you can prompt them to go to a specific location and time when you are present.
Just remember not to press your dog or make them worried. Sometimes they just don't have to go and you should not make them uncomfortable.
Reserve a patch for them to Wee
Soil protection plants such as clover or native violet are much more resistant to an abundance of nitrogen. They grow happily in the shade and act as an excellent place for your dog to learn to get.
Recommendations
Repair the grass
Fortunately, the dog rarely kills the deeper root system in the grass, so when you prevent the causes, the grass will generally grow back. If the grass is really dead, the surrounding grass will usually grow back to the empty note.
You can accelerate this process by stripping the dead grass tips, putting some rich soil in the empty patch and removing the area with the same grass, if you prefer.
Diet changes
A complete raw dog food diet is an alternative to help with dehydration and chemical imbalance in dog urine. You can browse our raw dog food online to choose a recipe that best suits your dog.
Responsible
This article should not be taken as medical advice. Always consult a veterinarian or pet industry doctor if your pets have a diet with health problems.
About the author
Bodog Olah – Raw & Fresh
Bodog is a co-owner at Raw & Fresh, Lifetime Dog owners, responsible raw feeders and Avid Gardener. He has handled more than his fair share of dead grass patches and used the recommendations in this article to solve them!
Sources
Lactic acid is an important contributor to the dog's urine injury in the Cool -season lawn of crop science through research.
Train your dog to use a designed potty area of poopickers
