My In Laws are getting concerned...

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

Hey guys! i live in an apartment in my in laws house.. and Midas is out 10 month old goldendoodle who they love...butttt their lawn has gotten destroyed.. so my husband suggested some pills he heard about that supposedly help the lawn not get burned... or just us to try training midas to pee only in a designated area.. then i started looking online for what people said about those pills and supposedly they can only be used to 4 weeks at a time..i then came across "dog rocks" which is a rock that is all natural that goes in the dogs water..and it seems people swear by it... has anyone used them? or pills? or training? what is ur approach if any? also the grass is torn up from midas running like a nut.. am i supposed to try and stop him from running in his backyard??? please help if u can.. thanks xoxo

[Adina P]

Dogs burn grass because urine is high in nitrogen.  Nitrogen is a powerful fertilizer and usually urine OVERfertilizes grass.  So it burns.  I wouldn't give my dog any pills that change its urine because they could potentially be unhealthy...urine is what urine is.  Changing it probably changes other things in the dog's chemistry.  The only sure fire way to prevent burning is training Midas to go in one area or section of the lawn or hosing off/diluting the area where he pees immediately.  You could carry a watering can and dilute the area right away that way or pull out the hose.  Neither is convenient, but it would help.  Otherwise just reseed often.  It's kind of what happens with a dog..they tend to ruin lawns.

As far as running...that's up to you.  You could be sure to give him lots of exercise on walks or at dog parks or other places and keep the backyard for quick potty breaks.  Our yard is a wreck too because Boca's running is harder on it than my other doodle who weighs twice as much.  She's like 4 wheel drive with studded tires...no cleated tires!  But as much as I hate my muddy yard...it is easier to let her play with Rosco out there than to try to get her enough exercise on my own.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

thank u!! i totally agree with the yard playing.. i could walk Midas for 2 hours and it wont tire him... he has to RUN..and after work when its dark out i dont bring him to parks..so he runs out back.. so im thinking thats never really going to go away.. and i dont know how to tell my in laws that.. i feel like he does kind of pee in one area already.. so i think they dont realize that its more of the running and tearing up the grass then the burns.. im going to go out and check actually lol.. also the "dog rocks" are rocks u put in the water.. let me know if u ever see anything about them let me know what u think.. if u have the time google them..i value ur opinion and would like to see what u think of them! :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I did look this up although I am not Adina: ) I think it sounds like pure hokum. These rock supposedly remove some of the nitrates from the water the dog drinks by "PARAMAGNETIC CHANGES THE ION EXCHANGE IN THE WATER. THIS RESULTS IN THE NITRATE LEVEL IN THE WATER DROPPING AND NOT BEING INGESTED BY THE DOG. LOWER NITRATES WILL CAUSE THE URINE TO STOP BURNING THE GRASS." However most nitrogen in a dog's urine is from eating protein. I doubt this product lowers the nitrate level in water or that it affects the amount on nitrogen in the urine. But if you try it, let us know how it works.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We live in a condo and we had the problem of the dogs "peeing" on (and killing) the grass.  Needless to say our neighbors were not thrilled.  It took awhile but we have them trained not to pee until they get all the way to the end of our back grass area.  We used spray water bottles during the process, and it they had an "accident" we sprayed the area and it neutralized the pee so it didn't kill the grass.  Of course, the downside is that they always have to be on leash, at least while they're learning where they can "go".  Once they "get it", that's where they always want to go....at least with our guys.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Adina, how would you stop the Zoomies?  Libby is extremely fast and furious and it is one of her favorite things to do outside.  It actually scares me at times because she is so strong when she is running, but I know this is good for her and I would never want to stop them.  There is also no rhyme or reason for why she starts them either.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I do not believe in anything that changes the pH of a dog's urine to preserve a lawn. I love dogs, I love gardens and I am medically trained. Just my opinion.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I'm afraid that dogs are just like that!  We took out all the grass in our backyard that was laid down for my husband's sister's wedding and have gone totally natural with the landscaping.  It is super hard to keep grass looking great when you have big dogs that love to run and dig.  I would not try the pills as it is rather unnatural to have your dog on meds.  Of course, more exercise would be great for your pup and maybe for you also.  He needs to be out and about.  I would volunteer to do some landscaping in the yard and make an area for the dog.  Landscaping is really enjoyable and you can add anything.  We have sculptures, rocks, glass balls, wood slices, and lots and lots of plants.  I also take the dogs out for several walks every week and bike rides.  The love the bike-tow leash (BTL).  Take a lot at the photos on my page.  Good luck.  It is doable.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

thank u! how did u first try the BTL id love to get one!!! im afraid midas will drag me down the block and into the street! lol are they expensive? where did u get it?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Chels, don't try this with him. Wait until he is totally reliable on leash before you venture on a bike.  You WILL break a clavicle.  Even if he is trained 100% this is a dangerous venture

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

Lol I watched people on YouTube using it and it looks like it works! But I really can't affor to break any limbs! Lol

[Lynda Kamrath]

Broken clavicles are a common injury with people on bikes who are trying to take their dogs on a leash while they are riding their bicycles.  I would never recommend that.  Also, the apparatus that attaches to the handle bars can yank the bike over.  My husband is a bike racer and he approved this BTL for my use.  I was reluctant, but like it.  My ALD is quite inpulsive, but after trying to run off the trail to chase something and finding that he was attached to the bike, he became quite cooperative.  What works best for us is a couple of miles on the BLT, then some free time, back on the BLT to return to the parking lot.  Of course we live in a spectacular area for bike riding and dog walking.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, Chels, they are expensive, but much less so than medical bills.  I have problems with balance and they work fine for me.  The attachment is on the back wheel, so if the dog pulls it just pulls the back of the bike to the left or the back (kind of a braking action).  I have some photos on my page and also some posts on one of my group pages.  They work best on wooded trails and if you are in that kind of an area you may be able to leave the dog off leash anyway.  I really worry about taking the dogs on pavement with the BTL but we have done it on the bike trail in Monterey.  It is quite busy with bikers, skaters, walkers, dogs, etc.  And it is rather wide as the bike and the dog on leash take up some space.  Anywhere you can take your dog on leash may work for the bike tow leash.  Sometimes we start on the leash and when we get away from busy areas where the dogs can be off leash, we take them off.  Then you just have an 18-inch protuberance off to the left side of your bike.  It will take a little playing around, but a good way for everyone to get some exercise.