How to Discourage Dogs from Urinating on Our Lawn?

[lizzywednesday]

Other than a sign for their owners, is there anything I can do to discourage the neighborhood dogs from urinating on my lawn & sidewalk verge? I have considered using cayenne pepper, but I feel like that could do unintentional harm rather than simply being an irritant/annoyance to the animals, so I would rather not. (I do use cayenne and red pepper flake to deter squirrels from digging up & eating fall bulbs/rhizomes, but squirrels are wild animals not pets.)

Both areas now have wilted/yellow spots and it took me a little bit of time to make the connection between the dogs' pee and the lawn damage. Fortunately, it's limited to single areas, but it's a little annoying. At least it's no longer feces; that dog's owner must have moved away.

Also, is there anything I can do to limit or reverse the damage?

[trcy]

Do you know if it's lose dogs or leashed dogs walking with an owner? A sign may help a leashed dogs, but if it's dogs just roaming the neighborhood, I don't know what you could do.

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[lizzywednesday]

Do you know if it's lose dogs or leashed dogs walking with an owner? A sign may help a leashed dogs, but if it's dogs just roaming the neighborhood, I don't know what you could do.

They're all leashed dogs; we have a leash law in town. It hasn't been a problem until recently when a larger couple of dogs started using the mailbox post as a restroom. (I get it; they're dogs and they smell other dogs' scent, etc.)

The spot that is worse is on the verge (that strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb) but there's a small area on my actual lawn that bothers me when I think about it, as it's exactly where DD walks on her way into the house. (We do remove our shoes upon entry.)

I'm not as concerned with the verge spot, but a few of the neighbors have put up lawn signs reminding dog owners that yards are not bathrooms.

Again, at least it's not poop - we have a poop pick-up ordinance in town and it's a regular reminder in the neighborhood newsletter.

[doberbrat]

There is a spray called "Boundary" that you could spray on your mailbox- that might deter dogs peeing there. Its nontoxic/harmful to dogs.

AFAIK, the spot you're calling "verge" I've never heard that term before - between the sidewalk & curb is city/town property. IMO, this is where dogs should be peeing rather than on your lawn, shrubs, flowers

[NCGrandma]

AFAIK, the spot you're calling "verge" I've never heard that term before - between the sidewalk & curb is city/town property. IMO, this is where dogs should be peeing rather than on your lawn, shrubs, flowers

We always called that the "berm" and it definitely was town property. A question that hadn’t occurred to me before: in towns where large sections of town do not have have sidewalks, is there usually any strip of grass at the edge of a yard that is town property? (Yeah, I know ... like most things, "it depends"!)



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[lizzywednesday]

There is a spray called "Boundary" that you could spray on your mailbox- that might deter dogs peeing there. Its nontoxic/harmful to dogs.

Thanks!


AFAIK, the spot you're calling "verge" I've never heard that term before - between the sidewalk & curb is city/town property. IMO, this is where dogs should be peeing rather than on your lawn, shrubs, flowers

It's actually part of our property assessment for taxes (etc.) and on the deed map for our lot, so, while I'd agree with you in principle, in reality, it's part of my lawn.

[mikala]

Dog owner here. I'm diligent about always cleaning up poop, respecting other people's space. I keep my dog on a six foot or shorter leash so pup is always that distance or less from the sidewalk or street but dogs have to stop to pee on walks. As an owner I can steer mine away from a specific pee spot but the concept of putting up signs for a full yard or even considering something potentially harmful to the dog like pepper seems out of proportion with a very common suburban occurance.

We've had luck fixing yellow spots in our own yard with lime from a local garden store. You might also try landscaping a little differently since the source will probably always be there in a suburban environment. You could also try plants in the area for something pretty and different. Hostas grow fast and cover area quickly. Our neighbors have a pretty monarch waystation garden by the street. Clover doesn't seem to turn yellow from dog pee so you might overseed the area by the street with that.

[SnuggleBuggles]

That grassy strip (or as my friend in Cleveland called it growing up, “tree lawn”) is owned by homeowners here!


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[Kestrel]

In my opinion, dogs are lazy. If you can put up a barrier - even a short one - they will choose to go elsewhere. A short fence (18 inch) or similar shrubs my be enough to discourage them. If it were me, I would focus on the yard and let the verge go; giving the dogs an easier place my protect your yard.

[Galkina]

Only a dog trainer can help with this.

[ChicagoNDMom]

What I find interesting is that we call that strip the “parkway”. Never knew there were so many names for it.

I am a dog owner and 100%-poop-picker-upper. Sorry, OP, I cannot pick up pee or dictate where my dog pees on a walk. We do not wander off the sidewalk on walks, but he pees just to either side of the sidewalk on the grass. That is simply what dogs do and, IMO, to be expected when living in a neighborhood with sidewalks.

Potential yellow patches on the grass goes along with 100’s other things that are good and bad parts of suburban neighborhoods: lemonade stands, buying Girl Scout cookies, passing out candy on Halloween, welcoming new neighbors with baked goods, putting up with the next door neighbor who uses a leaf blower early on the weekend, etc. It is just a tiny annoyance that is part of the fabric of neighborhood life.

Putting any sort of chemical deterrent on the parkway that you have no idea how might affect or injure a beloved pet is, well, simply not cool in my book. If you are going to do that, At least put up a sign that says you have done so, allowing dog owners the chance to totally avoid the sidewalk in front of your house if they have a dog with allergies/chemical sensitivities.

[lizzywednesday]

...

Potential yellow patches on the grass goes along with 100’s other things that are good and bad parts of suburban neighborhoods: lemonade stands, buying Girl Scout cookies, passing out candy on Halloween, welcoming new neighbors with baked goods, putting up with the next door neighbor who uses a leaf blower early on the weekend, etc. It is just a tiny annoyance that is part of the fabric of neighborhood life.

I tend to agree; I didn't realize how different dog ownership was, however, than the way I'd grown up with it - my childhood dog would, by today's standards, be considered "neglected" because we'd leave her outdoors on a lead during the day (always provided water for her & she had access to shade) and keep her in our garage at night - and the fact that dog owners now walk dogs vs. turning them out into the backyard for hours at a time is probably a better thing than that old thought.


Putting any sort of chemical deterrent on the parkway that you have no idea how might affect or injure a beloved pet is, well, simply not cool in my book. If you are going to do that, At least put up a sign that says you have done so, allowing dog owners the chance to totally avoid the sidewalk in front of your house if they have a dog with allergies/chemical sensitivities.

I don't think I will do anything for the time being; I don't want to hurt someone's pet or their human family members, like crawling babies or toddlers.

When we first moved in, I actually took note of all the dogs here and bought ice melt that was marketed as being "pet safe" just to reduce the overall harm to their poor paws if I used it on our sidewalk.

I really needed the perspective and I appreciate all the advice and recommendations I've received in this thread. I may put up a sign for the lawn-proper, but I'll simply have to suck it up with the curb strip.