Rottie and our (ex) lawn....

[pouyade]

Hi!

We are reasonably experienced dog owners and have seen the growth spurts that our lawn has where our cocker spaniel sprinkles. However, since adopting a young rottie we have seen the lawn decimated. We are now getting bare areas on the lawn as the 2 dogs seem to outbid each other with wee. The local pet shop sell various substances to put in the dogs' water bowls to stop the wee being so noxious, including one called 'rock sulphur' and another, 'Australian rocks'. Do these work at all? Are there any side effects for the dogs? Any other tips to help us avoid losing the grass?

Also Rottie (spayed female) has always pee'd like a bloke - leg cocked - about half the time. However she positions herself, she scratches at the grass with her rear paws like a cat afterwards - sending small divots flying for several feet as if to cover her wee! Never seen this before with our other dogs. Clues?! She is, I should add, a charming, happy, soft, reasonably obedient , well exercised young lady.........

Thanks in advance

Pouyade

[woolybanana]

Forget the lawn or fence off part of it?

[Charly]

Our second dog - a Border Collie - also does this, especially when we are out walking. It is a primal thing, according to our Vet, which some dogs do instinctively to further mark territory and to put down other markers such as the scent located between their pads.  Cats will often mark out their territory by spraying, even females and neutered toms do this, often when they want to be top cat or  they're trying to re-assert themselves  - after a fight, for example, or if another cat is brought into the household.  With dogs, it's also a marker for other dogs out in the countryside who are then easily able to follow the urine scent and the scratching scent and pick up all sorts of information regarding the animal which visited that spot before them.  Our dog is very dominant (or she certainly tries to be) and maybe your Rottie is trying to assert itself in the pecking order. I would also be keen to fence off an area for them, particularly if you suspect they are having some sort of pee-ing contest - before you run out of lawn ! Or, let them pee under supervision and have a large can of water ready to pour over the patch used to lessen the effect!  Personally I wouldn't want to add anything to their drinking water to lessen the damage to the lawn, unless a Vet said it was 100% fine to do so.