"Just leave it, it's good for the grass." If you've ever heard someone say that about dog poop, you're not alone. It sounds reasonable. Farmers spread manure on fields, after all. But dog waste is a very different thing, and leaving it on the lawn usually does more harm than good.
Why dog poop isn't like manure
The manure farmers use usually comes from animals like cows and horses that eat grass, hay and grain. It's often aged or composted before it goes on a field, which changes it into something plants can use.
Dogs are different. Most dogs eat protein-rich diets, so their waste is high in nitrogen and can be fairly acidic. Fresh dog waste dropped in one spot on a lawn isn't spread out and isn't composted. It's a concentrated pile sitting on the grass.
Dog waste can also carry bacteria and parasites, which is why it shouldn't be added to a home compost pile or used around a vegetable garden. Home compost piles typically don't get hot enough to make it safe.
What it actually does to your lawn
Dead and yellow spots
The grass directly under a pile gets smothered, and the concentrated nitrogen can burn the turf around it. The result is the familiar brown or yellow patch, sometimes with a ring of extra-dark green around the edge.
It doesn't disappear quickly
Dog waste can sit on a lawn for weeks before it breaks down, longer in cold weather. During that time it keeps smothering the grass underneath. In winter it can essentially freeze in place until spring. (More on that in our post about spring thaw yard cleanup.)
Uneven, patchy growth
A yard where waste is left to "fertilize" doesn't end up evenly fed. It ends up patchy, with burned spots in some places and overly lush tufts in others.
The nutrients go where you don't want them
When it rains, nutrients and bacteria from waste on the surface can wash off the lawn toward ditches and storm drains, and from there into creeks and bays. On Delmarva, that water often ends up in the Chesapeake, Delaware's Inland Bays or the coastal bays. We explain why that matters in how dog waste affects the Chesapeake Bay.
The yard becomes less usable
Even setting aside the grass itself, a lawn with waste on it is a lawn nobody wants to walk barefoot on, mow or let the kids play in.
What about dog urine?
Urine causes many of the same yellow spots, because it's also concentrated nitrogen in one place. You can't pick up urine, but a few things help:
- Watering heavily-used spots to dilute urine
- Encouraging your dog to use one area of the yard, like a mulched or gravel corner
- Making sure your dog drinks plenty of water (and asking your vet if you have questions about your dog's health or diet)
How to keep a healthy lawn with dogs
- Pick up waste regularly. This is the single biggest thing you can do for the grass. Weekly pickup keeps piles from sitting long enough to kill turf.
- Mow a little higher. Taller grass tends to hold up better to wear and tear.
- Give high-traffic areas a break. Rotate play areas if you can, and reseed bare spots in spring or fall.
- Feed the lawn properly. If your lawn needs fertilizer, use a product made for lawns, applied the right way at the right time, and avoid fertilizing right before heavy rain.
- Consider a designated potty area. Training a dog to use one spot can save the rest of the lawn.
Myths and facts
Myth: "It just washes into the soil."
Fact: Some of it eventually does, but a lot of it washes across the surface when it rains, toward ditches, storm drains and waterways. That's runoff, not fertilizing.
Myth: "Mowing over it spreads it out like mulch."
Fact: Mowing over waste just smears it across the lawn and your mower, and can spread bacteria and parasite eggs into the grass where kids and pets play. Always pick up before you mow.
Myth: "Rain will take care of it."
Fact: Rain moves waste, it doesn't remove it. In wet weather, waste can get pushed into low spots and wash toward the nearest storm drain.
Myth: "It's natural, so it's harmless."
Fact: Dog waste can carry bacteria and parasites. We cover that in parasites and bacteria in dog waste.
What about burying it?
Burying dog waste in the yard isn't a great idea either. It can still carry parasites into the soil where kids play, and in many Delmarva yards the water table is high, so buried waste isn't far from groundwater. Bagging it and putting it in the trash is the simplest, cleanest option.
A note for gardeners
If you grow vegetables or herbs, keep dogs out of the garden beds and never use dog waste as a soil amendment. If a dog does get into a vegetable bed, remove the waste promptly, and wash produce well before eating. When you want to enrich your garden soil, stick with compost made from yard and kitchen scraps, or a product made for gardens.
Let us keep it picked up
The easiest way to stop dog waste from damaging your lawn is to make sure it never sits there long. That's what we do. Pawscapers visits on your schedule, weekly, every other week or monthly, and cleans your whole yard on every visit, so waste never sits long enough to damage the grass.
If you'd like a fresher-smelling yard too, our optional FreshStep+ yard deodorizer can be added to your service.
We serve homeowners across the peninsula, including Salisbury, Ocean Pines, Dover and Milford. Get your instant quote to see your price.
