Leave Citrus Peels On The Ground
The smell of tangy citrus may be appealing to us, but to some dogs and cats, the smell is particularly pungent.
Accordingly, you can use peels of lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit to keep Fido out of your yard. Keep in mind that this won’t necessarily deter all dogs.
For the best results, mix in the peels with your soil. This will help the peels break down over time and prevent the peels from unintentionally attracting bugs.
You can even double-up your approach by making a soil mixture that contains both citrus peels and leftover coffee grounds.
13 Strategies to Stop Spot from Sprinkling
If you’ve been wondering how to stop the neighbor’s dog from peeing in your yard, look no further.
While not every strategy discussed below will work with every dog, a combination of these tips should at the very least, protect your lawn to a greater degree.
Figuring out what works best for your yard and neighborhood can be a process of trial and error, so don’t be discouraged if the first method doesn’t yield immediate results.
You can also try experimenting with more than one of these strategies at a time.
If you’ve seen the same dog tinkling on your yard several times, it might be worth taking the time to explain your situation with the owner.
You’ll just have to use your judgement to figure out the best approach — you don’t want to end up in a heated confrontation.
In some cases, it may be best to catch the offender in the moment — especially if you don’t have any way to contact the owner later. Just be polite, and point out the problem the pooch’s pee-pee is causing your lawn.
In other cases, it may be best to simply wait to speak with the owner later. This may yield better results in many cases, as the owner won’t be distracted by his or her dog.
Assuming that it’s someone you recognize, pick a time on the weekend to politely knock on the owner’s door and explain the situation as evenly as possible. It’s likely that the dog owner simply doesn’t notice the problem his or her pooch is creating and will have no trouble avoiding your property in the future.
Keep in mind that sidewalks near your home are likely public property. Therefore, you may not be able to deter dog owners from walking their dogs near the perimeter of your property.
Megan (K9 of Mine owner) here! When I first got my dog I didn’t really know yard etiquette and often let my dog pee on my neighbor’s grass.
One day he approached me and said “Can you not have your dog pee there? Once one dog pees there, all the others want to too. I’m counting on you!”
Initially I was embarrassed, but my neighbor’s wording made me feel like I could be part of the solution. He didn’t yell, complain, chastise, or blame me. Instead, he presented the situation as something I could help him with, and that framing maintained goodwill between us!
One of the easiest ways to deter dog owners from walking near your property is to install a sign that gets the point across with a quick glance.
Note that this won’t necessarily stop dogs from eliminating on your lawn but it should make it clear to your neighbors that it’s not something you desire.
How do you stop a dog from peeing on a certain spot?
One way is to provide a better, more convenient alternative.
For example, if your lawn is off-limits, you could provide a nice patch of grass (or perhaps a single piece of sod) on the curb that is dog friendly. Make it clear to owners that their dog should be here – and not over there!
This way dogs still have a place to relieve themselves if the urge strikes while passing by your house.
You can also include a poop bag dispenser on your property so that passersby have everything they need to keep pooch poo off of your lawn.
This also might make it easier to communicate your wishes with your neighbors. For example, you could say, “I’d prefer if Fido didn’t eliminate on the lawn, but I have a patch of grass on the curb that he’s perfectly welcome to!”
That way, the dog owners won’t have to switch up their walk routine while still keeping your lawn in great condition.
Is your dog to blame for your lawn’s brown grass spots?
Before blaming it on your dog, first confirm that he is indeed the culprit, says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Association of Landscape Professionals.
Several brown spots surrounded by dark green grass is one indication that the damage is caused by dog urine, she says. To check your lawn’s health and help determine the cause, gently pull on the discolored turf to see if the roots are firm.
“If the root system remains secured, then you can take action to reduce issues caused by dog urine. However, if you can easily pull back large amounts of grass, you might be dealing with a lawn disease,” Henriksen says. If that is the case, she recommends that you seek a lawn care professional’s help.
HOW TO PREVENT DOG URINE SPOTS & STOP DOG URINE KILLING GRASS
If you want to stop your dog peeing or pooping where its not wanted read on for our top eco friendly DIY tips on Poop & Pee prevention outdoors.
We have to admit we’ve been very lucky with our dog Willie. He was easily housed trained and has never had an embarrassing moment in the house.
City dwellers, we have a small back yard mostly paved with little garden bed. We hoped that like the two cats he lives with Willie would choose the garden bed to fertilize with his doggy doo and pee……. We were wrong!
This is not such an issue except that the one favored spot he has chosen on our paved yard (especially in rainy winter months) is the covered area right outside the door to our outdoor laundry and storage shed….. Ever stepped in dog doo in your ugg boots?…… Not happy.
After some epic fails we’ve found a few winning solutions that fit with our preferred eco friendly ethos. Of course no two dogs are the same so you might want to experiment to see what works for you. Here are our fav’s and the pro’s and con’s.
Just spray or pour vinegar over the poop zone. Dogs are highly sensitive to smell and hate the scent of vinegar. Willie now refuses to go anywhere we’ve sprayed it.
If your area is under cover you’ll need to re treat the area around once a week until pooch has gotten the message. If your yard gets rained on you’ll need to repeat the treatment immediately post shower. You can dilute the vinegar with water as you repeat the treatments your dog will remember the vague smell and just not go there.
At $5.75 for 100ml’s it’s not quite as cheap as Vinegar but still a damn sight less expensive than store bought chemical concoctions ! Your dog, hates this smell, trust us…. Tried tested… snubbed by Willie for hours as punishment.
Like a flame thrower! Sprinkle cayenne pepper or chilli powder over the affected area. If the area is non organic ie, concrete, brick etc then wash first with vinegar or ammonia to get rid of the attractive pee scent. You can also mix the pepper / chilli with a little water and liquid soap to give it more sticking power.
This stuff is hardcore! Rinse the affected area with bleach to cover any tempting pee / poo odors. You can use straight or (recommended) water down a little.
Now, what to do with all that poo! Check out our earlier blog post on how to make your own DIY Pet Poo Composter! Here.
With all this in mind, our top tip is still positive training. Teach your pooch from an early age to go in one spot of your garden / patio or balcony depending on your circumstances.
Training is as simple as following a young pup to the toilet and rewarding the correct behaviour / spot with treats and praise while guiding them away from the spots that are out of bounds. .
If you’ve got more great environmentally friendly DIY tips for deterring dogs, please leave them below in the comments.
Also if you try any of these methods, we want to hear how you go! Drop us a line.