What Can I Use to Keep Dogs From Urinating on My Lawn?

Motion-Activated Sprinklers

• Motion-activated sprinklers start throwing water when the dog comes into the yard. These sprinklers have different ranges; use one that will start up when a dog comes onto the grass at the edge. The downside to this action is that anyone or any animal can trigger the sprinkler to start it.

Decorative Fencing

• Enclosing your property boundary with a low, decorative fence will keep dogs out of the yard. Erecting a fence right on the edge of the grass will keep the dogs off the grass, but the dog may still urinate on the fence and some of the grass by the fence. Of course, this is only true for a male dog that lifts its leg to urinate. A female will squat to urinate and won’t be able to reach the grass.

Ultrasonic Devices

• Ultrasonic devices that emit a high-pitch frequency will send dogs running and are humane ways to deter dogs. Some devices plug into an electrical outlet, but some operate on batteries. You will need one or two depending on the size of your yard where the dogs urinate. Some units have a detection reach of up to 4,000 square feet. Other devices to use are those that sound an alarm that scares away dogs and people when they walk on your property.

Spices

• Spices such as a combination of black pepper and cayenne pepper could deter dogs from walking on your lawn. Make a mixture of one part of each. Sprinkle the mixture on the edge of the grass in areas where dogs could possibly walk into your yard. Most dogs that need to urinate will smell the area to find a location to relieve itself. One sniff of the mixture will cause the dog to turn away. The downside to a homemade spice mixture is you must replace the mixture each time it rains.