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We really enjoy roses here, and all types of them! However we also really enjoy dogs as well. Something we didn’t know about those two things is that they just don’t mix very well. In this article we are going to talk about if roses can withstand dog pee, and what you should be doing about it!

So can roses withstand dog pee? Unfortunately if your rose plant is still in its smaller stages, it cannot withstand dog pee, and will in fact kill it! We recently ran into this with one of our smaller rose plants.

So why is it that it killed the plants?

Nitrogen is the true killer of your plants! Sure roses can withstand, and actually need nitrogen to live a healthy life, however dog urine has far too much of it and is exactly what causes your roses to wither away.

When a dog urinates on your roses it deposits tons of different minerals that have made its way through the dog, and with that high of concentration it strips away important linings on the leaves and plant, leaving them exposed to the harsh sun of the summer.

How can you stop this from happening?

We have found that our larger roses actually do just fine, and we don’t have to block the dog off from them! However we now know after losing one of our plants that you should probably set up a small fence as a barrier for the dog while the plant is still small.

This way, when the dog is ready to mark its territory, your plant is safe, and you can enjoy it for years to come!

Once the plant is larger, and the intense concentration of nitrogen no longer affects it, you can remove the fence and move on with your day!

What if the dog just urinated on your roses?

So it already happened eh? Don’t fret, what kills the plant is the large concentration of nitrogen, and the best way to dilute that down is by watering it.

Really quickly, just go out there and water the rose plant for a bit, and you will effectively dilute down the nitrogen, not too big of a deal.

Is there anything you can do with the dog to stop this?

I have read that there are supplements out there that you can give your dog, however we really don’t recommend the usage of this. Dogs are living beings, and their bodies are built a specific way.

Modifying how they live so that a plant doesn’t get hurt just doesn’t sit right, and might be harmful to the dog. In the end, its better to just set up a barrier and let the little dog live his life.

Alternatively, if you have roses and still are on the hunt for your new addition to the family, you can opt for a female dog, as males are the ones that lift their leg and urinate on the plants.

So what about grass?

Sure, this article has been primarily about roses, however I’m sure it has brought to your mind those little patches of brown grass you have recently found all of your yard. You guessed it, that is from the same thing!

In this case, you will also want to dilute down the urine whenever they go, so that it doesn’t cause these brown patches! Alternatively, over-seeding your lawn with some urine resistant grass seed might be the best option for you.

Conclusion

So there you have it! The roses that are in the smaller stages are not safe from dog pee, and will actually kill them. Luckily for our roses we found out early on that our larger roses were just fine without any barriers or fences!