Dogs have animal instincts and you really cannot take that away from them completely. However, there are a few things you can do to encourage less destruction. Let’s take a look at them and find out if any of them will work for you. • Clean Up After Your Dog Since urine and feces contain nitrogen that can eventually destroy grass, it is a good idea to clean up after your dog does its business. Water down any areas where your dog has peed and pick up any poo you find. Not only will this help you maintain a healthy lawn, but it will also be safe for bare feet in the summer. • Create an Area for Your Dog If you feel it’s necessary to take extra precautions to preserve your grass, you may consider setting apart an area exclusively for your dog. With a special play place, your dog can feel free to dig and forage to its heart’s desire. Just be sure to keep the area clean, safe, and large enough to suit the needs of your dear pup. • Train Your Dog to Play in the Entire Yard This is exactly the opposite of limiting your dog’s play to a certain allotted area. If you don’t feel like your dog would enjoy being cut off from the yard, then encourage it to use the entire yard. The motivation behind this is that it will keep your dog from constantly trampling or peeing on the same area until it destroys the vegetation. If your dog is free to use all parts of the yard, this could be an effective way to keep your grass healthy. • Encourage Your Dog to Stay Hydrated It might seem counterintuitive to encourage your dog to drink more since this will cause it to pee more, and the nitrogen in urine is what kills grass. But, when a dog drinks more, it actually dilutes the nitrogen in the urine, making it less damaging to your grass. • Keep Your Dog Off Wet and Treated Grass If your dog tramples through wet grass, it will create more damage than when it is dry. If your dog tramples through recently treated grass, it could cause your dog some harm. So, do all you can to avoid letting your furry friend loose in either of these situations.