Now, I wouldn't call myself a gardener with five furries running about, but it would be so nice if someone could suggest a way of preventing those ugly pee patches on the lawn. If urine contains Acid of Urea and Ammonia, then it is both acid and alkaline, is it not? Any ideas?

i put a tsp of  bicarbonate of soda in the drinking water and it stops brown patches on the lawn.

I have seen PAH selling special rocks to put in the dogs water.Presumably it takes out the acidity in dogs wee which turns the grass the yellow colour

Think you might mean rock sulphur.It is supposed to be for cooling the blood.

I wonder what effect that has on the dogs, and whether it would work to make a solution of it in a watering can and douse the area once they've done the deed?

As a proffesional gardener, I know NO treatments that will srtop it!!!!!!
I know a customer that swore by Tea, but when he got an new dog fed the same it didnt work!!!
only Sure fire way to MINIMISE the damage is to follow them around twith a watering can and Dilute the urine AS SOON AS the have weeed
I would not be happy giving them anything to change tha acidic nature of the urine as would be VERY VERY dubious about the changes n thier gut!!!!!!
Sorry, but if you want a good lawn you have to get rid of your dogs!!!!!!
(Thats why I have a patchy lawn aS THATS  not an option LOL
Lea :)

It's relatively easy to fix, and a permanent solution too. Dig up all the grass and put artificial stuff down. Mines looks like real grass but doesn't get yellow patches. The dogs play on it, lie on it and go to the toilet on it like real grass but it's never muddy :-)  As I was typing this the dogs were playing in the garden so I took these two pics. Dogs on grass and close up of grass

WOW!  and you don't have to mow it either :) ( gorgeous dogs btw )

Oh yes, I WANT sme of that LOL
I have seen it at trade fares, and you can get sort, medium Long, what ever you want and it looks real :D :D :D
Never had the pleasure of installing some, but I HAVE tried to get customers to use it LMAO
Lea :)

The artificial grass looks brill! How do you lay it? Is it heavy enough to lay and not move or do you secure it down? Also, I assume that water drains through? Can it be hosed and most importantly how expensive is it?

That's what I would worry about Pugnacious. pH of urine affects stone formation. I'd never add anything to my dog's diet that would change their natural pH for fear of causing health problems. I'd rather have patchy grass (and do I have patchy grass! LOL)

you lay it like carpet, but it's really heavy to move around. Mine is laid over a rough patch where a shed used to be and onto concrete slabs - I've glued it all round the edge of the concrete. If laying on grass then you nail it to wooden boards sunk round the edge. Princes range from £8 to £30 odd per square meter, the stuff I got was £15 I think. I hose it down when I'm hosing the back garden and I disinfect it with a watering can, the same as I do with the slabs, yes water just drains through it as does pee but the poos are really easy to pick up as they tend to lie on top of the strands :-)

http://www.artificiallawn.co.uk/
This is the company I had in depth conversations with about the lawns, and have samples at the office from.
The installation instructions are on the site,
Interestingly enough, I asked how sturdy it was when dogs dig, He told me he had installed some where Huskys (I think that was the breed) would be for ever digging their way out. When the installed it, the lapped it up the fance and put a board on top to secure it, And the huskys never dug out again :) :)
Lea :)

The dogs look gorgeous but give me the real thing everytime - brown patches and all.  I like the buttercups, daisies and clover too.

I think I'll try your method.Not really bothered about the patches-just would be nice to prevent some of them. As for getting rid of my dogs-with five, it would be easier for me to leave, surely. No chance of that either-you want to try getting through a stairgate past them all when you're only off to work. I'd make a bloody good hurdler. lol 

Tigger2. Your dogs are gorgeous and your grass is fab. However OH is quite a keen gardener and wouldn't hear of it! A watering can it is then!

The dogs look gorgeous but give me the real thing everytime - brown patches and all.  I like the buttercups, daisies and clover too.

I agree, I love it when the red clover flowers, and the daisies are pretty too, the dogs tend to bite the dandelions when they flower and spit the flowers out again, not sure why....

When we get round to doing the garden near the house, we are going to take all the grass up and pave it, and it will be a fully enclosed area (with flower beds of course) but no grass

my Grandpa used to have a gorgeous lawn, like a bowling green it was, it was his pride and joy, but they didn't have any pets....

> the dogs tend to bite the dandelions when they flower and spit the flowers out again

Ditto at my house!  George looks so pleased with himself afterwards.  Unfortunatley it's all flowers in his wake not just weeds......