Our snow pack has melted and evidence that your dog has done his or her duty is present -those dreaded brown spots in the lawn.  The burn spots are caused by too much nitrogen on the spot which is present in a dog's urine and feces.  Nitrogen is a key fertilizer but too much at one time burns the grass.

 

And contrary to belief, a female dog's urine is not more potent than a male's.  It seems female dogs cause more damage to a lawn because females squat and therefore have a more direct spray into the lawn and tend to have higher volumes of urine.

 

Burn spots have nothing to do with a higher acidity or a higher pH from dog urine, so any dog supplements that claim to change a dog's urine pH is a waste of money.  Adding tomato juice or baking soda to a dog's diet won't necessarily work, and may put your dog's health at risk.  Increasing your dog's water intake could help by diluting the urine.  Adding water to dry dog food would increase water intake.  There are stories that tomato juice works because it increases your pet's salt, and therefore, water intake.

 

Remedies
Highly fertilized lawns will see more damage from pets because nitrogen levels are higher, and a bit more will cause the lawn to burn.  If you see the urination, douse the spot with water right away to dilute the urine.  Small spots will repair themselves as the warm season grasses spread with their rhizomes and stolons.  Large areas may need to be reseeded or resodded.  The best solution may be to isolate the damage and train your dog to "do his business" in a particular area in your yard.