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Soaking grass seeds in water before seeding is called pre-germinating. It’s not necessary but can be very helpful in some cases. Some grasses like are very slow to germinate, and basic seeding on the ground is unlikely to be effective—that’s especially true of cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, rye grasses, and Bermuda grass. Soaking these seeds in a bag or bin of water for one to four days beforehand can give the grass the start it needs to survive.

Depending on the species, most fescue grasses thrive in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8, though some varieties can thrive as far as zone 10. While it’s a cool-season grass, it has the unique ability to adapt and thrive in many different types of climates. For this reason, you'll mostly find fescue grasses throughout the transitional temperature zones of the country.

Yes, in most cases, grass will return after your dog urinates on it. But without preventative measures, there’s always a chance your dog will pee on the grass again, leading to brown patches come summer. This aside, even if your grass is dead in patches, simply reseeding the dead spots should help restore your lawn. 

If you choose not to reseed your lawn, unaffected grass surrounding the dead patches will spread over any dead spots. But be prepared for this option to take longer—you likely won’t be able to grow grass fast.

Properly preparing the soil for planting grass seed may include applying fertilizer several weeks before spreading the seed if you plan to overseed the lawn. However, in most cases involving a brand-new lawn, spreading a starter fertilizer along with the grass seed will give it the best chance of taking root quickly and growing strong.