Landscaping for Dogs

It seems like gardens and dogs do not mix. Anyone who has ever owned a dog is aware about the worn paths, shredded shrubbery, flattened flowers, and the burn spots known as “dog spots.” If you have a garden in your home and own a dog at the same time, you do not have to compromise into choosing either one of them. Instead, make your garden conducive to your pet! Here are some notes that you should consider in landscaping your garden for your dogs.

Find out how the dogs use the space – Know the areas or spots where they play, where they lie down, where they eliminate their waste, where they walk and what favorite views they have. Dog tend to like elevated grounds for good viewing points. From here, you and or your landscape artist would design a plan that it both pleasing and practical.

Create an area where your dogs wipe their feet – Dog owners often complain of dirty paws tracking mud into the house. To solve this problem, provide an area between the garden and the doorway where the dogs can wipe their feet, such as a pebbled walkway.

Plant trees, shrubs, and flowers in clusters – Stand-alone plants are vulnerable to your dog's playfulness. Grouped plants create an imaginary barricade for your dog. And if ever your dog would still run them over, the damage is not much.

Train your dog to eliminate waste away from the grass – Have your dogs keep off the grass when they feel like urinating or stooling. Train them (or have them trained) to used shredded wood or a gravel area.

Create areas in the garden that are similar in your home – This helps your dog understand what's wanted. For example, stonework outside is considered linoleum in a dog's point-of-view; while boulders, trees, and shrubs are like furniture. You dog eventually learns that good manners are expected both outside and inside.

Train your dog when to dig – Digging is a part of the dog's natural instinct, so we could not just stop your dog from doing it. Instead, train your dog to dig only when it's okay with you or to only in a place that is fine with you. You can use the command “no dig.” Once the dog stop digging upon your command, give your pet a treat or praise. If you do not have a training experience, have a reliable dog trainer help you with it.

Be careful of the plants you put in your garden – If your pet dog likes to chew your garden plants, be careful of the type of plants that you have in your garden. Some popular plants like Rhododendrons are toxic and will make a dog sick. If you are not sure which plants are poisonous, check with your local garden center. But this does not mean you should eliminate these plants altogether. As a homeowner, you should pay attention to your pet's obedience training. If you've trained your dog not to eat the furniture, then you can train your dog not to eat this shrubbery.