Dog Friendly Landscape
Whether you have a well-manicured lawn, extensive landscaping or just want your grass to survive everyone needs to know how to keep it dog friendly and still pretty. It’s all about learning to pick your battles! Here’s how to solve a few of those battles:
1. Dog trails through the yard:
Watch where your dog runs and build paths around it. Dogs tend to go on the same ways each time they play. They have certain obstacles they will avoid like trees, but they love to take the path of least resistance. These paths can cause erosion so also keep an eye out when it rains. Make sure those rain paths are going away from your foundation! If they aren’t put in mounds to help move the water the way you want especially if you are on a hill that runs towards the house.
2. Areas you want your dog to avoid:
If you don’t want your dog to go to a certain area keep in mind, they have sensitive paws. Dogs will avoid walking on river rock. The feel of it bothers their feet (without damaging) so they will avoid walking in those areas. This is good as boundaries on your gardens or for paths. Now this does not mean that they will never go in those areas. All dogs are different so your pooch may not agree.
3. Play Areas:
Use tree branches to hang a tether ball for your high energy dog or run a clothes line between trees and tether a ball to it for more activity. Hang it higher than you walk though so you don’t clothesline yourself when you’re mowing. Create places to play hide and seek using perennial grasses. These are great both in summer and the winter. They are a barrier for running but still allow the dogs a place to play. Leave small milk baskets around the yard to collect runaway toys in order to keep things picked up.
4. Planters! Planters! Planters!
When you have male dogs peeing on things every time they go out it is important to have planters. This will help keep your plants from getting too much nitrogen which can kill them. The larger the dog the taller the planter! Make sure that your plants are dog safe. There are certain plants that dogs should not eat and this will be covered in one of my Spring posts!
Like everything in life your yard and landscape are always changing so instead of stressing over where your dog is hurting it find a way to change to accommodate your furry friend. Some of the best designs in my yard have come from altering to accommodate my pups!
As always if you’d like more information or need help please feel free to contact me at fidosbednbiscuit@gmail.com!
Love, Wren
#dogfriendlylandscape #yardwork #landscapeproblems #landscape #landscapeideas #useplanters #outsidedogtoys #dogs #beautifulyard