You love your dog. You buy him the tastiest, healthiest treats; walk her rain, shine, or category five hurricane; and fill your house with designer dog beds, rubber squeaky toys, and plush stuffed squirrels. But what about his outside R&R area? Consider dogscaping an open-air space where your pet can run, play, and nap in comfort and safety. Here are five tips to get you started:
1. Know Your Dog
Everything about your dogscaped place – from where you locate it to how you fence it to what groundcover and plants you put in—will depend on what sort of dog you have. If you’ve got a pup who likes to dig, you may want to forego the delicate plantings and go for a more durable surface. If Fifi is an escape artist, you’re going to have to pay more attention to fencing—its height and strength–than you would if she were a mama’s girl, unlikely to stray more than a few feet from your side. Active dogs need room and a place to run while the lazier ones are happy with a smaller space and perhaps an outdoor cushion on which to snooze. As you make your design decisions, remember, you’re building a garden, not just for any dog, but for your special pet.
2. Choose a Groundcover That’s Dog-safe and Paw-friendly
Keep in mind your dog goes barefoot all the time, so you want to avoid sharp gravels or materials that tend to heat up. Smooth stones, like pea gravel, and most mulches work well. Cedar chips are even said to repel fleas. But avoid any mulches made from industrial waste or dyed with harsh chemicals that could make your dog sick. And no mulch made from cocoa shells because any form of chocolate is toxic to dogs.
3. The Tougher the Grass the Better
Dogs do love fresh grass to roll, run, and snooze on. Unfortunately, some also enjoy digging in it, and if that describes your pet, you may be better off with artificial turf or smooth gravel. There are several new products available that look natural and are easy to clean. Otherwise, choose the toughest grass that grows well in your region, and don’t let your pup loose on it until the lawn is well established.
4. Keep Your Pet Safe with Adequate Fencing
Even the most well-behaved or well-supervised dog can run off, and quickly, if the right squirrel or the neighbor’s cat wanders by. There are plenty of attractive yet sturdy fencing options available that will contain your pet and blend into the snazziest landscape design.
5. Choose your Plants Carefully
Your dog’s most powerful sense is the sense of smell, some ten thousand times more sensitive than a human’s. Plants that pups love to sniff include rosemary, sage and thyme. But be careful, there are many plants harmless to humans but dangerous for pets. Check out this list put together by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants.
You love gardening and you love your dog. Combine the two and dogscape an outdoor space for you and your pet to enjoy. And if you have experience with dog-friendly landscaping, then help somebody else out and share your best tip in the comments below.
