Dog Health And Care

Garden Designs For Dog Owners

March 25th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

The chances are that your dog may spend a lot of time in the back garden. Maybe you go to work each day and he has to stay outside or you prefer that he stays outside even when you are home. If you have a well maintained garden then this raises a few problems. Potentially your pet may destroy parts of the garden that you have spent many an hour tending. This can be pretty infuriating and sour your relationship with your dog. So what should a garden have so that your plants and your dog can coexist peacefully together ? What should you have in your garden such that you can still show it off at the next BBQ ? This article will discuss garden designs for dog owners.

Two important considerations before you even think about what should be in the garden are the care and safety of your pet.

If a dog is to spend any time outdoors, he needs adequate shelter and a good source of drinking water. Your dog should have a kennel and a shelter where he can sleep or get out of the elements. The kennel/shelter should be warm enough for the winter months and the shelter should provide shade from the sun but not be too hot. He should have a well filled drinking bowl of water. You should have more than one, in case one gets tipped over or the water evaporates (especially if you are going to be away for many hours).

You should also make sure the garden is adequately enclosed so that the dog cannot get out. So you need a wall surrounding the garden that he can’t jump over. Even a hedge that is strong and high enough will be a good barrier. Ensuring he can’t get out is safeguarding his safety and the safety of the wider community.

Another consideration before even thinking about the garden, is to take care of your pet adequately. One of the main reasons a dog will destroy a garden by digging or breaking plants is because he is bored. If you can walk your dog everyday there is less chance of this happening because he will be tired and will not have the energy to be destructive. Also keep toys in the garden that can take his focus away from the plant life.

To keep dogs out of your garden beds you may think about raising them above the level of the lawn. This will be a natural barrier for the dog. If you have new plants in the beds then you should put up a temporary fence made of light chicken wire or something of that type.

Having said this, dogs like to dig and they love the smell of fresh soil so a good way to put them off even more is to top off any open soil with gravel, small stones or mulch.

You should have an open space or lawn where your dog can roam around and play. If it is a large or active dog this is vital as he will like to run around once in a while or play with toys.

When selecting plants for the garden there are two issues. The plants need to be hardy enough to withstand the dog and the dog mustn’t be allergic to the plants. The main problem plants will have if you exercise your dog adequately is that they will be urinated on. Get plants that are salt tolerant and this shouldn’t be a problem.

In terms of the dog being allergic to the plants, you just have to experiment. If you notice your dog scratching itself often, coughing or having rheumy eyes it may be because he is allergic to a plant. It may also be that he has fleas. Consider plant allergies once you have ruled out all the more common causes. Plants can also be therapeutic for some dogs. You may want to grow a healing plant in the garden to prevent your dog from suffering. He will eat it when needed.