3 Easy Steps to Make a Dog-friendly Garden

As a dog owner I had some issues when my little beast came in the house. I endured the usual mess in every room - food from the bin on the floor, eaten cables, fur everywhere, opened cupboards, scratched furniture. Everything, believe me!

But as a passionate gardener, I was terrified when my beagle met for the first time the big backyard. Max was a baby at five months, and the new undiscovered world in front of him was incredibly interesting. When I saw the dog to dig and eat my plants I have been grown with so much love and patience, I immediately decided that it’s time for a big and important change. All dog lovers have the same destiny - owning a dog means giving up perfectionism and learning forgiveness, so I had to redesign the garden to create a safe, comfortable environment for Max, my plants and me. I followed three basic steps and I’m pretty sure that If you have the same problems like me, you will accomplish them.

Learn to Think Like a Canine

If you were a dog, what would you want? Every owner of a dog knows its personality and knows best its needs. The better you can accommodate its particular habits, the happier your dog becomes. Good choice for dogs plain with energy is a running track - a long, winding path provides dogs with plenty of exercise. Make a border control - pieces of driftwood provoke dogs to stay away from planted areas. Good idea for the sensible plants is to have soft foliage but sturdy enough to stand canine digging. Try using bricks or paving stones along the routes your dog uses regularly rather than grass cover. Avoid prickly plants, which can cause serious eye injuries. Be very watchful about growing poisonous plants in the accessible areas.

Create Comfort Zones

Dogs get hot fast when they run around in the garden. You have to make sure there’s a cool spot under a tree or a chaise-longue where they can lie down and recover. It is obligatory to put a bowl of water for the dog somewhere in the yard, it’s preferably in or near the shady spot. Most dogs seem to appreciate having a shelter of their own so you can put a dog house and give your dog it's personal place to relax.

Toilet Habits

There are high levels of nitrogen in the dog's urine. This can lead to burnt grass and damaged plants. There are measures that can be put to reduce the damages. The easiest way to minimize the marking of the territory is to train your dog to use only certain parts of the garden for its “business”. If you are an owner of a male dog (like me), it's a good idea to put “a marking post” somewhere in your garden. An old tree stump is a good solution. To avoid the dog raids, you can buy higher pots or you can place them on raised surfaces of bricks, if you prefer smaller ones.

I hope these little tips will help you become more careful gardeners and make your backyard a happy place for your puppy. It’s never easy with a dog in the house, but nothing can compare with the moment, when you see them satisfied and full of joy.