Tips for dog friendly gardens is about easily creating a garden that is also a garden you and your family can enjoy.
During Cruft’s week in March, all the world is watching c 20,000 dogs of all breeds strut around the show arena or perform superspeed agility rounds. But where do those canines live when they’re not competing? Well, some of the dogs may be pampered pooches, some will share kennel living with other dogs.
But many will “muck in” with the family who own them, just like your own dog. And those dogs, like your family pet, need a secure happy place in which to mooch and play and train. Some or all of which could be within the garden (not all of us have space for an agility arena!)
Making your garden dog friendly could mean, for example: –
- A total re-design and landscape of your garden where the brief specifically includes ‘dog friendly’ as a priority.
- That you’d like some dog friendly elements and plants included in an overall design when you have a garden makeover.
- You’d like a few dog friendly features and planting added to your existing garden.
- Perhaps you want a Garden Advice Visit, to review your garden plants so you can be sure they’re not poisonous to your pooch.
Then there are certain questions to ask that are relevant regardless of the size of your garden or how much re-design you want carried out. For instance: –
What breed is your dog?
This is about the size of your dog, but also general characteristics which are likely to be found in different breeds. For example, the majority of terriers love digging.
What age is your dog?
Old dogs can certainly learn new tricks, but their needs are going to be different to those of a young dog. For instance, they’ll appreciate a range of sunny and shady spaces to snooze in more than a huge open space for running around. And they may not require such high fencing. My previous Border Collie wouldn’t dream of scaling a 6-foot fence once he reached the age of twelve.
City Gardens and Small Gardens
I have noticed that many articles on dog friendly gardens seem to assume that you have plenty of space to spare. And that the garden is for the dog, not for humans and dog. This doesn’t reflect the reality for many of us. Which means that the size of your garden and who uses it is crucial in designing, planning and planting.
Tips for Dog Friendly Gardens – Good Planting
This covers both some of the poisonous plants to avoid plus plants which will increase your dog’s enjoyment of the garden (and yours).
Many of the poisonous plants are also toxic to humans. As with all of these things, you need to use your own judgement. Knowing your dog and your dog’s behaviour is crucial as a dog that is largely unattended in the garden may get bored and be more likely to dig up and / or eat plants that aren’t good for them.
Some of the more commonly found toxic plants in your garden
Cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus – stomach upset if eaten in quantity
Clematis armandii – nervous system affected, dermatitis
Elephant ears, Bergenia – burning and irritation in the mouth, tongue may swell and block air passage
Foxglove, Digitalis species – nausea, vomiting
Holly, Ilex – berries – upset stomach, loss of balance
Primrose, Primula vulgaris – leaves – upset stomach
Also see the blog Six Poisonous Flowering Bulbs
If you are in any doubt as to which plant your dog may have eaten and they are unwell, ring your vet immediately.
Some favourite dog plants you may already have in your garden
Lavender, Lavendula – relaxes dogs as well as humans
Marigolds, Calendula
Nasturtium
Peppermint, Mentha piperita – digestive aid and cooling
Thyme
Willow, Salix – a natural pain relief
There are other planting considerations and design ideas, such as making a ‘jungle’ effect for wolf type prowling.
Tips for Dog Friendly Gardens – Paths, Patios and more
A run through some of the options available. Plus a few ideas to please you and your dog.
Paths
A path through ornamental grasses leading to a shady spot adds interest for dogs young and old.
Brick paths and crazy paving paths are as suitable for your dog as they are for you. Gravel paths are fine where the stones are not so small that they would get caught in your dog’s pads and be painful.
Decking
A small area of elevated decking, accessed by a ramp, gives your dog an elevated spot to survey their territory from.
When you have a dog, a cat, small children or walk on your decking barefoot, you should be regularly check for splinters in the timbers.
Patios
Now I’m not suggesting you create a patio purely for your dog’s use! However, you may like to consider your dog’s access to the patio for toileting purposes. By which I mean, if you have just had a beautiful, expensive porcelain patio installed, your dog will treat it in exactly the same way as they did the old paved area you had previously…
Bark chippings
I feel these should be ideal, if only because of the pun! They can be used both as a border mulch and as a path surface.
However, be aware that some dogs may be allergic to the microbes / bacteria within the bark chippings. Try a small area first. Another potential downside is that cats and foxes may use the chipped area as a litter tray… If this isn’t an issue, then you’ve found another surface material to use around your dog friendly garden.
Word of warning: do not use cocoa shells as a mulch. Most dogs find them irresistible to eat and it is highly toxic to them.
Dog Toileting
Yes, tips for dog friendly gardens includes the basics! A few suggestions: –
- Pick up and wash down wee and poop as soon as your dog has finished. On patios this will reduce staining which can happen even when the patio has been pre-sealed if the stone is a pale colour. On grassed areas it can help prevent scorch.
- Fence off a separate toilet area for your pooch. Ensure the paving or decking is easy to clean and disinfect and has a drain nearby. If it’s a grassed area keep it fairly short.
- You could add a doggy septic tank. I have successfully had one in a previous garden. In this garden I haven’t yet got round to installing the one sitting near a compost bin, as it didn’t occur to me how near to the surface the chalk bedrock is in that area (I know, even garden designers have their dense moments!)
- You could have the doggy equivalent of an outdoor cat litter tray (see Tips for Cat Friendly Gardens blog). Train the dog from puppyhood that in the garden, that’s where they ‘go’. Just be sure to encourage toileting when you’re out & about as well or there will be a lot of “leg crossing”.
Tips for Dog Friendly Gardens – Real Lawns and Artificial Turf
Artificial Lawns
I know they’re not the always most environmentally surface, but there are biodegradable and recyclable options available and sometimes they best meet the needs of the garden users. For example, Plews has installed artificial lawns for dog owners and parents with young children for very similar reasons: –
- It allows access to a play area even when the ground is wet
- There is no mud from a soggy lawn to be brought into the house
- Access is year round; except when very heavy frost
- A short sward is easy to maintain
- Time saved by not mowing can be turned into quality time with your dog in the garden
Turf Lawns
A real grass lawn has its own advantages, and we have laid these in child friendly and pet friendly gardens too: –
- The texture of real grass is pleasant under paw and foot
- A hard wearing seed mix and good drainage ensure a lawn is usable for most of the year
- A robot mower can free up your time to play with your dog
- Some dogs may find artificial lawns get too hot; real turf doesn’t retain heat the same
Tips for Dog Friendly Gardens – Water, water everywhere
Dogs will appreciate having access to water in the garden.
As dog owners we know they’re likely to drink from the muddiest of puddles whilst out on a walk and then refuse the clean water in their dog bowl at home. This is not as daft as it often seems: the unfiltered tap water may have too strong a chemical taste. An outside water bowl may be an answer to the problem (even when its tap water).
Why not make drinking clean water a fun thing?
You could have a bubble fountain that your dog is allowed to drink from. If this is also big enough for them to pat the water with their paws then you‘ve added further enrichment to your garden for your dog.
Tips for Dog Friendly Gardens – Fencing and Boundaries
The garden fencing is going to be individual to your and to your dog, but will need to take into consideration any local by-laws.
Garden boundaries
Is your dog going to be left unattended in the garden for any length of time? Security for your pooch is critical for your peace of mind and their safety.
You need to consider both the physical barriers surrounding and dividing your garden and also the training you’ve given your dog. By which I mean that active dogs may be capable jumping over a 4-foot high fence but don’t. This is because you’ve trained them not to. But even the best trained dog may do something they shouldn’t, so be wary of too much reliance on their obedience.
If the fence height is restricted, you may like to add extra measures to prevent your dog from reaching the fence. For example –
- spiky planting (may not be effective if you have gun dog breeds)
- tall planting against the fence
- temporary structures such as obelisks and trellis
Internal garden divisions
FeFencing off a section of the garden whether to keep your dog out of particular area or enclosed in a certain space is a different issue to boundary fences. These are the two most common reasons –
- You may want to keep your dog out of your vegetable garden when they’re not with you. If your pooch has the run of the rest of your garden, then fencing off the kitchen garden makes sense. It also prevents canines from eating the strawberries, peas, runner beans before you can harvest them!
- Alternatively, you may like to surround a ’play area’ with fencing. You could train your dog that within this space only are they are allowed to dig and run around through dog friendly, dog resilient planting. This is particularly useful if you have two or more dogs, as it contains the destruction zone.
Dog Friendly Gardens and Garden Friendly Dogs
Yes, you can have a beautiful garden when you have a dog or even two canine friends. Even a small garden and medium–large breed dogs can happily co-exist.
Train your dogs from puppyhood to be garden friendly. And most of all, think like a dog. If there is a hole under the fence that your inquisitive terrier can scramble through, then block it up.
Dogs are sociable pack animals. If you have a seat in the middle of a sunny herb garden, allow room for your dog to lie near you. Then they can enjoy the relaxing aroma of the herbs as well as your company.
And finally
Would you like a dog friendly garden? if Plews can help you, please do get in touch. For example –
Our Garden Consultancy & Advice Visits may help with some of your issues. Or does your planting need a rethink?
For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below.
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Feeling nosey? You can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook
You’ll get to see it in person if you come to the Plews Gardening Workshops Current ones on Eventbrite for you to book into. Follow for updates on topics and dates on Plews website, Instagram, Eventbrite, Facebook
Plus get your local garden club, allotment, WI, U3A or other group to ask me along to give a talk (and bring plants 😉)
Related Gardening articles you may enjoy from our Award Winning Blog
How to Puppy Proof Your Garden
Pets in your Garden – Questions and Answers
Plants called Dog, Plants Named after Dogs
Gardening Courses and Lessons
What might a Plews Gardening Lesson be Like?
Plews Gardening Lessons Information
This is an updated, partially rewritten version of the ‘Dog Friendly Gardens’ blog first written and posted here on Plews Potting Shed in 2017 And yes, I have been living and gardening with my own cats and dogs for many decades Plus I’ve been creating gardens and planting designs so my clients can enjoy sharing their garden with their pets for over twentyfive years.
