How to Make Your Garden Dog Friendly

There’s a number of alterations you can make or add to your garden so your haven of nature is safe for your dog. From fencing to pet-safe plants, we’ve put together our top dog friendly garden ideas so you can make it paw-fect for your dog’s playtimes!

Fences are a must if your canine companion ventures out in your garden. Not only do fences provide added security and privacy, but they keep your dog from wandering off into the streets where they could get hurt or lost. Ensuring you have a solid, secure fence, with no holes or gaps, will keep your dog within the perimeter and allow your mind to be at ease knowing they cannot escape but can still enjoy your lush backyard! With this, it is important to keep your garden gates closed and locked also; this may seem obvious but a good fence is useless if your garden gate can swing open with a gust of wind, so make sure they are shut too to keep your dog safe.

Fences are also a great way of sectioning off certain parts of the garden you don’t want your  dog to access. For instance, if you don’t want your dog sniffing around your bins, or if you want to keep them away from a shed or garage area, fences with gates are an easy way of keeping them at bay whilst allowing you access.

The most sensible of ideas for gardens with dogs is to have a kennel in the dog area! Our selection has plenty to choose from to fit your dog’s size and needs. A kennel will give your pet a cosy place to rest outdoors protected from the elements, giving them a mini home outside and reinforcing the idea that this area of the garden is theirs to enjoy!

 

Not literally, but investing into a dog door that can be built into your back garden’s door is a great way of allowing your dog to enter and exit the garden whenever they want without you having to let them in and out yourself. Products such as our Electromagnetic Dog Door can be locked, so you can keep your pet inside or outside when you see fit.

It might be a good idea to have some dog toys and treats in the area you want your dog to stay to keep its attention away from other areas in the garden, there are a number of ways to keep your dog stimulated in the garden and keep them from causing trouble elsewhere!

Low maintenance gardens for dogs usually stem from worries about maintaining quality grass. That’s why paths and hard surfaces can work just as well for your pooch. Look to concrete or flagstones, and avoid gravel or smaller stoned surfaces as your dog is more likely to cut themselves (or make a mess). It should be noted that a hard surface will get hot quicker and won’t be as cooling as grass, so if you live somewhere that gets a lot of sun, this might not be the option for you.

It’s super important to know what you can and cannot grow with pets around, especially dogs as they love to sniff and eat anything they find. Some plants are harmful or even poisonous to your dog, so it’s vital you are careful about what you are planting in your garden, as an unsupervised dog could hurt themselves.

Avoid growing thorny plants such as cacti, to prevent them from being munched or getting caught in their fur. There are a large number of plants that are toxic to dogs, some to note are onions, garlic, rhubarb, tulips, daffodils, grapes, mushrooms and more. Be sure to educate yourself on what your dog cannot eat, and only grow what is safe for your canine companion to be around. Some plants that are safe to grow around them are roses, sunflowers, marigolds, and herbs like sage, thyme and coriander.

If you don’t want your dog digging for buried treasure all day and making a mess, it’s a good idea not to have any exposed soil. Dogs love to dig, it's in their nature and we might not be able to relate to it, but we can prevent them from doing it by keeping a lawn that does not have any exposed areas of soil. Just keep an eye on your flowerbed if you have one, but we have a tip for that next!

We all love some plants to spruce up our garden and add some colour to the landscape, but they will most likely attract some unwanted attention from your furry friend. A way to combat this is utilising raised plant beds with borders, these raised barriers will help stop your dog from climbing into the flowerbed, where they will dig and do their business and ultimately ruin your lovely plants and flowers. If you are trying to grow things like fruit and veg in these beds, then a raised bed would be even more important here to stop your dog from helping themselves to your food!

You might have not thought about this, but there are different types of grass you can grow in your garden, and some kinds are more suited to animals than others.

Dogs love to eat and dig up grass for fun, so your lawn is expected to take a beating from your four-legged friend, which is why having self-repairing strong grass is the best option for you. The more damage your dog does, the more deterioration your lawn may see. By having a stronger kind of grass which grows back just as strong, you can have peace of mind knowing your garden won’t look like a patchy mess.

If you have a water feature in your garden, such as a pond, fountain or even a pool if you’re lucky, then it’s important to make this safe for your canine companion, especially if they are unsupervised.

Cover up any water features like this when you are not in the garden as this will help stop your dog from getting wet and traipsing water and mud back into your home and it will remove the risk of your dog getting stuck in the water and unable to get out. The latter is especially important for puppies or dogs that are not strong swimmers, the last thing you want is a panicked dog stuck in a body of water! If your dog does manage to get their paws wet, this high absorbent mat is a great product to invest in as it will absorb the dirt and water your dog may hold on its paws.

As well as their digging and eating, dogs doing their business on the grass can also cause damage. Dog urine can leave difficult-to-remove stains and can leave the grass looking a little worse for wear. To combat this, dog rocks are a great product that help purify your dog’s urine. These rocks go into your dog’s water bowl and filter out impurities from water including tin, ammonia, and nitrates - they are natural, free of chemicals and safe for all household pets!

Your luscious garden will attract plenty of natural critters, but slugs can be a huge hazard to your dog. Worried your dog’s eaten one? Find out what to do here. And remember, best practice is to always consult your local veterinarian.

In the meantime, preventing your pooch from getting too pally with the garden slugs is possible. Look to pet-safe, natural anti-slug sprays and gels, or add horticultural grit to your flower beds (please note: grit is not ideal if you’re parent to a pup, as teething tots will tend to chew the stones). Enticing natural predators of slugs like hedgehogs, birds and beetles will act as natural pest control. From bird feed to shallow water bowls for hedgehogs, this is a slower solution but once in full swing, naturally effective.

Keeping your garden dog-friendly is a vital part of giving them a happy life, outdoor time is key to keeping your dog active, healthy and stimulated. We hope these simple tips and products can improve your dog’s life whilst also keeping your garden in good condition also.