Dog Friendly Gardens, What To Consider…

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

It’s not just bark of the decorative variety that we need to consider in the gardens we design, it’s very often our clients’ prized pooches we need to incorporate. So what do we need to consider in dog friendly gardens? Well here are some of our top tips…

Keeping your pooch safe in your garden is really important. They will find the tiniest gap to escape so ensure your fence or boundary is in tip top condition. Make sure other animals in your garden are kept in a safe place from your pup too. We can secure existing fences or design and build new fences which will look great as well as be practical, perfect for dog friendly gardens.

Artificial Grass

Artificial grass is a wonderful solution for dog loving families. It overcomes many issues including muddy paws, digging holes in the grass and of course the issue of wee burning real grass. We have included it in many doggy gardens and it has transformed the lives of the pups and their parents!

Watch Their Routes

Watch what routes your dogs regularly take around your garden. These are the areas of grass which will quickly get worn and muddy so consider changing these to a more robust, solid path.

Digging Corner

We know how much your four legged friends love to dig. Instead of it being your lawn or your prized flower bed, try incorporating a digging corner especially for them. Hide some of their toys and treats in there to keep them interested. We can design this into dog friendly gardens so it is hidden away and doesn’t detract from the rest of your outdoor space.

Planting

It is really important to make sure the planting in your gardens is doggy safe. Many common plants such as pieris, hydrangea and daffodils are toxic to dogs.It’s not just the chewing you need to consider, a dog friendly garden often needs to have robust plants to save them from that crazy half hour many of them have, tearing around the garden!

We are happy to design a puppy safe planting plan which will look great and be safe for them.

Shady Area

Perhaps it’s wishful thinking but ensuring there is a shady corner for your dog to shelter in sunny weather is a good idea. This can be incorporated into a beautiful garden design and could be a pergola or sail.

Or perhaps you could treat them to their own home from home with these stylish kennels by William Peterson:

Marking Post

If you have a male dog you may want to consider a marking post for him to wee against. An old tree stump works well and won’t look out of place if carefully incorporated.

Water Fun

Dogs love splashing about in water and, if you have space,your pooch will love you even more for incorporating an area for water play in the garden. It may be as simple as just having a large lawn area where a paddling pool can be put on a hot day. Water sprinklers are great fun for kids and dogs alike. Or, for those with the luxury of space, including a water feature cascading through the garden could be a real treat for everyone.

Drying Coats

After running around in that water (or realistically after most walks in our Scottish climate!) your pup will appreciate one of these amazing drying coats from our friend and local business Freckles Designs. She also does a wide range of other products including crate covers, blankets and personalised lead hooks.

And Finally…

We couldn’t resist this product. We know how much our baby Tilda loves bubbles in the garden so why not treat your pooch to the same pleasure with these doggy bubbles which are bacon scented! You can get cat nip ones too if you are a cat lover!

If you would like some advice on how to create a dog friendly garden please get in touch.

Thank you to all our lovely friends who gave us photos of their four legged friends for us to use in this blog.

All at Vialii