Dog-Friendly Backyard Ideas?

[canter]

Hello all -- this looks like a really informative forum! I've found some interesting, helpful information just in browsing the topics, but I did a search for the word "dog" and didn't find any pertinant topics, so I thought I'd start one. :)

My husband and I live in Southern California, and until we got our lab puppy Molly we had a beautiful (if a little small) backyard with a healthy green lawn; a raised plantar all along the back fence with coreopsis, osteospermum, and alyssum in it; two planting beds down the sides with day lillies in them; a peach tree that bore delicious fruit last year; and two large potted ficus trees. Now, all that's remaining are the lawn (which is now brown-spotted and patchy) and the osteospermum. Yep, she destroyed ALL the other plants, including my peach tree! :( We also had to rake up all the wood chips that covered the planting beds because she was eating the wood and we didn't want it to give her tummy problems. The lawn is getting so patchy that it's turning into a mud pit. Does anyone here have any ideas for plant material that will stand up to a dog? My dog trainer suggested pea gravel instead of the lawn and using spiny plants to deter chewing, but I really dislike the Southwestern look. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated -- thanks in advance!

[pruninggal]

Check out this semi-recent thread on a different forum. There were some good ideas for dog friendly gardening without resorting to cactus :)

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...591121339.html

Katy

[canter]

Thanks! :) I like the idea of using natural flagstone with groundcover in between, and our lawn is small enough that that wouldn't be an outrageous expense. Thanks for the link! Any other dog owners out there care to share your solutions?

[Newt]

Hi Canter,
I too have a small yard and two large dogs - a lab and a dalmation. We put down sod for the dogs to run on, but it does get torn up. So we overplant with seed in the bare spots in spring and fall and laid flagstone where the dogs have made their paths.

For your female doggie burn spots on the grass take a look here.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1493
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/p..._problems.html

I have found that gravel isn't a good solution for dogs. It can get stuck in their paws, migrates into the flower beds when they run and can be a place for weeds to sprout where there isn't much traffic.

A pet trainer friend told me that dogs that chew plants have to be trained not to. She said that a water spray bottle with a sharp and loud "no" when you squirt them will work if you are consistant. Also, have a favorite toy or two for them to chew on outside.

Hope this helps,
Newt

[Edelweiss]

Hi Canter,

I live in upstate New York, so the types of plants in my area would be different from yours. Still, I had the same concerns with my dog. My dog passed away a few years ago. I had a very rambunctious (sp?) 100+ pound German Shepherd. I was very lucky. My dog was smart so it's possible he was more trainable than the average dog. But, I can tell you what worked for me.

First, we had a few mishaps. Little Moses ate my grape vine and my first raspberry bush. I was furious. The raspberry bush grew back, but the grapevine was never to be seen again. Still, over time, Moses and I came to understand the boundaries. For the most part, I made sure he had a path to run in and fenced off my gardens with rabbit height/decorative fences. It worked.

Also, discipline was important. My dog could easily jump over the fences, but the visual lines were enough for him. If he jumped over the fences into one of my gardens, I was right there to make sure he got out. He and I both lived happily. I think the important thing was to make sure he had enough room for his doggie needs. I also trained him not to kill the little critters that got into my gardens - like the rabbits, snakes and frogs. Training my dog took time, time, and more time, but it was worth it.

[Kimberly29]

My dog has been eating the buds off my Gardenia jsut before it blooms and mauling a bush that I have. Plus I also have the brown patches in my grass, how do you fix those anyways?

Kimberly29

[Newt]

Hi Kimberly,

If you read the links I supplied to Canter, you will see what you can do for the lawn burn. As for the chewing on your shrubs, the last paragraph in that same post answers that question as well.

Good luck,
Newt

[Fracture]

I have a cocker spaniel and may be able to add a few things. I have a large rose (rugosa) that he won't go near. (It's extremely thorny.) Moderately tall edging (over 1 foot) is enough to deter him from some areas. It makes it just annoying enough that he generaly goes around it. Vinca is a good ground cover to stand up to foot traffic. When it comes to digging, he leaves established plants / shrubs alone (aside from "watering" them). If you plant something new, that's what he's liable to dig up. (I suppose every dog is different, but this is my experience.) So keep a sharp eye on anything you plant for the first few weeks. I sometimes put some heavy rocks around newly planted things to try to deter him. My dog is medium sized (about 40-50 pounds), so larger dogs may be much more difficult to stop!

Tall "stalky" perennials, such as cannas and ginger lillies, have all held up well. Hope this helps!

[LSW]

Brewers yeast, help to break down the dogs urine. I have cockers give them one a day. Also tomatoes, my dogs love them. When making salad for supper I always give them a slice.
Good luck

[nharrison]

Just discovered this web site. It looks very informative. I live in Maine so we have lots of woods for my dog to go in instead of my perennial gardens. Unfortunately, my 2 1/2 yr old lab decided that, in winter, he couldn't be bothered with walking any further than he had to. My beds were covered with straw so I wasn't too concerned as he had always used the woods in the summer. You guessed it, he's now too lazy to pass by the gardens and go into the woods. I just put up a natural border of small branches from fallen birch trees. I put them around the beds (they're maybe a foot high) and have sprayed them with Bitter Apple. It sounds odd, but you really don't even see them when you look out at the yard. I will slowly take them away if it works! I lead my dog, on a leash, into the woods when he gets up in the morning and before bed at night. I'll let you know how it all works out!