Lawn Care Service

10 Tips for Dog Proofing Your Yard

If you are a dog owner there are many ways that you have to look to protect your best friend from various dangers around the house. This actually also extends and perhaps even more so to your yard, garden, and landscaping. In general you want to protect your landscaping from your dog and in some cases your dog from your landscaping (especially pesticides and other chemicals you may use to fertilize your yard and garden). I thought it would be helpful to put together a short list of 10 things that you can do to dog proof your yard and garden.

Fences – Perhaps the single most effective defense for your dog and your landscaping is fencing. You might even use invisible fencing to not impact the aesthetics of your yard while protecting your dog. Of course there are other types of decorative fences that you can use up to (or arguably down to) and including the always-effective chain link fence.

Dog House – It’s not a penalty to put your dog in a dog house outside, it’s an area that he/she can claim for themselves and you can easily protect the area around the dog house. You can make sure to not use chemicals around that area and you can effectively isolate your pet from your landscaping keeping both safe and everyone happier.

Plant Selection – There are several varieties of plants that are poisonous or dangerous to dogs that you should be aware of and avoid planting in your yard (of course you should remove and replace any that are already in your yard). You can get a very nice list here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/.

Lawn Care Products – You should look for natural/organic lawn care products and make sure that you verify that they are each safe for your dog. If they are not safe for any reason then you need to make sure you isolate your dog to avoid contact with the products. Here is an article on a related topic about toxins and pets: http://medheadlines.com/2008/04/18/household-toxins-more-dangerous-to-pets-than-people/.

Landscaping Choking Hazards – Dogs are very playful and sometimes they will confuse some of your landscaping props for toys. It’s important to avoid things that could be choking hazards. Even something as simple as river rock needs to be avoided as sometimes dogs will chew on them and potentially choke or need surgery to remove them. Here’s an article about a dog that had this very problem: http://dogs.thefuntimesguide.com/2008/12/dog_swallowed_a_rock.php.

Decorative Ponds and Swimming Pools – These are particularly a hazard for puppies but can be for adult dogs as well. If you decide you want to incorporate these types of features into your yard then make sure you protect your dog from the potential drowning hazards.

Digging, Digging, and more Digging – If your dog is a digger then you need to take special precautions by protecting areas that you don’t want your dog to dig. You can also work with a trainer to stop your dog’s digging or support all your efforts by using a spray like No-Dig! Spray by NaturVet to deter your dog from digging in certain areas. You can also bury chicken wire in the ground around places that you don’t want your dog to dig.

More Invisible Barriers – You can also use a product like Off Limits Spray Dog Repellant to keep your dog out of trash cans, sand boxes, gardens, and other areas of your yard that you just don’t want them to go. This is safe and an inconspicuous way to control where your dog goes. They learn pretty quickly where they can and can’t go so you probably won’t have to use something like this for too long. If they relapse, just repeat the spraying.

Compost Piles – If you compost then you simply have to keep your dog away from your compost piles. They just can’t be expected to avoid those and they eventually represent all kinds of potential hazards (mold, bacteria, etc.). Proper composting is a great topic for another article…

Dog Spots – This is commonly caused by dog urine and is an initial lush green growth from the fertilizer in the urine followed by dieback causing eventual yellow spots on the lawn. The best thing you can do about these is to teach your dog to go in a specific are of the yard that has pea gravel or some other landscaping that won’t lead to “dog spots.”