So you went out in search of a sweet, friendly Fido, and it turns out you came home with destructo-dog.
He wore ruts in the grass alongside your garage.
He devoured your prized petunias, and then — after you replaced the petunias with rosebushes, hoping the thorns would serve as self-defense for the beautiful buds — he ate those, too.
In a single afternoon he created so many mud craters in your back yard you felt like you were on the moon.
There are ways to shape and design your yard that will help make it visually appealing and dog-accommodating. Building fences, planting prickly bushes, raised beds and digging pits are all landscaping tricks to try.
But before you get out your shovel and your paving stones, you should first realize that having outdoor pets — particularly large ones — comes with some scenery sacrifice.
“If you have a dog and want a (botanical garden style) yard, the two are not compatible — so you have to decide,” says Cumberland Landesign’s Brian Wray, a landscaper who has two 4-year-old German Shepherds. “At my house the front yard has more curbside appeal for the guests and neighborhood, and the back yard is more utilitarian.”
The best way to keep your yard livable while your dogs live there is to keep them occupied.
“Dogs require two stimuli to achieve balance: physical and mental,” says dog trainer Jon Stolzer, owner of Nashville’s Canine Inc. “The best way to achieve that is through proper walking, pack and leadership exercises.”
If a dog is properly stimulated, Stolzer says, many damaging behaviors like patrolling fences and digging will cease. Of course this isn’t a solution for all issues — like eating plants and running through gardens — so Stolzer says some sort of training is needed to deter unwanted behaviors.
Because a dog’s recall between cause and effect is 1.3 to 1.5 seconds, Stolzer says, it is very important to discipline bad behaviors while the dog is in the act. The toughest part, he says, is consistency, but your foliage will thank you.
“What I would say to folks is to control the environment,” Stolzer says. “Set your dog up for success in the beginning. When you do that you get to design your relationship and behavior. When you see a behavior, if you don’t like it, get it taken care of now because it will only graduate to something worse.”
7 solutions to Fido's landscape destruction
Want to make your yard space usable in spite of destructo doggie? Check out these tips.
Problem: Burn marks, caused by pet urine that messes with the soil’s pH and kills the grass.
Solution: If you hose off the area shortly after your pet relieves itself, it will dilute the urine’s effect. Raking a small layer of compost over the mark also will help balance the soil biology. If you are looking to revive already dead areas, you may want to reseed, although new growth may occur on its own with certain types of grass.
To avoid a scattered array of dead spots, teach your pet to potty in just one area, which you can easily maintain. Perhaps even a spot covered in mulch rather than grass.
Pet stores also offer several products that will neutralize the offending the enzyme, but Nashville’s Canine Inc. dog trainer Jon Stolzer isn’t sold on the solution.
“I have heard mixed reviews,” he says. “I am always concerned about giving dogs something they have to consume and metabolize, because I don’t know if it will harm the kidney and liver.”
Problem: Garden melee, caused by playful dogs who like to get into everything.
Solution: To keep the dogs out of the bed consider a buried electric dog wire and electrical collar. For a few hundred dollars you can send a small electrical shock to the dog. These are humane and often very practical. A physical fence also will keep most dogs out of vegetable gardens and flowerbeds. One style is wire mesh fastened to steel posts. You should aim for it to stand about four feet tall and bury the mesh up to a foot beneath the ground to keep it in place if dogs come charging.
Problem: Worn ruts caused by pets who take the same path around the yard again and again.
Solution: A dog’s prey drive — desire to see or get to what’s on the other side — may cause him to patrol borders such as along driveways, fences and garage walls, Stolzer says. Putting a decorative pathway along their favorite routes and landscaping around it is a good way to beautify these areas. Cover pathways with soft materials like pine needles or leaves, because uncomfortable paving might send your pet on a new route.
Problem: Yard becomes dirt pit due to heavy paw traffic, particularly from multiple pets left out in the yard to romp, which can wear away grass in much-used areas.
Solution: Certain types of grass, like Bermuda, are sturdier than others. However, unless you have your entire yard re-sodded, which can be quite expensive, you are still going to have to wait for the new stuff to grow. That may mean putting a temporary (but pet-proof) barrier around the seeded area for some time, or limiting and monitoring your pets’ outdoor time until the area is ready.
Problem: Holes everywhere created by a curious or bored dog that digs for stimulation.
Solution: Chicken wire often will deter the most determined dog. Bury a bit, making sure to keep the edges deep so the dog doesn’t pull the whole thing up, and cover it up. If it’s in a garden, a layer of dirt or mulch will do the trick. Some choose to forgo grass altogether and cover chicken wire with gravel or wood chips.
You also can use bricks along with dirt to fill the holes. Most dogs will get discouraged after scraping their nails on the bricks. Sharp gravel has a similar effect. Stolzer also suggests the use of a “digging box,” which is an area specifically designated for digging. The trainer adds, however, that this is a “specialty recommendation.” Eight out of every 10 dogs, he says, will not dig if given the proper mental stimulation like walks and play time.
Problem: Scratched-up fencing, a sign of true boredom.
Solution: First, dog-proof the barrier door. Replace an easy-to-open gate latch with something sturdier. Slide bolts and chains are good locking solutions. If your dog is digging under the fence, lay down chicken wire from the bottom of the fence to a few feet underground as an extra provision. If you don’t want to dig yourself, you also can line the bottom of the fence with concrete blocks or paving stones that would be difficult to displace.
Problem: Bushes and plants become snacks for canines who like to chew.
Solution: It’s tough to train a dog not to do this, Stolzer says, because “those are normal and natural behaviors.” As such, the best means of defense may be a fence. A decorative trellis could deter a dog from approaching the plants. Buried electrical barriers also work without having to hide the landscaping. Many pet owners are concerned about putting plants in their gardens that will be harmful if eaten. The Animal Poison Control Center offers a complete list of potential dangers at
www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants, but Marden says you shouldn’t fret too much.
