Dog-Friendly Landscaping

Having a dog is a wonderful experience.  Having a gorgeous landscape is a wonderful experience.  Sometimes the two collide and the wonderful experience is gone and you are left wondering what just happened.  With a little bit of planning on your new yard or a few modifications to your existing one, you can sit in the back yard happily enjoying it with your dog.

Lawn Areas:

Dogs love to have an area to run and play in and the lawn is a great location.  One problem is the burn areas from dog urine.  Thee urine contains high concentrations of urea (a form of nitrogen) and is basically an over application of fertilizer.  We have two preferred methods of dealing with this issue.  The first is talking your dog for more walks.  They will pee more outside of the yard as well as burn off some excess energy, helping keep them from finding things to dig up in the yard. 

 

The second method is to overseed your lawn with clover.  Some people view this as a weed but when your entire lawn is a blend of grass and clover, it can be quite beautiful.  Clover is nitrogen fixing which means you need to fertilize less often.  The big bonus of clover is that it is resistant to urine.  Even if the grass dies, you will still have clover in the burn patch to stay green until the grass regrows.

If you have burn spots in your lawn, Revie makes a spot-treatment that will neutralize the urine and help flush the excess urea (a form of nitrogen) from the area, helping to minimize the burn area.

The best grass type for dogs is a bluegrass because it self-repairs and can tolerate heavy foot/paw traffic.  Our favorite is the ‘Emerald Blue’ from Dayton Valley Turf.

Edging:

If you install edging around your lawn or planter areas use a plastic or concrete edging.  Metal edging is sharp!  If you or your dog fall on the edging while playing, it is likely you will end up with stitches later.  Curbit Concrete (775) 291-6325 installs concrete curbing in several different styles including an even flat surface which doesn’t have much of a lip to catch you on.

Fertilizing:

Dogs run around in bare feet all day and then come inside and clean their paws with their tongues.  Anything we apply to the yard will likely be absorbed by our pets.  Our favorite fertilizer to use is Dr. Earth.  It is organic based and also contains beneficial bacteria and fungi for the soil.  Another benefit is you only need to apply it every three months compared to chemical fertilizers six-week applications.  Dr. Earth is available here.

                                                             

Pesticides:

If you need to apply any pesticide, do so with caution.  Remember that our furry friends put their noses and pawn on everything.  If you apply a broad-leaf herbicide to the lawn, only use a spot treatment application instead of covering the entire lawn. There is no need to cover 100% of the lawn if only 5% has dandelions.  It is unlikely you will need to spray for insects or other maladies of the yard.  In the past six years, we have sprayed zero yards.  If you do, apply at a time when you can keep the pets out for extended periods of time. 

 

Drip Tube:

We have a conspiracy theory that all drip tube is secretly made with bacon flavoring!  The best method we have found to keep drip tubing safe is to bury it about four inches and use drip tube stables every 12-18” to help hold it in place.  Stapling it less than that will likely allow it to rise to the surface and instantly become a chew toy.

Play Areas:

Dogs love to dig and run.  Giving them an area for both will make you both happy.  One of the best substrates for this is decomposed granite (DG).  DG is easy to dig in and is big enough to fall off by the time they come back inside.  The deeper you install it, the more fun they will have.  You can take the soil from excavating the play area and use it to build a mound elsewhere in the yard.

Water Features:

Dogs love to play in the water and a water feature can help bring the enjoyment of the river to your back yard.  Ponds need to run 24 hours a day to maintain water biology but provide a swimming area.  Pondless water features provide a stream to play in but can be shut off.  There is no need to maintain water biology and they can be shut off for extended periods of time. 

Plants:

Dogs can tell when you have purchased an expensive plant you really like.  I remember looking out our kitchen window one afternoon to see two of our dogs charging around the yard with freshly planted Red-Twig Dogwoods in their mouths.  The best advice for a dog-friendly landscape is to avoid dangerous plants and purchase tough plants.

Dangerous plants include cactus such as Prickly Pear and Cholla.  Any plants with pointed leaves such as Yuccas are much more likely to poke an eye. 

Toxic plants can also be a major hazard.  The following is an incomplete list: Morning Glory, Tomato – green parts, Nandina, Hydrangea, Daffodils, and Rhododendron.  Foxglove (Digitalis) is extremely toxic and can be fatal in small amounts.  One tree to stay away from is the Golden Chain.  The numerous seed pods are toxic.

Rough and tumble shrubs are much more likely to survive and also perform well.  Some of our favorites are listed below for our USDA zone 5 and Sunset 2a-2b.  Most of these will grow outside of this climate but be sure to check with your local nursery first.

Grow-Low Sumac.  3’ high and up to 6’ wide.  Glossy green leaves.  No flowers.  Amazing fall color every year.  Bitter stems keep most anything from bothering them.  The fibrous root system helps hold slopes as well. 

    

Dark Knight Caryopteris.  3’ high and wide.  Blue flowers cover the shrub starting in summer and bloom for a very long time.

Viburnum.  There are many varieties to choose from and heights range from 1’ to 12’.  Most flower in the spring, have summer fruit and have fall color.

Walker’s Low Catmint.  2’ high up to 3’ wide.  The toughest perennial we have ever used.  Catmint starts blooming in the spring and usually doesn’t stop until fall.

Ornamental grasses.  Countless varieties to choose from.  The best feature of a grass is that if your dog destroys the top, it will grow back good as new in the spring.

We do provide a consultation service if you would like further help with designing a yard you and your fur children will love.  Call or email if you have any further questions!  775-883-2028  Info@gllxc.com