Creating a Dog-Friendly Landscape
Creating a Dog-Friendly Landscape
Whether you have your own dogs or want to keep strange dogs out of your landscaping, ensuring that your landscaping is safe for these pets is a great idea.
Here are some tips for making sure that your furry friends are not in any danger in your backyard. Let’s start with the ideal plants for a dog-friendly landscape.
Which Plants are Best for a Dog-Friendly Landscape?
The chances of you having plants that are even mildly toxic to dogs in your landscaping are high. Here are some common plants to avoid in your yard:
- Foxglove
- Aloe vera
- English ivy
- Daffodils
- Azaelea
As for plants that are safe, you have an abundance of options as well. Some common safe options include:
- Dill
- Garden marigolds
- Magnolia bushes
- African daisy
- Thyme
- Creeping rosemary
- Pineapple sage
- Fennel
- Polka dot plant
- Snapdragons
Depending on your garden and landscaping needs, you should have no problem finding plants that work well with your aesthetic. Make sure to always look up any plant you are considering before putting it in your yard.
The Best Fencing Options (Keeping Dogs In and Out)
Choosing the best fencing option is really going to depend on the size of the dogs in question and how you want your landscaping to look.
Underground Fences
If you would prefer to have minimum distractions in your yard, an underground fence is probably the best option. These are obviously not going to have any effect on your landscaping as they aren’t visible.
Underground fences can be very helpful for both keeping stray dogs away and keeping your dog inside the yard. If you choose a fence that emits sonic and ultrasonic sound waves, both categories will be affected and avoid crossing the fence.
Above-Ground Fences
Visible fences are also a great option for dogs as well. These can be more reliable than underground options because they don’t rely on electricity.
Your dogs can also become frustrated with an invisible fence because they see other dogs playing freely, things they want to chase, etc. If you decide to go that route, it’s important that your dog is trained to deal with them properly.
If an above-ground fence is what you are looking for, you will just want to make sure it is extremely sturdy and tall enough to handle your pets.
Repelling Strange Dogs
If you are simply trying to repel strange dogs from your landscaping, there are options as well. There are products available that have a smell that keeps strange dogs away (you can even make it yourself), or the sonic fences mentioned before can be helpful for this as well.
Contacting a Professional Landscaping Company to Assist with Your Dog-Friendly Landscape
If you are still struggling with dog-proofing your landscape, consider contacting a local professional landscaping company for assistance.
For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider contacting Homescape Now for help!
