When we were thinking about welcoming a dog into our family almost four years ago, I will admit that I didn’t really think about the effect a dog would have on our garden. It was a very quick learning curve for me, and quickly leaned how to make our garden dog friendly.
Fences
We replaced our fences when we first moved into the house just over ten years ago. Unfortunately we live in a terrace property so not all the fences are our responsibility. This has resulted in one side of our garden being very secure and the other not so.
We have had no choice over the years to strategically place plants, outdoor furniture and play equipment to make the whole perimeter secure. This has proven to be quite successful in itself and gives the garden a structure as well as keeping the dog in.
Grass
Our lawn was never quite up to par when we moved in, and we spent a couple of years trying to level it out and add new grass seed. When Lola arrived and brought her chaos with her, our poor garden suffered quite a bit.
We had periods of time where there were holes in the middle of the lawn and I was starting to wish we had out down artificial grass. It’s still something I am considering now, despite Lola growing out of her digging phase. I think it helps to make the garden look a lot neater.
Storage
After losing a bouncy hopper to an excitable puppy, and the edge of the trampoline casing suffering after Lola decided it was a good idea to jump on and have a play, we have invested in some good storage for the garden toys and equipment. Sometimes just the simplest of things really help to save the sanity.
Plants
I’ve never been a big plant lover, and prefer to grow vegetables or fruit in pots rather than flowers. I did have to check that any of our existing plants weren’t harmful to dogs however. Most of the plants we had were inherited with the house.
Some dog friendly plants include snap dragons, honeysuckle, lavender and sunflowers. harmful plants include foxgloves, Hydrangea and yew.
Keep The Garden Tidy
There was no more leaving tools out when we had finished gardening. The last thing we wanted was for Lola to injure herself by running around and stepping on something left on the lawn, especially if the grass was due a cut.
Thankfully Lola is a well-trained and well-behaved dog these days, and responds well to our commands. The joy has outweighed the stress from making changes to our garden and lifestyle to involve a dog into our family.
**This is a collaborative post**
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