No matter how much your dog loves following you everywhere, sometimes, they need their own space to play. And that’s when your backyard becomes appealing to them. The amount of stimulation they’d get from the outdoors will also help boost your dogs’ health and instincts.
Plus, the pandemic has kept many dogs from exercising outdoors, so they’re probably aching to run around outside now. Sadly, the threat of a new variant emerged, further delaying the time when our fur babies can go to the park again. So if budget permits, consider remodeling your yard to make it your dog’s paradise in the meantime.
Your dog will love these backyard design features:
1. Stairs
Letting your dog climb up and down the stairs to an excellent way to exercise them. Garden stairs are built by licensed retaining wall contractors that specialize in landscaping. They will enhance your garden’s design, especially if you have a sloping yard. The stairs will improve the safety of your yard as well since they can prevent soil erosion during hurricanes.
2. Pathways
Dogs love to inspect their surroundings, so they’d appreciate a clear and flat path in your yard. If you use mulch, avoid cocoa to make the track safe for your dog.
3. Water Feature
In the summer, your dog will probably crave some fresh air, even if the A/C in the house is cooler. So add a water feature in your garden, even just a small drinking fountain or a pond with running water. It will also quench the thirst of birds.
4. Hardscape
Since dogs are territorial, they will mark some spots in your landscape with their urine. Grass and urine don’t mix well, so consider covering most of the ground with hardscape instead. Some examples are bricks, concrete pavers, and stone. Hardscape will ease down your landscape maintenance. It will reduce the areas that require mowing and provide a marking spot for your dog that’s easier to clean. What’s more, it stops your dog from digging.
5. A Wide, Open Space
Puppies often get the “zoomies,” a sudden burst of energy that makes them run madly around the house. If it’s causing a destructive behavior, let them burn their zoomies outside. Provide a wide, open space in your yard that would allow them to run to their heart’s content. Enclose it with fences so that the canine won’t reach the plants and try to destroy them. You can choose to hardscape the entire area or use grass, but then again, maintaining a huge patch of grass can be bothersome.
6. A Tough Variety of Glass
If you aren’t sold by the idea of hardscaping, settle for a tough type of grass, like Bermuda. It handles foot (or paw) traffic better than other types. But it’s better for areas with a warm climate. If you live in a cooler region, fescue grass will suit your yard better.
7. Grass Alternatives
Though Bermuda and fescue grass are tough, they’re not impervious to the damage caused by dog urine. They’ll also contract the yellow stains or “burns” that the nitrogen in urine leaves. So consider grass alternatives, such as Clover leaves, for example. They’d stay green even after contact with your dog’s urine.
8. Dog Add-ons
If you value privacy, you probably enclose your yard with tall fences or hedges. They may frustrate your dog if they’re aching to see what’s on the other side of the fence. So consider some dog add-ons that will show them more of the world, like peek-a-boo holes with glass or acrylic shields. You can also leave them open, like the fences on a Japanese property where three Shiba Inus peep through for tourists. It will allow your dog to get some pets from your neighbors.
9. Electric Dog Fence
This may sound cruel, but the objective of electric dog fences isn’t to shock your dog. That would only be the last resort if your dog still tries to get on the fence even after all the enclosures you’ve installed.
Besides that, the electric dog fence won’t be installed along the perimeter of your property. The professionals will position it in such a way that will prevent your dogs from getting near it. In other words, a safer fence material will also be used. That way, your dog can stand on their hind legs and rest their front paws on the safe fence without hurting themselves.
Dogs deserve to have fun every day, so don’t deprive them of the experience of running around your yard. Just do these modifications, and you’ll no longer worry about destroyed plants and stained grass. Some of these design features may require special maintenance, so take note of that before remodeling.
