Is your yard dog-friendly?
If you are anything like me, you may have counting down the days until the May long weekend. That magical time each year when everything in the garden has started to turn green, when frost and snow have finally shown signs of leaving, when garden centres entice you with colourful beauties that now cover every indoor surface waiting to be planted out. Life around this time changes for our furry friends too, so you may want to consider them when planning your yard.
Several years ago, Steve and I decided to try our luck with roses. Planting our first bush coincided with our daughter’s dog, Porsha coming for a visit. Having watched us plant the bush, Porsha decided to mirror our efforts and dug it up for us. When she went home we replanted it. You guessed it, on her next visit the same thing occurred. This happened several times until we realised roses were never going become a feature of our yard! We were never sure whether it was the potting soil we used or the smell of mulch that attracted her. Dogs are natural diggers and Porsha certainly was. If you’ve experienced something like this you could try teaching your dog to dig in an area makes sense. You could create an area with sand where you won’t be planting and bury treats or outdoor toys for them to find.
If you are going to spend a lot of time outside, your dog will want to be there too. Consider creating shady, quiet spots with a shallow water feature. Remember to change the water if your dog is going to be drinking from it. Something else to be mindful of on very hot days, different surfaces retaining the heat can harm your dog’s paws. Placing your own hand on a surface for 5 seconds will tell you if it is too hot for Fido.
Garden sheds can be another hazardous area for your inquisitive dog, so keep tools out of reach and maybe use organic fertilizers rather than chemical ones. When you aren’t around keep the door firmly closed.
Summer is also time to make sure that vaccinations are current and your dog has had flea/tick and worming treatments.
If you have a high-energy, ball-tossing, soccer-playing dog you may want to lay an open lawn and if you have a mooching, exploring dog like our Finn consider levels and different areas for him to wander through. It’s also a good time to check out ways to avoid pee marks on that velvet lawn.
You can find a gazillion websites and Facebook gardening pages that are dog-related warning you of everything from toxic plants to making your yard safe and interesting for your pooch. For example, chrysanthemums, daffodil bulbs, foxgloves, hydrangeas, larkspur tomato plants (green fruit, stems and leaves), wisteria, yew and more can cause vomiting, lethargy, breathing difficulties or worse. Whereas many herbs are great for your dog and won’t hurt them. Plus they will love the smell.
www.gardenersworld.com provided several other dog-friendly tips for you to consider
- Make the garden stimulating
- Plant robust plants
- Protect your plants and lawn (fencing it off from your dog)
- Plant dog-friendly plants like calendula, cornflowers, lavender, rosemary, sunflowers
- Make your garden secure- block gaps in fences, remember to close gates
- Keep dogs away from slugs and snails
- Avoid cocoa bean shell mulch- use bark chippings
- Secure the compost bin
Hope you and your furry friend enjoy the May long weekend and have fun in the garden!
TRIVIA Question:
In 1991 the estimated number of American dogs that were named as beneficiaries in wills was
- 850,000
- 5,000,000
- 1,000,000
The answer to last weeks question: What breed of dog won the 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2021?
A Pekingese called Wasabi
