How Can I Ensure that My Outdoor Brick Patio is Dog Friendly?
If you’re looking for tips for outdoor brick patio to make it dog-friendly, consider using slip-resistant materials to prevent accidents. Opt for low-maintenance bricks that won’t get damaged easily by your dog’s paws. Create designated play areas and shade spots, using pet-friendly plants for a safe environment. Regularly inspect the patio for any hazards and maintain cleanliness to ensure your furry friend’s safety and enjoyment.
Dog Friendly Landscaping Suggestions to Help You Out
1. Know Your Own Dog
The first step you need to take if you’re looking for dog friendly landscaping ideas is to know your own dog. Just like humans, every dog is unique, but you probably know this already. For this reason, it’s important to know what are your dog’s habits, what does it like, etc. For example, terriers love to dig, while beagles will always try to escape. Meanwhile, retrievers love diving into water, so that’s another thing to keep in mind. That’s why it’s important to know how your dog reacts to various elements and stimuli in your backyard before landscaping.2. Enclose Spaces
In case you want to delimit spaces clearly in your backyard or patio, it’s a good idea to enclose them. For this, you can either build walls (whether permanent or temporary) or plant bushes or trees. In any case, they are useful to make your dog understand they’re not allowed in a certain area. For example, if you’re having lunch often in your backyard, you may want to train the dog not to jump on the table and munch on your goodies. However, make sure the plants you use aren’t dangerous for your pet or they don’t get hurt in the fences and obstacles around the yard.3. Quit Your Lawn
It may sound like a drastic decision, but it is a thing many dog owners did. In general, dogs and lawn grass aren’t a winning combination. Not only your dog will get dirty all the time when they’ll be playing around, but the lawn will also be affected by urine spots. The salts and the nitrogen found in urine will create the so-called ‘burn patches’, thus interfering with the looks in your garden. A good alternative would be to switch to hardscape. It is a low-maintenance option, and you can choose between various options of stone and masonry. This will help you cut down on the mess dogs do when they dig, urinate, or simply wear and tear your natural landscape. Set up a brick, concrete, or flagstone patio and you won’t have to worry about caring for your grass again. There is also the option of changing the type of grass since some are more resilient than others, but the amount of effort stays the same.4. Set Up Paths
It’s in dogs’ instinct to patrol the area they live in, so there’s no sense in trying to fight it. Instead, it would be a good idea to include a running space at the edge of the yard or at least next to it. Make sure the way to get there is clearly set out. It’s important to choose a route that is straight or slightly curving. Why? Remember that your dog will never wait to make a 90-degree turn, but cut corners instead. Regarding the materials, you can use brick, concrete, flagstone, smooth gravel or smooth river stones. However, never use cocoa mulch. Settle instead for paths made of fine bark, for instance.5. Offer Them Shade
If you live in a hot climate, you must consider this as well when choosing dog friendly landscaping options. In general, they love playing in the sun, which is why they need some lawn or a deck to sunbathe. However, dogs can also overheat easily, which is why you need to offer them a cooling retreat as well. If you know how to build a dog house, that’s even better. In fact, many dogs love having their own place, so a dog house is a good idea anyway.6. Use Sensible Plants
You should pay extra attention to the plants found near paths. They should have soft foliage, but you also need them to be sturdy enough to resist any canine play. Moreover, you shouldn’t keep the plants you care about within easy reach of the dog(s). Some plants that can be sturdy enough to keep up with your dog are:- Daylily
- Carolina Cherry
- Chain Fern
- Barberry
- New Zealand Flax
- Chameleon Plant, etc.