How to create a pet-friendly yard

With the warm weather, everyone is eager to get outside, especially our four-legged friends. By TINA GLEISNER

With more than 30 percent of American families owning pets, a common challenge is how to accommodate dogs and outside cats when the family is eating, entertaining or simply relaxing in the backyard. Here is a guide to finding your best solution.

Family lifestyle needs

Start by evaluating how your family spends their days. Are family members away most of the day? Is someone home to handle necessary bathroom trips outdoors? Does the family take frequent overnight trips that require special arrangements? Your answers will help narrow your choices.

• Small dog run. This can be used for extended periods of time when the dog is alone. Adding a dog door allows your dog to move freely between the house and outdoors. There are many quality kits that are easy to assemble.

• Fenced-in yard. This might be preferable if children will spend a considerable amount of time outdoors and expect the dog to be part of their play group. With fencing, parents can monitor children’s activities and not worry about the whereabouts of pets, yours or the neighbor’s.

• Invisible fence solutions. These are great, but you worry that once a squirrel entices a dog to leave the property, they won’t return. This solution works if an adult is present whenever your dog is outside.

Tips for landscaping with dogs

If you spend time outdoors, you want to enjoy yourself and not be reminded of the challenges that dogs present. The goal is to balance your lifestyle with their needs. Here are ideas to help you achieve this balance.

• Hardscape materials. These offer a low maintenance alternative to grass for your dog’s high-traffic areas. You have many choices from brick to etched concrete, flagstone or crushed stone mulch.

• Sturdier grass and green alternatives. These include grasses that hold up better to foot (and paw) traffic such as Bermuda and Kentucky bluegrass.
Alternatively, clover lawns do not stain the way grass does from dog urine.

• Protect sensitive plantings. Create barriers to keep pets away. Short picket fencing or hedges can protect flower beds, and wire will stop dogs from damaging sensitive tree trunks and roots.

• Create dog territory. Leave gravel adjacent to fencing, as dogs are territorial. Avoid fighting a dog’s natural pathways by adding hardscape walkways.

Training for different dog behavior

You can train your dog to use a designated “toilet space,” preferably one that is easy to clean up (dirt or gravel). This area should be away from outdoor living spaces where you might see or smell them. You can use a short fence or hedge to surround this space, with either a pathway to enter or short enough that the dog can easily jump into the space.

Tina Gleisner owns My Handyman and is founder of 4 Walls 1 Roof, a collaborative group of women-owned businesses. She can be reached at 433-5905 or tina@MyHandymanNH.com.