Dog Friendly Backyard Upgrades to Improve Your Pup’s Life
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Why Design a Dog Friendly Backyard?
Incorporating dog-friendly backyard ideas into your landscape design has many benefits for both you and your canine companion! By keeping them in mind, you can help ensure your dog’s safety, deter unwanted behavior, allow your pup to follow their canine instincts, and discourage helicopter dog parenting.
- A backyard overhaul allows you to weed out toxic plants and eliminate hiding places for dangerous wildlife.
- Incorporating backyard dog play area ideas into your yard deters your pup from pesky digging and other destructive acts by encouraging more acceptable behaviors.
- A dog-friendly backyard means your dog can run, play, explore, and exercise — just as dogs are meant to.
- Making your yard a friendlier place for your dog lets your dog have more freedom while discouraging clingy and anxious attachment behaviors.
Allowing your dog to spend more time outdoors encourages exercise to burn off extra energy. Less pent-up energy means less destructive behavior indoors, and more exercise means less risk of obesity.
Spending time outdoors isn’t only about keeping your dog fit physically, though. Outdoor time is also about keeping your pup psychologically healthy. Allowing them opportunities to explore the yard exposes your dog to different scents, sounds, and sights – all of which provide much-needed mental stimulation.
5 Dog Friendly Backyard Upgrades Your Pup Will Love
Not only do our dogs depend on us for basic necessities like food, water, and shelter – it’s also up to pup parents to provide opportunities for both physical and mental stimulation. Use these backyard dog ideas as inspiration as you enhance your overhauled outdoor space!
1. A Wireless Containment System
A wireless containment system creates a secure boundary where your dog can run free and observe the world around them, while you can still have peace of mind that your dog is safe and accounted for. When it comes to backyard dog fence ideas, a GPS-based wireless dog fence even allows for customizable containment areas to provide the largest free-run space possible – all while keeping your dog from dangerous terrain, hazards, and roadways.
A SpotOn GPS fence is perfect for large properties, especially if you’re looking for a fencing option that won’t cost thousands to install. Unlike other systems, with SpotOn, the cost of your dog’s fence will stay the same, whatever the size of your property.
2. A Sandpit or Digging Area
Some dog breeds instinctively dig, which can sometimes become a behavior that seems impossible to stop. If your dog acts on this instinct frequently, it is a good idea to incorporate an interactive digging area into your backyard.
Having a designated area allows your dog to safely exercise their natural instinct to dig without ruining your flowerbeds and herb gardens! You can even make a digging area more fun by hiding toys and bones for your dog to retrieve.
3. Create a Sensory Area
A sensory area allows your dog to explore their surroundings in a new way! Incorporating unique textures, sounds, scents, and sights means that your dog has a fully immersive experience when they go out to play. Here are some ideas for sensory-stimulating additions to your backyard:
- A sandbox or mulched area creates different textures for your dog to walk on and dig in.
- A wading pool also creates textural contrast and gives your dog somewhere to cool down on hot summer days. Bonus points if they’re a swim-loving breed!
- Adding wooden and metal windchimes adds interesting new sounds to your backyard that are sure to pique your pooch's interest.
- A bird feeder also encourages new wildlife for your dog to listen to and watch. Retrievers and pointers will especially benefit from bird watching (and chasing).
- Planting dog-safe plants with unique scents gives your dog a variety of new smells to investigate.
- With an active fishpond, your dog can watch fish, insects, and even frogs going about their daily life – a whole new degree of sensory stimulation.
4. Add a Customized Play Area
If your dog enjoys playing with outside dog toys, incorporating an area where they know they can play is a great idea! You can even personalize the area for your dog based on their size and toy preferences.
If it’s water toys your dog loves, go for a wading pool. If your dog prefers toys that bounce, create a paved area where tennis balls can fly into the air during fetch. You can even steal a section of the paved area for yourself and set up a patio conversation set where you can sit and relax during their independent playtime – just be sure to leave plenty of room for your dog to run!
5. Add More Dog-Friendly Foliage
Plant some long grasses to create the perfect hiding spot! Tall grasses make the ideal place for your dog to experience new senses, but they are also perfect for hide-and-seek and scavenger hunting. You can make this area more interesting to your dog by combining grasses of different lengths and textures.
When planting tall grasses, avoid grass types with sharp blades that could cut or poke your dog as they are running through them. Planting various types of grass is beneficial for your dog's physical stimulation, but not at the expense of their safety! Opt for fountain grass or feather reeds as a non-toxic grass option.
Keeping your dog’s needs in mind when overhauling your backyard ensures you have a space you can enjoy, all while providing your dog with the physical and mental stimulation they need to be happy and healthy. And you can forget traditional fencing in your next backyard redesign – SpotOn’s GPS fence can give your pup the freedom to explore your property unleashed.
Author Bio:
Amy Brannan is a British native who currently resides in North Carolina with Jet, her 15-year-old senior black lab. Throughout her life, Amy has been owned by numerous Labrador retrievers, a Great-Dane pit-bull mix, and a very demanding border collie. For over 16 years, Amy has dedicated her life to dog training, and she currently works as a freelance writer, promoter of rescue dog awareness, and part-time for a local veterinary clinic.
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