We’ve been a three-dog household since we moved to our Altadena home more than four decades ago. At one time or another, 17 dogs have claimed my garden as their own.
For me, there’s nothing more enjoyable than working outside with my canine assistants. But inherent behaviors like chewing, chasing, and digging will challenge even the most tolerant dog-loving gardener, or worse, make the best of us consider locking all the dogs out.
The secret to interspecies harmony is to accommodate and even encourage what comes naturally to dogs. Take notice of their habits and movements and they’ll provide guidelines you can work with. There’s no need to start from scratch, either. Even a mature garden can be adapted to fit a canine lifestyle.
Dog-Friendly Design Elements
Before getting started, consider the basics. For a list of toxic plants, check online sites. Survey your yard and remove dangerous plants or restrict your dog’s access to them.
Use trellises or fencing to grow vines and trailing plants up and out of reach of inquiring noses. Stack bricks or rocks around vulnerable parts of the stem base to circumvent the flow of dog traffic.
Use this method to avoid injuries as well. Strip thorns off stems of climbing roses to protect ears and eyes. An ancient bougainvillea shades my backyard, but by training the branches and removing all the thorns up to six feet from the base, it has a smooth single trunk that makes it safe for the dogs.
No matter where you put the footpath, dogs will find the optimal shortcut from point A to point B.
Survey their movement and make dog-trails part of the overall design.
Enhance with decorative bark, such as redwood or cedar chips. Unlike concrete, decomposed granite and gravel, chip paths can be easily modified.
If your pooches run along the fence to chase squirrels or other possible intruders, install large landscape boulders to redirect traffic.
Digging Behavior
Dogs dig for two reasons- one is to bury treasure and the other is to disturb soil to release odor. When they sniff, they start with the right nostril and if it’s interesting, then they use their left nostril, theoretically engaging different hemispheres of the brain. This has to do with processing pathways, called sniffing lateralization.
Dogs use odor temporally, to tell time. Deep holes are to dogs what local history books are to us. Scrutinizing odor in a one-foot trench tells my dogs a lot about who spent time in the yard 25 years ago.
Encourage digging behavior, but like housebreaking techniques, teach them where to go. As part of the basic garden footprint, identify an ideal area where you can indulge their need to dig. If your dogs have a favorite place to bury bones, then dedicate that spot exclusively to dogged digging. Indulge the behavior by loosening soil with loamy material and sand. When it’s hot, keep the area cool and moist with light watering. Encourage the dogs to dig there and only there.
Occasionally I’ll bury treats and favorite toys to keep them returning for buried surprises. Surround the disturbed soil with rosemary, a shrub that can take a lot of dog abuse and is easy to prune. A dig-area I delegated 25 years ago still attracts my dogs on a hot day. And the rosemary fragrance clings to their coats after they come in the house.
On the other hand, you’ll also need to discourage digging, and that takes some strategic preparation. Ground covers can be challenging. After I loosen the soil, I cover it with a pre-cut piece of chicken wire, making sure that sharp ends are safely folded to protect tender paws. I use wire clothes-hangers cut in half to secure the fencing to the soil.
Make sure that the stake is pounded completely into the ground so it’s not a trip hazard. Then I plant my starter pieces in each grid. Digging is discouraged because the wire grid, invisible once the ground cover fills in, deters enjoyment of the behavior. What dog wants to dig in a place where she can’t make a hole?
What to Plant
In the battle between dogs and flora, dogs will eventually win. Take stock of what you have now. Whatever thrives, add more. Whatever struggles, either protect it, move it to a safer location, or just pull it out.
Don’t invest in flower bulbs that take ten months to produce a few delicate blossoms. One raucous play session and they’re history. Rather, put in industrial-strength vegetation, varieties that don’t mind being cut back. The durability of some California native shrubs are ideal candidates. I like Cleveland Sage and Mexican Marigold because they tolerate the two Ds – drought and dogs.
As new dogs make their way into your heart and your garden, observe their activities, and modify garden features to suit their unique interests. A terrier garden should be different than one designed for a retriever. An environment designed for a big dog might lack the personal touch a little dog enjoys. Stretch your imagination. Successful dog-friendly gardens reflect the personalities of the individuals that live in them.
You have a beautiful garden, Jane. I have dogs running around and trampling on my plants all the time too.