February 20th is National Love Your Pet Day. Millions of Americans own cats, dogs, birds, fish and more. Many of these pet owners also own homes and let their pets roam their yards. Although owners love their pets, their furry friends can wreak havoc on landscaping. Because we love pets and we love landscaping, our blog this week is on pet proof landscaping.
Gardens are often the most common thing homeowners will want to protect. Pet proof landscaping always starts in the garden. Cats and dogs will want to dig in the garden’s loose soil. They may even want to eat the herbs and vegetables you are growing. To keep pets out of the garden, you can utilize chicken wire. It is inexpensive and can be placed deep into the ground. You’ll probably have to place some chicken wire across the top to keep cats out that enjoy leaping.
Another idea to keep pets happy in the yard is to create an area specifically for them. Dogs are often happy with a simple area to dig and run. You should encourage your dog to play in the area by placing some of their favorite toys in the area. You can further make the area fun for your dog by hiding treats. This provides a fun source of enrichment.
Cats can also have an area all to themselves. Outdoor cat enclosures have gained a lot of popularity over the past couple of years. The enclosure allow the cats the freedom of being outdoors but prevent them from roaming. This is beneficial to the cats themselves as well as the yard. The outdoors can be dangerous for cats. Cars and coyotes are just a couple of the dangers they can run into. On the other hand, cats can be dangerous to the outdoors. They can kill backyard birds and tear up gardens. Keeping the cat confined in an outdoor enclosure eliminates these dangers while still allowing the cat limited access to the outdoors.
Dogs often choose a path in the yard and will run on it consistently. This can prevent grass growth. Often the best way to deal with is to simply cover the path with mulch. It looks better than plain dirt and gives the dog something to run on. Just make sure you refrain from using mulch that has cocoa in it which is toxic to dogs. If you don’t want to use mulch, smooth stones are a great alternative.
Dogs dig for a variety of different reasons. Two of the most common ones are that the dog is trying to slip under a fence or trying to find cool dirt to lay in if they are warm. If you have been having issues with your dog trying to dig under your fence, you may want to take down the fence, put it up again and make sure the bottom is at least a foot below the dirt. The dog should eventually give up when they see there is no way to get through. If you don’t want to replace the fence, placing large rocks along the base will also discourage the dogs from digging. If your dog is digging to find cool soil to lay in, you may want to install a simple water garden for them to lounge in.
We hope you enjoyed our pet proof landscaping tips for National Pet Day. Check out our products page for all of your spring landscaping needs.