Landscaping for Dogs

For Barb Heideman, the relationship with her dogs was downright dastardly. She loved watching her dogs play, and she wanted to keep a little racetrack they developed through the evergreens and flower beds without having to grit her teeth every time they ran through it. In her quest to form a truce between her rough-and-tumble dogs and her luscious landscaping, Barb hired Fran Kiesling of Dirty Dog Landscaping, a designer who landscapes yards for people with pets. And for Barb, Fran was a dogsend!

Fran's first step was to find out how the dogs use the space: where they play, where they lie down, where they eliminate, where they walk and what favorite views they have (Fran says dogs like to be elevated for a good view). Then Fran designed a plan that is both pleasing and practical. She offers easy solutions to common problems that occur when sharing space with pets.

And then there's the digging. A dog's gotta dig, doesn't he? Fran says you have to work with the dog through training to dig only when it's okay with you or to dig only in a place that's okay with you. Use a command like "no dig." And the minute the dog stops digging, give him a treat or praise him, or whatever training works for your dog.

For pets with sniffing snouts and hearty appetites, homeowners must be careful with plants they pick. Some favorite landscape plants like rhododendrons are toxic and will make a dog sick. If you're not sure which plants are poisonous, check with your local garden center. But Fran says you shouldn't have to eliminate the plant. She says homeowners must pay particular attention to obedience training. She uses this example: if you've trained your dog not to eat the furniture, then you can train your dog not to eat the shrubbery. Then you won't have to worry about what is toxic and what is not.

After her landscape was redesigned, Barb was asked if petscaping really worked. She said yes, paws down!