You love your landscaping, but you also love your dog! If you’re enjoying your yard, shouldn’t they? When it comes to planning your next project, there are a ton of dog-friendly landscaping ideas you might want to consider. Not only can they help keep your dog safe, but they can also keep you from having to worry about how they interact with it.

If you’re an animal lover and have a dog at home, keep reading for our guide to dog-friendly landscaping ideas to create a beautiful yard you can both enjoy!

What Makes for Dog-Friendly Landscaping Ideas?

What exactly are dog-friendly landscaping ideas, you wonder? A dog-friendly yard really involves two elements: making sure your lawn and garden are protected from doggy-related damage as well as creating a space for your dog to have fun.

Dogs are lovable, energetic–if not sometimes destructive–part of our families. That’s why creating a fun, safe space for them to enjoy can be just as important to many homeowners as enjoying the space themselves. After all, if you put in the effort of using a landscaping design planner and working with Upstate NY landscaping service professionals to create the backyard space of your dreams, you want to make sure it’s going to stay in great shape!

Not planning ahead for your dog being in the yard is one of the fastest ways guaranteed to kill your lawn! To avoid that, a few easy dog-friendly landscaping ideas to consider for your next project are:

• Knowing which flowers and plants to avoid
• Designating a “bathroom” area for your dog
• Creating a sandbox for digging and playing
• Adding shade to keep your dog nice and cool
• Planting a flea-repelling garden
• Adding a water feature that can double as a doggy splash pool

Avoiding Plants That Are Toxic to Dogs

First up on our list of dog-friendly landscaping ideas is probably the absolute most important one: avoiding plants that are toxic to dogs. While they’re cute and cuddly, dogs are also notorious for sticking their noses where they may not belong! This includes potentially eating a little bit of anything that comes into their paths, even when it’s not dog food.

Unfortunately, as much as 5% of all pet-related health emergencies are reported to be after ingesting toxic plants. Even though you may think something is beautiful, it’s best to ask our Capital Region landscaping professionals which plants are safe for your dog before putting them in your yard.

A few common plants and flowers that are toxic to dogs are:

• Tulips
• Lily of the Valley
• Oleander
• Azaleas (also called rhododendron)
• Hydrangea
• Hostas

While there is an extensive list of plants toxic to dogs, there are also a plethora of types that are safe. The ASPCA has put together a huge list of toxic and non-toxic plants for dogs. Use it when gathering your dog-friendly landscaping ideas to keep your pup safe.

Creating a Dog Bathroom Area in Yards

Our dogs need to use the bathroom, too! Unless you’ve taught your dog to use an inside toilet (if you do, you’re a magician), then creating a bathroom area in the yard is another of the most important dog-friendly landscaping ideas to think about. If you’ve got a dog using the bathroom in your yard now, chances are you’ve seen the negative effects it can have. The effects of dog urine on your lawn are similar to that of nitrogen-rich liquid fertilizer. Over time, it can kill the grass, leading to unsightly brown spots all over your backyard.

So how do you fix that problem? First, consider not fertilizing your grass where your dog relieves itself. Fertilized grass may already be at its limit on nitrogen, putting it over the threshold when dog urine is added. You might also consider spraying water over areas where your dog goes to the bathroom immediately to dilute the urine and lessen its impact to your lawn.

Another method for protecting your grass while creating a bathroom space in your dog-friendly landscaping ideas is to learn what grass is right for Upstate NY lawns. Certain grasses are more sensitive to the nitrogen in dog waste whereas others may be more resilient. For example, Ryegrass and Fescue have been found to typically be the most urine-resistant types of grass, while Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda are the most sensitive.

To treat the area where your dog is using the bathroom, consider a lawn repair treatment. Our landscaping services professionals will be able to help determine what is needed to fix any damage and prevent more from happening in the future.

Making a Dog Sandbox for Digging

Dogs love to dig. Unfortunately, they’re often digging in our landscaping, causing potential damage to our yard, plants, flowers, and trees. Next up on our list of dog-friendly landscaping ideas is making a dog sandbox where they can dig until their hearts are content!

Instead of trying to force your dog to stop digging (good luck with that), creating a designated space where they can dig without causing any damage to your landscaping lets them have fun without any stress for you. Keeping the sandbox slightly damp during summer is another way to help them enjoy it even more. Since digging holes is sometimes a way for dogs to try and find a cool spot to lie down, the damp sand will help that much more than your prized landscaping!

Adding Shade to Keep Your Dog Cool

Speaking of keeping cool, our next item for dog-friendly landscaping ideas is to make sure your yard has plenty of shade. We aren’t the only ones who love shade to help beat the summer heat! Our dogs are covered in fur and can become overheated in the sun.

Planting and landscaping around trees can help provide shaded spots for both you and your dog to enjoy. Some of the best trees to plant in Upstate NY such as a hedge maple or northern red oak are favorites for adding shade and creating a beautiful backyard space.

Flea-Repellent Gardens

In addition to considering toxic and non-toxic plants, planting flea-repellent gardens are also great dog-friend landscaping ideas to consider. Believe it or not, there are a wide variety of plants that naturally overwhelm fleas and may help keep them out of your yard and off your pup!

Some of these safe flea-repellent garden plants include:

• Catnip (just don’t tell your dogs what it’s called!)
• Sage
• Marigold
• Rosemary

Note: Many flea-repellent garden plants are toxic to dogs. The list above is safe, but be sure to check the ASPCA list before planting.

Backyard Water Features Make Doggy Splash Pools!

During the hot summer days in the Capital Region, temperatures can get hot. If you’re hot, your dog is, too! Last, but certainly not least, on our list of dog-friendly landscaping ideas comes dog splash pools. While you may have previously used plastic kiddie pools to let your pup splash around in, backyard water features can do the trick, too.

Not only do water features add value to your home, but they can make the perfect spot for your dog to get wet and keep cool. Different types of water feature designs like garden ponds or larger fountains can give your pup a chance to wet their paws and beat the heat. Be sure that the base of any pond or fountain is clear of sharp, jagged rocks or debris, however, to keep your dog safe!

Before you hop into your next project, we hope this guide has given you some dog-friendly landscaping ideas to think about. We love our dogs, but we want our landscaping to stay nice, too! Creating a few dog-focused elements can make a huge difference. Our landscaping professionals in Albany, Saratoga, Colonie, Schenectady, and the surrounding areas can help you plan the backyard of your dreams that you and your pup can enjoy together. Give us a shout and let’s get started!

Want more landscaping tips and inspiration for your next project? Check out these guides:

• How to Landscape a Small Backyard
• 7 Backyard Makeover Ideas to Transform Your Yard
• How to Design a Backyard for Summer Entertaining
• What Does Lawn Maintenance Include?
• How Often Should I Water My Garden?