Dog-friendly garden

It's so easy! If you're moving into a house or apartment with a garden, want to redesign your garden for the summer, or are getting a dog for the first time, you've come to the right place. Read here how you can turn your garden into a real dog paradise!

Fun, excitement and games: that's what a dog's own garden is all about. Here, the four-legged roommates can romp around to their heart's content, discover tracks and let the sun shine on their fur. It's not just important to make the garden dog-friendly, but also to pay attention to safety issues and offer the dog things to do. Of course, the garden should also remain a place of well-being for people. With enough planning, sufficient research and patience, a good compromise can be achieved. Read here which tips and tricks you can use and how you can turn the garden into a truly real dog paradise.

Dog-friendly garden - why?

A garden is not only a wonderful place for humans to get some fresh air, have a barbecue with friends in the summer, use their green fingers or simply relax. Our four-legged friends also love spending time in the fresh air and letting off steam.

What a garden has to offer for dogs

In an emergency, such as if the owner or dog is ill, having your own garden can replace short “pee rounds” with the dog.
Since you don't have to go outside on a leash in the garden, puppies learn to be house trained with less effort.
The garden also offers safe, off-leash exercise for hunting, fearful or untrained dogs.
The garden offers many opportunities for dog-friendly activities

Attention! What a garden cannot do:

Completely replace the walk! A dog needs new smells, social contacts, strange noises and challenges
Be a permanent place to stay. Never leave the dog alone in the garden for long periods of time. This can lead to behaviors such as barking at the garden fence becoming established.

Safety first! How to avoid sources of danger in the garden

Of course, in order for you and your four-legged friend to be able to enjoy the benefits of a dog-friendly garden together in a relaxed manner, some safety aspects must be taken into account.

First on the safety list is a sturdy fence that should be at least 1.20 meters high and narrow enough that neither small breeds of dog nor puppies can slip through. A narrow, slightly raised bed along the fence or a wire mesh buried about 15 centimeters deep will prevent illegal digging through to the other side. Young, curious puppies in particular need to get to know their environment first. Therefore, secure tools and cables, such as those of garden lights, which could otherwise be used as dangerous toys.

Unfortunately, ticks in the garden are unavoidable and can attach themselves to our four-legged friends. Prevent tick infestations by keeping the grass short and, if necessary, provide your dog with a suitable tick repellent. Natural remedies such as Na-tierlich can also be used as support and prevention. Zeckenfrei provides natural support during tick season. The rockrose herb contained in it helps strengthen the immune system and deters ticks. The brewer's yeast supports the dog's skin environment. Together, these two ingredients are said to change the dog's smell and make it unpleasant for ticks. If a tick does get lost in the fur, it will not bite immediately due to the deterrent smell and you will have more time to remove the ticks from the fur.

You also have to be careful when using fertilizer in the garden. Fertilizer is harmful to dogs! If you fertilize your garden, do not let your dog into the garden immediately. Wait until the fertilizer dissolves in the soil or use natural products. Keep the fertilizer package safely out of reach.

Likewise, pesticides, slug pellets and similar things are taboo. Also secure your compost heap, as many compostable wastes (such as coffee grounds or moldy leftovers) can be dangerous for your dog.

Poisonous fruits and plants

This is just a selection of the most common plants, trees, fruits and bushes that can be dangerous for your four-legged friend. Before you plant something in the garden, find out whether it is really safe and non-toxic for your four-legged family member.

Poisonous fruits: raw legumes, raw potatoes, onions, grapes, fermented fallen fruit, stone fruit seeds
Poisonous trees and shrubs: elderberry, yew, laburnum, elder, etc.
Poisonous hedge plants: cherry laurel, boxwood, thuja
Poisonous ornamental plants: Tulipaceae (narcissus, corcus, tulip), rhododendron, monkshood, oleander, angel's trumpet, etc.

Wish list for the ideal dog garden

petWALK dog door

The door to freedom! With an automatic petWALK dog door, you can allow your dog to get into the garden independently. The four-legged friend can simply open the door with an RFID chip on the collar and the door then closes automatically. You can set regular times and, if desired, even connect and use the door with your voice assistant. Or you can simply operate it with the remote control or app on your mobile phone. Having your own exit for your dog provides some variety and is a great help in everyday life.

Area for romping and running

There should be enough free space so that your four-legged friend can run and play in the garden. If you are creating a new garden, choose an extremely robust type of grass, such as heat-resistant play or sports grass. Be prepared for the fact that a perfect ornamental lawn will not be possible, especially for larger and more active dogs. Be careful when fertilizing the lawn!

Eating grass in dogs?
Every now and then, our four-legged friends eat grass. There is no need to worry, as this is natural behavior, provides fiber and promotes gastrointestinal cleansing. It becomes a concern when excessive grass eating occurs, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems. For dogs that only want to eat grass now and then, you can deliberately leave a corner with taller grass.

Digging corner

To protect the beautiful flowerbed in the garden, it is a good idea to create a digging corner in which the dog can live out this natural behavior. The digging corner can either be an area in the garden or a large box, such as a sandbox. However, make sure that the area is not in direct sunlight in midsummer.

Offer the digging fans variety. A large area with a deep layer of earth, leaves or sand makes the dog's heart beat faster. If the dog digs in other places, encourage him to continue in the digging corner instead. To ensure that your four-legged friend uses the corner voluntarily and happily, do not lead him to the digging corner as a punishment or strictly.

Dog toilet

If the dog is allowed to do his business in the garden, a separate place can be trained for it. This avoids yellow urine stains on the lawn and the business always ends up in the same place. The area for your four-legged friend should be clearly demarcated. It is best to choose a place where he often does his business anyway. The surface can be covered with grass, earth, sand and even cow mulch. Make sure, especially with male dogs, that there are bushes or trees available as peeing spots.

Using this corner needs to be practiced with a lot of patience and built up in a positive way. Give your dog lots of praise when he does his business in the right corner. You can also help him out a little at the beginning by leaving the dog on a leash in the garden for a few days and leading him to the right corner.

Shade and places of relaxation

A dog rests for up to 20 hours a day. If you spend a lot of time in the garden, offer your dog places to rest there too. The following tips are useful for finding your four-legged friend's favorite spot:

Beautify cozy places to lie down with special outdoor dog blankets and dog cushions. Or place a normal dog basket in a sheltered, dry place during the day.
Dogs like to lie on elevated places from which they can observe their surroundings.
Not everyone is a fan of the traditional dog house, but it can provide shade and a protected place to retreat.
You can also create enough shade with trees or large bushes, parasols, high privacy walls or sun sails.

Activities, games and fun

For many dogs, a trip to the garden is just fun and games. There are many ways to make the garden dog-friendly using simple means.

A favorite activity for many dogs is sniffing things out. Treats, toys or a food bag are good for exciting searches.

If your dog is not training in an agility dog ​​sports club, you can create an improvised course in the garden according to your taste. Depending on the age, size and fitness of the dog, purchased tunnels, hurdles or slalom poles are suitable. However, sticks, garden benches, stones or tree trunks are also sufficient to encourage the dog to jump up or jump up.

Attention: make sure you pay attention to safety! The obstacles must not tip over or collapse. Surfaces should be non-slip. Also make sure not to overexert your dog. Especially with older dogs, you should focus on simple exercises that promote coordination and fitness but put less strain on the joints. You can therefore let older four-legged friends slowly climb or balance over low obstacles.

Older animals in particular benefit from constant access to the outdoors. This means they can go out into the garden for short walks and when they get tired, they can simply go back into the house. You can also try to support the dog with food supplements such as exercise. The composition of willow bark, nettle leaves and blackcurrant leaves is said to strengthen muscles and joints.

Taboo zones

Depending on the garden design and the dog, sometimes taboo zones are necessary. Some dogs, especially puppies and young dogs, gnaw on branches and bite plants, while others dig excessively. Beds, ponds, and areas with edible, poisonous, or expensive special plants should therefore be designated as taboo zones for the dog. As with the other areas already mentioned, training dogs to stay away from taboo zones requires extraordinary patience.

Taboo zones are easier for the dog to accept if there is a visual boundary such as a raised border around a flower bed, low hedges or a low fence. These also ensure that the taboo zone is easier to perceive when playing.

Michaela Strohmayer

The recommendations come from Michaela Strohmayer, a dog trainer qualified in animal welfare and state-appointed therapy dog ​​examiner.

If you are looking for someone with experience and the right skills to make you and your dog a real team, then take a look at their website: https: