Make Your Backyard Pet Friendly

Most pets enjoy spending time outdoors, some more than others.  Cats are a special case since most will roam and return, but no dog should be left outdoors unsupervised in a yard that is not pet friendly.

The first step you need to take to make your backyard pet friendly is containment.  Some homeowners stretch a run wire between a garage and the home and attach a lead to the wire, allowing the dog to run back and forth in a restricted space.

While this will certainly contain the dog, another alternative is to enclose the backyard in a secure fence.  While you may currently own a small dog, planning for the future possibility of a larger dog means putting in a fence high enough to keep larger breeds from leaping over the fence.

A pet friendly backyard is a safe backyard. First, the fence needs to be monitored and maintained, as some dogs will look for weaknesses in the fence allowing them to get out and roam free.  If your dog is a digger, watch for evidence they’re trying to dig their way out.

Make sure all plants you have are non-toxic to dogs, as many will eat vegetation from time to time.  If you’re not sure of what you have, use the Internet as a resource to determine the toxicity of your plants.  If you store garden chemicals in your garage or in a backyard shed make sure both are completely secured from access by the dog at all times.

The most difficult issue by far when it comes to a pet friendly back yard is the walking surface.  If your dog is of a breed that responds well to training you can create a separate ‘”run” area where the dog can learn to use to do his or her “business.”  Typically, these runs have a pea gravel or wood chip walking surface.

The sad truth for the rest of the yard is that the most pet friendly surface is grass.  Wood chips can stick to a dog’s coat and get caught in their paws.  Patio blocks and cement surfaces can be hard on a dog’s joints and get hot in extreme temperatures.  Grass is soft and many dogs love to roll in it.  Unfortunately, some dogs also love to dig in it and the urine of some dogs will burn it.  

You can try to train the dog to stop digging, or provide an area where digging is permissible.  Many dogs can learn to restrict their digging behavior to a designated area.  But it takes time and patience and if you have a dog breed that is not easily trained, it will be difficult if not impossible.  There are pills you can buy from pet supply houses that will help with the burning of the grass.

Finally, there’s the matter of water and shelter.  If your dog is going to be outdoors for an extended period he or she must have access to water and have a place to go to stay warm and dry if the weather worsens while you are away.

While many people solve this problem with a dog house, there is another alternative that has additional benefits.  That option is a “doggy door” which allows your dog to go back and forth between the interior of your home and the backyard as he or she pleases.  You can find these doors on Internet Pet Supply outlets as well as local retailers.  They can be installed in doors or in walls and the installation process is well within the reach of a reasonably skilled “do-it-yourself” homeowner.