According to statistics, every fourth garden owner has a dog. Often conflicts are inevitable. We show what ideas dogs have of the perfect garden. Dogs have a lot of fun in the garden. But the garden has to be designed accordingly.
He’s man’s best friend, no question about it, but if he chooses the newly created perennial bed of all things to dig, then trouble is behind schedule. The dog only follows his very own instinct – he has no idea what a bed means for garden lovers.
Problems between dog and person in the garden can be avoided by a clever design. If you want to avoid conflicts with your four-legged friend from the outset, you must first be clear about the animal’s needs.
Dogs are the oldest human pets and have been used for a wide variety of tasks for more than 10,000 years: for example, for hunting, herding or guarding.
Even if the dogs are mainly kept as good housemates today, they still have all the facilities for this and must also pursue these tasks. Last but not least, we appreciate the fact that dogs can sound the alarm or stand by their owner in an emergency.
Dogs in the garden: drawing clear boundaries
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The peaceful coexistence begins with dividing the garden into areas that are available to the dog and, above all, delimiting the areas that are taboo for him. Here you have to pronounce bans right at the beginning of dog training.
It has a supportive effect if you also set clear visual boundaries in the garden. This can be, for example, small fences on the edge of the bed, but also lawn edges edged with stones. In addition, areas with different surfaces are a good learning aid for dogs. The aim is to help the dog with easy-to-understand markings.
On the other hand, you can also assign your dog those areas that belong to him more easily. A part of the garden should be reserved so that the dog can live out its enormous urge to move. Romp and play, it is possible and desirable here.
Family connection for the dog
As a typical pack animal, the dog is very social, he seeks connection to the family. So create a space in your garden that belongs to you and your dog: a separate island for playing and being together.
On the other hand, the dog also needs places to retreat to. Such hiding places should have a size that corresponds to that of the dog and where a human is not a competitor for reasons of space. If the cave is small, the dog can find shade here if it gets too hot in the sun. He can also leave his toys here if he feels like it.
It is important that such a place is not too remote. Because as an attentive watchdog, the four-legged friend naturally always wants to keep an eye on the activities of the pack. A place to keep watch is also important. From there he should be able to overlook a large part of the area so that he has “his territory” under control.
Dog paradise in the garden
So that your dog feels completely comfortable in the garden, you should give him the opportunity to get fresh water at any time. Whether the dog can freshen up in the garden pond or whether he shouldn’t bathe there depends on the particular conditions of the pond.
- Hideout: This place belongs to the dog alone. Often nervous dogs calm themselves down just by the presence of a “cave”.
- Watering point: your dog should always have fresh water available. You decide whether the pond is also used by the dog for bathing.
- Shared playground: create a place where you can spend time with your dog. The dog can of course also romp around here.
- Keep watch: a dog likes to watch what’s going on in the garden. Here is the place from which he has his territory under control.
- At home: the four-legged friend’s favorite home is the typical dog house. It too can of course serve as his hiding place.
Dog in the garden: These plants are poisonous
Last but not least, creating a small dog paradise also includes avoiding plants that can be dangerous to dogs.
Therefore, avoid poisonous plants such as
- azalea,
- oleander,
- yew,
- golden rain,
- laurel,
- lupine,
- daffodil
- or delphinium.
