TREE AND SHRUBSLeaf it to me

Expert tips for a pet-friendly landscape

Pet ownership can be compatible with a beautiful backyard, says Janet Wanner, ODH, founder of Gentle Earth Design Studios in Saskatoon.

“When you’re designing a yard with a dog in mind, think low maintenance. You can’t have a very detailed yard with lots of flowers and perennials, impact crusher because the dog will run through them and trample them. I suggest a simple landscape design, replacing traditional flowering plants with lots of colourful shrubs,” says Wanner.

Wanner suggests dog owners opt for deciduous, leafy shrubs, as well as a few upright junipers or evergreens.

Dog owners should think twice about planting cedars in their yards, she adds. “Cedars smell different than other shrubs to dogs. Dogs like to use cedars as a toilet area; then the cedars die. I never put cedars in a yard where there are dogs.”

Wanner recommends training the dog to go to the bathroom in one specific area in the yard, preventing the formation of ugly dead spots throughout the lawn. “Create a bathroom area for your dog. Spread pea gravel over the designated area. It’s easy to hose off and keep clean,” says Wanner.

Many dogs are territorial by nature. They like to survey their domain, doing regular perimeter checks of the yard, patrolling along the inside of the fence. Tender plants quickly get trampled; stalks broken and leaves crushed.

If you can’t teach your old dog new tricks, study the path he or she takes when cruising the yard. Creating a pea gravel path along the inside of the fence will make both dog and homeowner happier.

Make that gravel border as wide as four feet, says Wanner. “Plant your shrubs four feet out from the fence. I would use a combination of larger shrubs in the corners – flowering shrubs like cranberry and golden elder. You can plant smaller shrubs along the fence line, such as flowering spirea, dogwood and barberry.”

To Wanner, a chain link dog run is essential for pet owners. “That’s especially true if the homeowners have a large dog. The humans want to be able to enjoy the yard, as well as the dog,” says Wanner.

“When I design a dog run, it has a view at one end or the other. I’ll plant some shrubs around the exterior of the dog run, so the dog can enjoy the shade and be out of the sun. I’ll create a shrubbery bed along the outside of one side of the dog run, with some taller shrubs in the corner. Even a small tree would be excellent, like an amur maple or a mountain ash.”

Position the dog run in an accessible location in the yard gravel crusher , not in the very back corner of the yard. “About seven months of the year, you’re taking the dog out to the run in cold weather,” she laughs. “You want that dog run to be accessible. You’re not going to use it if it’s at the back of the yard. Make it accessible to your side or back door.”

A new paw-friendly option for dog play areas is offered by Saskatoon entrepreneurs Mark and Paula Nowakowski. They are the Saskatoon region distributors of Perfect Turf. Among the company’s products is a synthetic turf specially formulated for dog runs and kennels.

“It’s very hard to have a nice lawn when you have dogs. That’s how I came across this product,” says Nowakowski.

“I have two big dogs. I started off with grass and they wore that down to mud. Then I brought in rock, gravel and sand. Everything got tracked into the house. When I tried this product, I liked it so much, I bought the dealership.”

The Canadian-made artificial turf is maintenance free, requiring no mowing or watering. The turf looks and feels like natural grass, however, homeowners never have to deal with dead spots or torn-up yards.

Small perforations in the turf promote optimal drainage of liquid waste. “It’s very clean. It’s installed over a base of crusher dust, which acts as a natural filter, preventing odors,” says Nowakowski.

“Very often, I’ll go out to a home to give a quote on a dog run and end up doing the whole back yard. mesin pemecah batu “

Nowakowski says that Perfect Turf is arning “glowing recommendations” rom doggy day cares, vet clinics, roomers and breeders. “The reponse has been very positive!”

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Nowakowski says that Perfect Turf is arning “glowing recommendations” rom doggy day cares, vet clinics, roomers and breeders. “The reponse has been very positive!”

Blue Star Juniper