There is more to creating a backyard other than making it beautiful. You also have to be concerned about how safe it will be for the users. Most homeowners are only concerned about the safety of their family members, without understanding that any pets they have at their homes also matter. That is why it is essential to learn about the different ways you can ensure the backyard you create is safe for your furry friends. Read on to get the best tips that will enable you to achieve a pet-friendly backyard.
The Best Tips
You should ensure that the place you create at the back of your property is safe for everyone and everything. In this section, you will learn about some of the best pet friendly yard ideas, as explained below:
Use Non-Chemical Products
As you think about using the best products on your lawn or garden, you should also be concerned about how they may affect your dog, cat, or any other pet you have in your home. Landscaping your home is a recommended idea, but how do the products used affect your animal? This is among the essential issues you should think about when it comes to pet friendly yard ideas. Your dog or cat is entitled to a safe environment. This means you can land in trouble if the authorities realize that you are not following the set guidelines for keeping your animals safe.
There have been significant advancements in the manufacture of pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides to be used by homeowners on their back yards, but you need to ensure that your pet does not choke on its smell and taste. Pets love to taste around. It would be unpleasant to hear that your dog or cat is sick or has died from the consumption of harmful chemicals. Some of the considerations you should be making in your home are how essential a perfect green lawn is to you and whether you want a mediocre yard or a natural hardscape backyard.
Have a Designated Spot for a Potty
One of the main challenges that many homeowners go through is teaching their pets to use the potty. Your dog or cat will not spend the entire day in the house, especially during the warm months of the year. This means that the animal’s poop and urine can have detrimental effects on the grass and flowers you have in your backyard. Therefore, you have to ensure that your pet knows where to go when the time comes to answer the calls of nature. Having a designated potty spot is among the best pet friendly yard ideas, and it shows that you embrace lawn care.
Some of the best materials to build a potty spot are wood, small pebbles, or crushed gravel. The main reason why these materials are ideal is that they absorb your pet’s urine, which would otherwise end up on the plants. However, considering the advancements in manufacturing, you can purchase artificial turf and lay it on the spot you pick for a potty. Such turf is easy to clean, drains instantly, and also prevents bacteria growth. Whatever choice you make, the key thing to remember is training your animal to use the designated potty area. The best way to do that is using a leash to take your dog to the potty spot and keep it there until it relieves itself.
Protected Gardens
Naturally, dogs like to chew, dig, and roll, mainly to explore and mark their territory. In this case, it would be wise to have your lovely gardens protected to ensure that your pet does not cause any damage to them. You have heard of training your dog to stick to the designated potty spot, but there are other deterrents that are safe for the animal. If you have a kitchen garden or a flowerbed in your backyard, it would be saddening if your dog or cat destroyed the plants as they do not understand the benefits of such gardens.
Protecting such gardens is among the excellent pet friendly yard ideas, not only for your dog but also for the plants. Some of the best ways to deter your pet from such areas include installing a fence, raised decks, a retaining wall, and other physical barriers. Besides procuring fencing services from an expert, you can use motion-triggered sprinklers to ensure your dog stays away from your gardens. In such a case, it would be best to consider getting garden sprinkler services from an individual or company that offers such services.
Install a Gate
Animals are generally explorative in nature, which means your Chihuahua or feline may be tempted to leave the yard. Reports of animals that have gone missing this way have skyrocketed over the last few years. Therefore, it is highly advisable to ensure you have a gate in your backyard as a protective measure for your beloved dog. Some pets, especially dogs, are wise enough to open a gate or a door and leave the yard. If yours is an Einstein type of dog, you should consider installing a robust latch on the gate. That way, it will keep them in the yard and ensure their safety.
If you have kids, you understand how forgetful they can be. At some point, they may forget to lock the gate, giving your pet an easy pass out of the yard. In such a case, the best thing to do is to have an automatic system installed that will lock the gate when someone goes out or comes into the backyard. Fortunately, there are many tech-savvy individuals and companies out there who can help you with such an installation, which makes having a self-closing gate one of the best pet friendly yard ideas.
Removal of Harmful Plants
As mentioned earlier, dogs and cats as well love to chew on things, and the plants in your backyard are not an exception. You would not want your furry friend to consume anything that will harm their health and cause diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, and other issues. There is an extensive array of backyard plants, but according to professionals, only a small percentage is harmful to your pet’s health. In that case, it is your responsibility to know which plants do not agree with your dog or cat and remove them, considering that some of these poisonous plants can cause the death of the animal.
This is essential, whether you are petscaping the current yard or are buying a new home. It is advisable to be on the lookout for these dangerous plants, some of which include lilies, dumb cane, azaleas, and black walnuts. The best way to ensure that all the harmful plants are removed from the yard to make it safe for your pet is by procuring a landscaper service. Such experts have profound knowledge of different yard plants and those that can have detrimental effects on your puppy’s health. Besides the plants, trees in the yard can cause some damage, too, to your animal. For instance, if one of the branches is loose, it can fall on your dog as it plays outside and injures the animal. That is why it is essential to consider procuring tree removal services if some old or rotten trees are in your backyard. That means safety for your pet, family, and property. That is why removing harmful plants and trees is among the best pet friendly yard ideas.
Consider Hiring a Flea and Tick Exterminator
Insects, such as fleas and ticks, can be a bother to your pet and family because your dog will bring them into your house. Getting rid of these insects from your home can be a costly and daunting task. Hiring a flea & tick exterminator is among the best pet friendly yard ideas that ensure your fur friend is comfortable, safe, and healthy for some playtime. Other undertakings that can inhibit the proliferation of ticks, fleas, and other insects include regular grass trimming and applying non-toxic repellents on your dog and yard. Besides the insects, a well-trimmed backyard discourages snakes from entering your home.
Not all snakes are poisonous, but your pet will hardly tell the difference. This is why it is critical to remove any wood and leave piles of your compound for your safety and that of your pet, because prevention is way better than cure. Finally, it is also wise to consider getting rid of any stagnant water from the yard. Such action ensures that mosquitoes do not build a camp in your home.
Include a Backyard Pond
Your dog may not be willing to get into your swimming pool, but they will need to cool their bodies off, especially during hot days. Creating a backyard pond for your fur companion is among the most considerate of pet friendly yard ideas. However, it would be best to be vigilant of this idea by ensuring you create a shallow pond to make it easy for your animal to get in and out. To successfully build a backyard pond for your pet, you will need:
- A pump: Used to create a fountain or drain the pond during cleaning time. Additionally, the pump will ensure constant water movements to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes and the formation of algae.
- Flexible tubes to create a connection between the pump and the fountain or waterfall.
- A pond shell: This one should be made of hard plastic for stability and durability. The size of the shell you get depends on the size of your pet. If your dog is small, you will need to add gravel, a ramp, or bricks at the bottom to make the pond shallower.
Embrace the Cleanliness of the Yard
Maintaining the yard’s cleanliness means safety for you and your pet. This is why it appears on this list of pet friendly yard ideas. Besides trimming the grass, you need to clean your backyard hardscaping using power washing. This method is ideal because it uses hot water steam to remove dirt, paint, grime, mud, chewing gum, and other materials from outdoor surfaces. Such surfaces include patios, decks, and pathways. If, for instance, your dog consumes chewing gum stuck on a particular surface, it may end up getting choked. At its worst, such a gum can even lead to the dog’s death due to hindered breathing. Therefore, if you want to keep your pet safe, there are no two ways other than sticking to regular cleaning.
Shelter and Protection
Your pet needs an outdoor shelter where it can get some shade, especially when the sun is too hot. So, one of the best pet friendly yard ideas is ensuring that you create a structure that offers your pet protection from the sun. Overheating and the sun’s UV rays can be harmful to your dog. However, that will not be an issue if you have a few trees in your yard. If no trees offer shade, you should consider constructing a shelter. The good news is that you can handle such a project as a DIY task as long as you get the necessary tools.
The tools and materials you may require include screws and nails, a hammer, a jigsaw, decking material, and a corner clamp. If you want to avoid the expense of buying such tools and materials, you may consider hiring them from individuals and companies that offer such services.
Playing with your pet in your backyard can be fun and relaxing. However, you need to ensure that the place is safe for your fur friend by considering the above-explained tips. One of the most forgotten points about creating a pet-friendly backyard is embracing cleanliness. A clean place is a safe place for your dog or cat. Therefore, keenly read the tips discussed above to ensure you understand all the essential pet friendly yard ideas.
