Tan and white dog stretches out on a pink blanket on a backyard deck — **Give your yard a facelift and incorporate pet-friendly design to keep everyone happy**

What if I told you that you could have an outdoor space that will let your pet enjoy the outside world and it won’t mean tracking in mud, destroying your plants, and have your cat wandering the neighbourhood every time you turn your back?

Sound appealing? Let’s talk about it…

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The Basics

There are some things that are non-negotiable for a pet-friendly space outdoors.

These are clean water, shade, and a secure area to keep your pets in the yard and safe from harm.

a tall garden gate with a secure latch keeps your pets safe in their yard — **Keeping them safe**

*A tall fence and a secure gate will protect your pet from getting out and keep away unwanted guests, such as other dogs from your neighbourhood*

Secure Area

Keeping your pets contained in a secure area so they can safely play is of the utmost importance. There’s a few different ways you can accomplish this.

Fencing around your yard will keep your pets in as long as it is well maintained and has no areas where they can climb under or jump over the fence.

If you have a large property, you can fence off only the area you need for your pets to make it more affordable and easier to maintain.

If you have a cat that likes to climb, you can install horizontal netting at the top of the fence to prevent them from jumping or climbing to the top of the fence to escape.

If you have a dog that likes to dig under the fence, you may need to install something like chicken wire along the ground by the fence to stop him from digging.

A portion of your balcony, deck, or covered porch can become a catio with some wire screen, a few pet-friendly plants and a perch or two.

Be sure to have a gate that is self-closing and latching. A magnetic gate latch can make it extra easier to ensure that the gate is fully latched and stays that way.

In our case, we have fenced off a generous area of our property for dogs to explore and am planning to build a little catio area on our deck where our indoor feline can sit out in the fresh air and sunshine.

Orange cat looks at the camera while pressed against a netted screen keeping him safe on a balcony — **The Catio**

*You can turn your balcony, porch, or deck into a little area for your indoor cat to get a little fresh air and sunshine without being exposed to the big, bad world*

Water

Even in cooler weather, pets need to stay hydrated. It becomes especially important in the heat of Summer. Be sure to provide plenty of fresh, clean water for your cat or dog.

You can be as elaborate as a having a water fountain or an automatic water station that connects to a garden tap, or as simple as sturdy bowls or buckets of water placed for easy access.

The trick is to keep them clean, to keep the water as cool as possible by sticking to the shade, and to choose spill-proof bowls so there’s plenty of water to drink.

Don’t leave the water to stagnate. Bowls can grow bacteria and algae quickly and can be a magnet for mosquitoes and other insects to lay their eggs. Dump and clean the bowls regularly and clean them well so your pet has access to fresh water at all times.

Shade

When the sun is scorching, it’s vital that your pets have access to shade to prevent them from overheating.

Our property has multiple large trees in the dog area so there’s always shady spots for Lucy to rest. We have a pergola on our deck and the deck wraps around the house so she can always find a shady spot to plunk down and enjoy a nap.

If your yard is quite sunny, you will need to give your pets some shade using anything from a sun sail or canopy attached to your house and several feet above the ground to allow airflow, to a pop-up canopy tent, to a canopy covered dog bed, to a full-blown gazebo, pergola or covered porch that you’re willing to share with your furry friends.

The Natural Stuff

When it comes to the landscaping of your pet-friendly yard, the idea is to keep out the things that will harm your pet or that your pet will harm.

Durable plants and shrubs that are pet-safe(not toxic) can be used throughout the yard so you can relax, knowing your pet won’t get sick and your garden will continue to look fantastic.

Pet-friendly Turf

When it comes to your lawn, at least in the main pet areas, skip delicate grass. Give clover, creeping thyme, or other pet-friendly groundcovers a try. These groundcovers are considered non-toxic, rugged, drought-resistant, choke out other weeds, and will stand up to a fair amount of abuse from your dogs.

Pet-Safe Plants

You can check the ASPCA listings to find out which plants should definitely be left out of your yard plans. If you currently have plants in the areas that aren’t pet-friendly, you can remove them, or, at the very least, move them to a part of your yard that your pets can’t access.

A mulched pathway with stepping stones meanders through a garden area — **The Footpath**

*Your pets are creatures of habit. Use their natural pathways in the yard to create pretty trails instead of worn grass tracks*

Pathways

Your pets are creatures of habit. You may find that they will wear pathways around your yard. These habits don’t even seem to change in the Winter, making it easy to notice in the snow.

So, take note and work with these pathways in your landscape design. Instead of being muddy tracks, you can turn them into a natural path for your pet to follow around your yard.

Wood chips, pea gravel, and flagstone can all be used to create a wonderful, natural, meandering path for your pet amongst your pet-friendly flower beds for a sensory path to delight them.

A fire hydrant surrounded by wood chips — **The potty area**

*While this one is real, you can get a realistic faux fire hydrant, surround it with pebbles or wood chips and encourage your dog to use this area to “do their business”*

Potty Area

Training your dog to “do their business” is a much better idea than finding their little(or not so little) gifts all over your yard. You can encourage them by providing a special area, just for that purpose, away from your doorway, to do their thing.

If you have a male dog, give them a “marking post” in this area and save your trees and shrubs. You can use an upright log, a wood post, a large boulder or even something really fun like a faux fire hydrant.

Cover the area with wood chips, pebbles or beach rock that can be easily hosed off for cleaning. If you find there’s a smell accumulating in this area, you can spray it with ez-clean Odour Remover, an enzyme-based cleaner that will eliminate the odours naturally.

The Extras

There may be a few other things that you want to add to your yard. Keep your pet’s personality or preferences in mind when designing the space. It doesn’t have to be expensive to take your yard to that next level. The idea is to give your pet a space that will meet their needs while still giving you a yard you can enjoy too.

The Sand Pit

Is your dog a digger? Instead of giving up all hope(and every flower garden), give them their very own sand box.

Bury a few of toys in the sand and give them full permission to let loose in that area. This will give them the mental stimulation they crave and keep them out of your petunias.

The Cat Tunnel

Do you want to bring your indoor cat outside for a breath of fresh air and a bit of a wander, but worry that he’ll escape and run away? Make him a tunnel made of chicken wire so he can wander through the yard and still stay safe.

If you don’t want the work of building this tunnel or don’t want this type of permanent set-up, you can always get a more portable solution, such as a mesh outdoor cat enclosure.

A pug plays in a plastic wading pool — **Furry Water Baby**

*If you have a pup who just can’t resist a swim, give them their own little wading pool or pet-friendly pond to enjoy*

The Splash Zone

Do you have a dog that absolutely loves to be in the water but don’t live near the beach?

You can make it simple and get a little plastic kiddie pool or sprinkler set-up. Or, go all-out and install a pet-friendly pond or splash pad for your furry water baby!

Again, be sure to empty and clean the pool regularly to keep it clean and keep mosquitoes and other insect larvae from making a home there.

The Agility Course

What do you do for that dog that has more energy than they know what to do with? How about agility training?

You can build your own course with logs, scrap wood, and other natural items or you can get a portable agility set so you can pack it away when it’s not needed.

Agility training is a great way to bond with your active dog and give them physical and mental enrichment.

Little white dog jumps over a pylon jump on a dog agility course — **Up and at ‘em**

*When you have a dog that has lots of energy, agility training is a great physical and mental challenge for them!*

A Little Can Mean A Lot

Don’t feel like this has to be an overwhelming make-over project for your yard.

Start simple and with the basics first. Just keep in mind the things you’d like to do with the space you have and the things your pets would enjoy.

Chances are, you won’t want or need to incorporate all the ideas suggested here. Maybe you have a couple of your own.

The point is, you can have an outdoor space that the whole family can enjoy, including your furry family members!

Creating a Pet-Friendly Backyard and Garden