Petscaping™ is landscaping with pets in mind. Find out how to create a fun and safe place for your dogs and other outdoor pets to play, eat and sleep. Pet fountains, dog obedience tips, dog houses, quidelines for the best grass for dogs, and guidelines for providing safe enclosures are all part of Petscaping™.
Landscape Design With Pets In Mind
“Petscaping™ is landscape design with pets in mind”, says Scott Cohen, HGTV’s favorite Garden Artisan from The Green Scene Landscape. “We like to incorporate petscaping™ into all our landscaping projects that involve families with pets”, Cohen says. “And while we've created pet yards for people with turtles and rabbits, most of the time, petscaping™ is for the dogs. Dog friendly gardens are very much in demand." |
This book is a combined effort from Scott Cohen and Carolyn Doherty, respected film industry animal trainer. Petscaping™ provides a unique and rich resource on dog training and landscape design, tackling design and pet behavioral issues from this dynamic team.
Petscaping™ is Available now on Amazon.com!
The goals of this book are to provide information, tips and expertise on creating a fun, beautiful, safe, and stimulating backyard environment for pets and their families, and to provide down to earth expert advice and dog training tips and address pet behavioral issues in the backyard such as how to stop barking dogs, solutions for dogs digging up Grandma’s garden, and how to stop your dog urinating on your lush green lawn.
The May 2011 issue of Pet Product News featured an interview with Scott Cohen for Petscaping™.
Exclusive excerpt plus bonus material: Edible Gardens for Pets by Anthea Davidson
Tips from Scott Cohen,
professional landscape designer at The Green Scene, and pet owner.
“Dog Houses should not be placed in full sun. Put them in the shade of a large tree or on the shady side of the house”, Cohen says. “They should be well-ventilated and comfortable”. Doghouses should also be inviting for dogs and attractive to homeowners, Cohen says. “You can landscape a dog house just like you would landscape your own home. Include a stream or a pond, a waterfall or a rock garden. Make it a multi-level playhouse. Decorate the entrance with something whimsical like precast concrete or even topiary fire hydrants. Surround the house with a garden”, Cohen says.
Why Concrete Floors are Pet-Friendly
Those of us who live with and love our pets consider them to be important members of the family. When choosing the flooring materials we use in our home, therefore, we should give careful thought to how they might affect the comfort of our four-footed companions, and how well they will stand up to claws, muddy paws and the inevitable "accident." Whether you own a cat or dog (or both), few flooring materials are friendlier to pets and their owners than concrete. Here are six reasons why.
Jim Peterson,
The Concrete Network
Top Ten Lawns For Yards With Pets
Tall Fescue: Best lawn for year-round green in sunny areas where drought tolerance is important. Good for small to medium sized dogs. Add 15% Kentucky Bluegrass to improve fill-in properties needed to handle foot traffic from larger dogs. Routine spot seeding required to maintain with dogs. Grows quicker than its cousin, Dwarf Tall Fescue.
Dwarf Tall Fescue: Tolerates a shorter mowing height and has a slightly finer blade than other Fescues, so it makes for a “well-groomed” lawn. Good lawn for year-round green in sunny areas where drought tolerance is important. Good for small to medium sized dogs, but it does grow more slowly than standard Tall Fescue. Add 15% Kentucky Bluegrass to improve fill-in properties needed to handle foot traffic from larger dogs. Routine spot seeding required to maintain with dogs.
Double-Dwarf Fescues: The latest addition to the turf industry. While these true dwarf varieties are finer bladed and deep green in color, they grow too slowly for most Petscaped yards. Extremely slow growth means less mowing for you, but very poor foot traffic recovery. Good for only very small to medium sized dogs. Consider gender here too. A small male dog would be great for this lawn, but a female that spots regularly will destroy it. Do not blend with other turf varieties. Routine spot seeding required to maintain with pets.
Consider A Pet Drinking Fountain Why settle for a boring dog water bowl on the deck when when a fountain, pond, or pool looks so much more beautiful? “A decorative pet water fountain is a great way to add beauty while providing pets with a functional water source,” Cohen suggests. “You don't need anything too large or fancy, but you want to run the fountain every day so you are always adding fresh water.” But unlike some pond and fountain systems, a system designed for dogs shouldn't contain chemicals like chlorine. “Use a non-chemical algaecide that won't hurt birds or animals,” Cohen advises.
Carolyn's Happy Pet Tips
Barking Solutions
Are you neighbors complaining about your dog barking all day long while locked in the dog run? Consider installing a sound-activated overhead high pressure water spray system to detract the dog from barking. Alternatively, a citronella oil anti-bark collar can be a safe and simple solution. One popular method is using anti-bark shock collars that respond to a dog’s barking by emitting a small electric charge. Be cautious with these, and ideally have a professional trainer instruct you on proper technique; used incorrectly these collars can exacerbate the problem, damage your relationship with your dog, and even cause physical harm. Look for more detailed information on this topic in Petscaping™.