One of the great benefits of being a homeowner and having a beautiful yard is having a place for the family pet to run around and play. However, as we all know, pets can also be fairly destructive, if they are left alone to their own devices. This is especially true of dogs, which is probably the most common pet you are going to be outfitting your backyard for. Here are some tips on how to prevent pet-related damage to your backyard, or deal with it when it happens…
Make sure your fence is secure
The point of your pet having a yard to run around and play in is that they stay in that yard, instead of running off for you to find, later. This means you need to make sure that your fence is secure and able to keep them in. Obviously, there’s not much you can do to keep a cat in your yard, but cats tend to always come back to their home-spot. Dogs, on the other hand, have more of a propensity to get lost.
When getting a new dog, check the perimeter of your fence to look for any weak spots that they might slip out of. Also, remember that dogs can often dig their way out of a yard, if they so desire, so you may potentially want to look into getting an electric collar, at least until you train them otherwise.
Dealing with urine spots
We’d all prefer our pets to urinate outdoors, but their urine can also create yellow splotches on the lawn that don’t look the best. One long-term way to deal with this is to train your pet to urinate on a section of the yard that you find preferable (such as in a dirt-area). However, in the meantime, there are fertilization products that will restore yellow patches on your lawn from urine damage.
Protecting plants and trees
Animals aren’t always the kindest thing to flower beds or trees. Again, we’re mostly talking about dogs, which can harm plant life in a yard through their instinctual digging habits, or through urine damage. In order to protect flower beds, use types of rock mulch around the soil that make it less appealing for dogs to try to keep dig through. To protect bushes and trees, install a wire cage around their base to discourage dogs from messing with them.