Dog Sensory Garden

[Hisisteritsmeeee]

Hi,

I have two dogs who are pretty yappy. My current neighbours are fantastic and both sides have told me they understand dogs bark, I do however bring them in when they bark consistently.

The issue is I’m moving house, I’ve been looking up what I can do to keep them calm, and stop them getting bored. I plan on putting fencing in to stop them barking at my new neighbours (or jumping into the next door gardens 🤦‍♀️).

I’ve been doing some research and heard about dog sensory gardens, so I plan on planting some plants that are supposed to give dogs enjoyment and calm them when they’re feeling stressed. I will have a small garden though and a lot of the sensory garden websites recommend ramps and things, or raised flower beds in tyres, which I couldn’t do (they’d use them as a way to bark at the neighbours and leap over the fence) has anyone done anything like this before with a small garden and dogs that can scale any obstacle with a little help?

Ooh. I can't help but I really like the idea of doing something to make my yard more dog-friendly. I have quite a bit of space at the front but it's not enclosed so my puppy only has access to a small yard at the back. Did you have a good link/resource with anymore info?

It’s something different isn’t it? I think my dogs would be in their element, I started with this www.battersea.org.uk/how-make-sensory-garden-your-dog and since then I’ve been mostly pinning on Pinterest

Chamomile; there are two types, German which is tall and an annual and Roman which is short and perennial.
Roman is sometimes used as an alternative lawn.
English lavender and scented roses, lemon balm (grow in a pot, it’s like mint, takes over everything!) and catnip are all meant to be calming for animals

If the garden is small I’d use wall/fence space as much as possible.
I have window boxes drilled into my wall, lemon balm, chamomile and possibly Lavender could be grown in there.
Scented climbing roses could be grown up a fence

Vet recommended me some available online natural remedy calm/anti anxiety tablets. Have noticed a huge difference in ddog in 3 weeks..

I’m glad you said that about lemon balm @DiddlyWiddly I wouldn’t have thought to put it in a pot, I couldn’t drill anything in to the fence, mainly because my dogs would use it as a step up and bark like crazy at the poor neighbours or escape 🙈

@Aprilshowersandhail I’ve heard about those,
I choose to use adaptil collars and plug ins so I can’t really add anything else to the mix, which is why I’m thinking of a sensory garden for them. I’m glad they work for yours ☺️

This might be useful. www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/a-dogs-garden/9431012

I can second the idea that dogs patrol fence lines.

Re the Battersea link above, we have pennyroyal in our garden and Sandydog shows no ill effects.

Reading that link I think I’ll have flower beds around the perimeter with plants that don’t take over everything and pop some pots somewhere in the centre of the garden (maybe painted tyres) that they can climb into without escaping.

I hope this works because I don’t want to be that loud new neighbour. I’ll get some ground level toys that can be put away each night in a small shed as well like a tunnel and some hurdles.

I’m trying to think how I could lay different textured surfaces but I don’t think it’s possible with this garden.

@Aprilshowersandhail

Vet recommended me some available online natural remedy calm/anti anxiety tablets. Have noticed a huge difference in ddog in 3 weeks..

Can you tell me which ones you’ve been using?

Anxitane.. Chewable and available from Animed..

Fab thanks 😊