Dog Friendly Landscaping Tips For Your Omaha Home

If you have just purchased a home in Omaha or have owned a home with a gorgeous yard and have decided to bring a cute snuggly furry friend home you are probably wondering how you can keep your yard looking great. Or maybe you have a furry family member and want to purchase an Omaha home with a great yard. 

Dogs add so much joy and energy to our lives, but they also need some outdoor space to play and exercise and that exercise time can wear down a landscape. With the right tricks up your sleeve, you can create a beautiful landscape that can hold up to the cutest members of your family enjoying plenty of hours of playtime and keeping them safe from harmful plants at the same time. 

Tricks for Dog-Friendly Landscaping 

Grass 

Grass is one of the biggest concerns of a yard looking beautiful while having dogs. Dogs running through your yard can result in bald spots in the lawn, yellow spots from urine, and possibly some holes from dogs who like to dig. 

These things can cause unsightly areas in your landscaping. Some dog owners have opted for grass alternatives so that they do not have to battle their lawn, or their dog, to keep the yard looking great. An added bonus to some grass alternatives is they require less routine maintenance and less water. 

Popular grass alternatives include clover, artificial turf, and going away from green things altogether by opting for rocks/gravel that won't be eaten or get stuck in paws or mulch. If you have your heart set on that lush green grass using a hearty variety that can stand up to constant play and running like Kentucky Bluegrass is a smart option. 

When deciding your options, make sure to keep the climate at the front of your mind. You may not want to go for a mulch option in an area that receives lots of rain and snow. This could lead to muddy paws that need to be wiped every time your pooch comes back inside. To learn about all the best options consider visiting a local nursery and talk with a landscape artist. 

Dog-Friendly Plants

Another concern of pet owners when it comes to landscaping at their Omaha home is plants that are safe for their pets to be around. This is especially important for curious dog breeds and puppies that love to try eating everything in their path. You don't want your dog accidentally eating something that may be poisonous to them. 

Some of the most widely known poisonous plants to dogs are aloe, ivy, Japanese yew, eucalyptus, Boston fern, bird of paradise, gladiola, Lilly of the Valley, tulip, hydrangea, chrysanthemum, azalea, daffodil, and iris. Before planting anything that you have fallen in love with and would like to incorporate into your flowerbeds or flower pots that are accessible to your dogs make sure you check if they are poisonous for dogs to come in contact with or eat.

Pet-friendly Features

Ultimately if you would like to retain a traditional landscape or retain the landscaping you purchased at your beautiful Omaha home you could choose the alternative of setting up a portion of your yard with dog-friendly landscaping just for your dogs to enjoy. It doesn't have to be an area that looks like it has been designated for farm animals it can be just as beautiful but has alternative landscaping so that your dogs can enjoy the space without worry.

For example, portioning off an area as a dog run or setting up a space with fencing that they can run around and enjoy that has a small area of alternative one space. Almost like it is their own private off-leash dog park on your property.

Alternatively, some homeowners opt to do the extra work of training their dogs to use the yard as a place to relieve themselves in one designated area. This can be done for dogs at any age and it is well worth looking up some training videos to get your dog to use the same area as a restroom every time they go outside.

Keeping the landscaping fresh and looking great at your home will not only enable you to better enjoy your private outdoor spaces but will also help to keep a higher value of your Omaha home and increase the curb appeal which can greatly help if you decide to sell your home one day.

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