What do you think?
Rate this book
Dogscaping: Creating the Perfect Backyard and Garden for You and Your Dog
For dog owners and garden lovers alike, Dogscaping presents a plan for the family dog to live in perfect harmony with a green, beautiful backyard. Whether the family dog is a demon digger like a terrier or a shade-seeking greyhound, Dogscaping offers solutions for all dog owners to create the perfect backyard and garden for all members of the human and canine family. Tom Barthel, a certified master gardener and devoted dog owner, approaches the topic of landscaping for dogs organically—figuratively and literally, whenever possible. Encouraging the reader to pursue organic methods, the author includes a terrific chapter on organic lawns and offers tips for maintaining an earth-friendly (and dog-friendly) green-as-can-be lawn. Between the chapters of this book are profiles called “Organic Gardener: Organic Dog,” in which he tells entertaining success stories of dog-owning organic gardeners and hobby farmers. In the chapter “Site Planning and Plant Selection,” Barthel advises on how to plan the backyard space taking the dog’s habits and proclivities in mind and then makes recommendations for various kinds of vines, groundcovers, shrubs, and urine-resistant plants. In its chapter about maintaining the garden and backyard, Dogscaping presents various organic pest and weed control options, which are safe for the dog and practical for the gardener. The author also offers a list of pest-discouraging plants and methods to deter unwanted weeds and visitors (gophers, deer, squirrels, etc.). In the greenest chapter in the book, “Recycling Home, Garden, and Yard Waste,” Barthel makes a compelling case for composting, cataloging both the advantages and savings and offering an easy five-step method of composting. Other additions to the dog-friendly backyard include planting fruits and vegetables, adding a water feature, and incorporating decks, gazebos, pathways, and lighting, all of which are covered in individual chapters in this beautifully photographed book. The final chapter of the book “Creating Doggy Nirvana” provides fun ideas for owners to include dog-specific features into their backyard designs, including a pooch pergola, doggy sandbox, and disappearing fountain. The appendix provides US and North American zone maps. Index included.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2010
14 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 10, 2021
an interesting book.
says the bare strips along the fence where dogs run back and forth are from compaction killing the grass roots and suggests aeration before trying to reseed.
suggests rye grass for patching as it grows quickly, but would still need a few weeks protection from the dogs until it takes hold.
suggests buffalo grass for handling heavy foot (and paw) traffic. grows to a height of only 3 inches and doesnt need mowing, adaptable and maintenance free. but, its slow to spread and doesnt compete well with other grasses, and would need protection until it takes hold.
kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue are suitable for areas with harsh winters (MN).
kbg works well with dogs, spreads slowly, creeping into areas damaged by your pet, but needs protection for several weeks to allow such repair.
fescue is very lush, but doesnt spread well and wont repair itself, is usually mixed with another type of grass.
the book has instructions for creating a dog pond, and a doggy digging area.
touches on what plants are poisonous, and what plants would thrive from being peed on.
says the bare strips along the fence where dogs run back and forth are from compaction killing the grass roots and suggests aeration before trying to reseed.
suggests rye grass for patching as it grows quickly, but would still need a few weeks protection from the dogs until it takes hold.
suggests buffalo grass for handling heavy foot (and paw) traffic. grows to a height of only 3 inches and doesnt need mowing, adaptable and maintenance free. but, its slow to spread and doesnt compete well with other grasses, and would need protection until it takes hold.
kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue are suitable for areas with harsh winters (MN).
kbg works well with dogs, spreads slowly, creeping into areas damaged by your pet, but needs protection for several weeks to allow such repair.
fescue is very lush, but doesnt spread well and wont repair itself, is usually mixed with another type of grass.
the book has instructions for creating a dog pond, and a doggy digging area.
touches on what plants are poisonous, and what plants would thrive from being peed on.
July 23, 2024
Had a little good information but overall it was pretty basic and full of common sense. Have dogs? Don't plant toxic plants. Dogs need water and shade. I was hoping for more examples of actual designs.
April 7, 2012
Okay, I saw the title of this book and was curious. Then I saw the German Shepherd pup on the cover and the book went immediately into my library bag. While some of the projects are skimpy on details, the overall concept and topics of this book are well done. Barthel reminds dog owners that their backyards may not be picture perfect when having a dog, but they can be lovely areas enjoyed by humans and canines alike. The key is to know your dog, her habits and behaviors, and make room for both of you and your needs. Barthel also includes helpful lists of plants -- such as ground covers that can better withstand paw traffic, hedges for hiding worn paths along fence lines, and barrier plants for keeping dogs out of certain areas of the garden. He also includes a short list of highly toxic plants that should be avoided by dog owners, particularly those with chomp-happy dogs. I think I would turn to other books for more detailed instructions on backyard building projects or dog training, but the ideas and suggestions presented here are a good starting point for less toxic, more organic, healthy yards for pets and people.
March 13, 2015
This is a general guide to sharing your yard with dogs. Pretty specific as in breeds as well. Some points are no brainers for experienced dog owners. There is a little bit of everything in here including organic gardening for your dog, recycling,recipes for lawn care etc. The only thing I did not agree with is the fish section. as some one who raised koi I know a little knowledge can be dangerous. He covers a little in a few paragraphs and I urge people who are interested in koi keeping to do more research.
June 2, 2010
The best thing I learned reading this is that bald spots on your lawn are not caused by your dog tearing up the grass - rather, the dogs weight compacts the dirt and prevents grass from growing. Lawn aeration is the answer and this tip worked. However, the rest of the book had a lot of ideal "eye-candy" that I would not be able to afford - even at do-it-yourself prices.
April 10, 2012
Picked this up because of the GSD on the cover. It's an introduction for those who are clueless on sharing their yards with canines. Touches on concepts of organic gardening, plant selection, garden design, dog training. Very superficial if you have no background on these topics. And if you do, then this book is mostly about the pics.
June 21, 2011
It had some okay ideas, but I really wanted more details. Telling me to watch my dog and make sure I didn't plant anything along an existing path they use wasn't I wanted to hear. I was hoping for some ideas to help redirect the dogs.
October 21, 2011
Not the subject matter I wanted, but for total dog lovers - this is a good read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews