CREATING A Fur-tastic BACKYARD

By Gail Mayhugh

I like to spend time in my backyard and relax for a little bit at the end of the day in my comfy rocking chair. My girls sit by me but want to play. We’re not dog park people, I’m just not comfortable taking them. Some of you may be like me or simply don’t have the time. So why not bring the park home and make them an outdoor pet paradise playground.

While I’m enjoying my favorite beverage and rocking away, my little ones can play to their hearts’ delight, while I’m still able to watch over them. It’s always good to keep an eye on them whenever they’re playing. To keep the beauty of your yard intact yet still create a playground for them, here are a couple ideas for you.

If your dog is bursting with energy think about an obstacle course. You’ll notice many trainers use them as it keeps the pups mentally and physically healthy. You don’t have to build a huge course that is permanent, there are tunnels and weave poles that you can put together and take down quickly.

Another great outside toy is a tether tug. If you’re not familiar with a tether tug, it’s a thick pole that you drive down into the ground with a toy that snaps on the tip of the pole. Your dog gets to then tug and pull at the snapped-on toy without the pole being pulled up from the ground, and it’s flexible enough to withstand the strongest pulls.

Now my two are not toss ball players but my girlfriend’s pups are. They absolutely love to chase balls, but they don’t always bring them back to her. My friend got tired of throwing, retrieving and then throwing them again. So she finally got an automatic ball launcher. It launches a ball, but they must bring it back to the launcher for another to launch. To train them, there are ones that dispense a treat when the ball is dropped back in. It’s perfect for the yard as they have plenty of room to run, versus in the house where she was always worried they would knock something over. Plus, they learn how to put their toys back, well, at least the balls. If your pups can’t get enough of fetching balls, there are ones with an automatic pause feature. They can play for 15 minutes and then the launcher pauses for 15 minutes. This is a great feature, so they don’t exhaust themselves.

With all that playing it’s important they stay hydrated. Water bowls are easy, but have you considered any of the automatic water dispensers such as a dog faucet waterer? It simply screws onto a standard spigot and provides fresh water each time your pup licks it. The nice thing about this over water bowls is that you don’t have to remember to fill the bowls. Plus, they can’t tip the bowl over or play in it like my Maya does. Instead they’ll never be out of fresh, clean and cool water versus messy or dirty water bowls.

If you find Emma is not learning how to use it, place some peanut butter or soft cheese on the lever to encourage her to lick the lever activating the water. If that doesn’t work, there are automatic pet fountains keeping the water cooler and not stagnant as a standard bowl. You do have to remember to fill the bottle, but some hold up to 2 gallons of water.

The backyard is a perfect place to create a safe and fun playground for your pet, making it FUR-TASTIC for both of you.