How to Create a Dog-Friendly Backyard For Your Puppy

10 minute read By Lucy Hughes
Reviewed by: Pawrade Team
June 21, 2024

A white and tan Siberian Husky puppy tries to eat a sprinkler stream

The dog days of summer are here, and the Summer Solstice means more time spent outside in the sunlight. You dream of a big, juicy burger straight off the grill, festive drinks, catchy beats, and being surrounded by friends and family as you throw parties in your backyard. You’ve worked hard to create a lovely backyard, but did you consider how your backyard accommodates your puppy?

If you’re looking to elevate your outdoor space, consider how to integrate your puppy’s needs into your design upgrade. Making changes, no matter how small, can take your nice backyard and turn it into a true puppy backyard oasis. From DIY agility courses to splashing in the sun, here are ideas for building a dog-friendly backyard for you and your puppy to exercise, relax, and make memories. 

Suggestions For Building a Dog-Friendly Backyard Puppy Oasis 

When reading our suggestions for creating backyard ideas for your dog, think of the one that is the easiest for you or that will have the most impact first. Then you can add in other features for a true puppy haven. 

We recognize that not everyone has access to a private backyard or a dedicated outdoor space for their pets. Luckily, there are some tips you can still incorporate into your daily routine, such as selecting pet-safe plants or keeping your puppy cool during summer.

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Start with a clean slate

Some of us have pristine yards to begin with, while others may…not. If you’re going to transform your backyard into a magical spot for your puppy, you’ll need to tackle those piles that have been lurking around waiting for someone to clean them up. Remove piles of junk like old bikes, paint cans, unstacked or rotting wood, underbrush, and overgrown areas. Not only will this make your backyard look better, but it will also remove jagged edges and materials not safe for puppies from your yard and take away habitats for unwelcome critters. 

In addition to removing unsightly items, consider creating a natural area where you can dump leaves or line with mulch or pine straw, trim bushes, or cut off all overhanging branches in danger of breaking off. Your natural area can be landscaped with puppy-friendly plants for a beautiful finishing touch.

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Bloom where you’re planted

Assess your current plants in your backyard. Are they safe or unsafe for your puppy? You may need to rip out some landscaping if they’re toxic to dogs. The risk is not worth keeping your bushes just because they look good despite being poisonous! It’s worth it to check out some dog-friendly backyard landscaping ideas for a safe, beautiful outdoor space.

Focus on planting a yard full of safe plants for dogs, whether you’re looking for ground cover, flowers, trees, or bushes. Consider sage, sunflowers, gerbera daisies, boxwood or spruce shrubs, and hickory, crepe myrtle, or money trees. 

Move over, harmful lawn chemicals 

If you’ve read our tips for spring cleaning and safety for puppies, you already know we emphasize examining the contents of your shed or garage. Checking for pesticides, insecticides, and other chemical lawn treatments that are toxic to pets is part of being a responsible puppy owner. A study published in Environmental Research found that dogs whose owners’ lawns are professionally treated with pesticides are associated with a significantly higher risk of canine malignant lymphoma, a troubling number as 88% of US homeowners report using chemicals to treat their lawns. It only takes a small amount of chemicals for a puppy to step in, inhale, or ingest, causing burns, neurological problems, or even death. 

Puppies will eat, drink, or lick just about anything. Make sure you keep all products up on a high shelf and screw on lids tightly to prevent spills. In general, organic fertilizers are safe for pets because they are derived from natural materials. Your local lawn and garden center and 4-H extension are fantastic resources to help you choose pet-safe yard chemicals.

Maintain a waste-free yard 

A puppy’s gotta go when a puppy’s gotta go, but that doesn’t mean they need to destroy your yard in doing so. Piles of waste and urine spots can do some unsightly damage to a yard, not to mention be an environmental hazard for any living animal. Even though it’s a chore, you always want to pick up dog waste immediately instead of creating a minefield out there. If you can’t do it yourself, it’s okay to delegate the task to a dog waste service. There may even be some teens who need volunteer hours or who are looking for a bit of cash that will regularly clean your yard for you. Even better, put your kids to work!  

Keeping your yard free of dog waste doesn’t have to be difficult. Work on establishing a designated elimination spot, starting with a dedicated place for urination. Dog urine can create urine burn spots in your grass due to nitrogen and other substances in the urine. Here are a few products to help contain and prevent dog waste from cluttering your yard.

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Simple Solution Pee Post Outdoor Potty Training Aid

This bright yellow Pee Post by Simple Solution is no ordinary chunk of plastic. With non-toxic materials safe for pets, the Pee Post is infused with pheromones to prompt your dog to urinate in that spot. All you’ll need to do is hammer the pee post into your desired area.

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Dog Rocks Grass & Lawn Saver Dog Urine Burn Patch Protection

While we know not to feed puppies rocks, these Dog Rocks are placed in your puppy’s water bowl and are designed to reduce urine burn on your grass. This product helps remove harmful trace elements, nitrates, ammonia, and more that make your pet’s urine more likely to cause urine burn patches. Even though it’s non-toxic to dogs and is not considered medication, always check with your veterinarian to see if this product is a good option for your puppy.

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GoGo Stik E-Z Clean Pooper Scooper Set + Frisco Handle Dog Poop Bags 

Keep your yard tidy, sanitary, and animal waste-free with this bundle of various pooper scooper tools from Chewy. Why get one tool when you can have a whole bundle of dog waste cleaning options? The long handle on both the rake and the scooper means you don’t have to sacrifice your back when picking up poo, and the bag-holding design makes for easy cleanup. Bags are leak-proof and durable, two qualities you definitely want in a dog waste bag!

At the swimmin’ hole 

A true backyard oasis may have a water feature, whether it’s a koi pond, pool, or even a lakeside home. Yards with bodies of water, no matter how small, will need to consider a puppy’s safety before installation. 

The most important component of water features and puppies is supervision. Even a well-trained puppy might not be able to resist the tantalizing feeling of leaping into a pool even when told not to. Of course, they’ll do this right before you have to leave somewhere requiring nice clothes! Brachycephalic dogs like English Bulldogs are not strong swimmers due to their flat noses and potential breathing issues, so especially monitor them near open water. In addition to supervision, you can prevent mishaps by gating off the water feature. 

Another thing to watch out for with water is any possible parasites that may lurk. Stagnant water can harbor Giardia and Cryptosporidium, two very harmful parasites that wreak havoc on a young puppy. Puppies can also become covered in pond scum and algae if they get into the water.  

The average backyard most likely does not contain a water feature, but you can always introduce one or several to increase the fun in the sun. Sprinklers, water hoses, baby pools, and splash pads are all excellent water items to incorporate into the perfect backyard setup for your puppy. There is nothing cuter than a puppy chasing after an oscillating sprinkler trying to gobble up the streaming water! 

Shady acres

The summer months can be brutal with the sun beating down from high above. Humans and puppies will need a shaded area to escape those sunrays and provide a cool spot to rest and enjoy the day.

Thankfully, there are several ways to keep your puppy cool in the summer involving shade coverage. Whether you build a pergola, a gazebo, or put up a simple sunshade, providing shade will help prevent heatstroke in puppies. Hot surfaces can also burn your puppy’s paw pads, so a cooler surface to walk on is vital as well. Making your shady spot the center of rest for your puppy is also a great idea. Provide a water bowl with cool, fresh water, and learn to recognize signs of dehydration in puppies to monitor fluid intake on scorching hot days. You can also provide a cooling mat as a lovely spot for your puppy to take a nap.

Hot off the grill

What’s the perfect backyard without an area to grill or roast marshmallows? Grills and firepits are integral parts of summer fun, but you’ll need to assess the area to check for puppy safety. As you know, puppies have not yet figured out body awareness and often crash or trip into things, accidentally knocking them over. Some puppies don’t realize how big they are and the force behind their pouncing. It only takes one unsteady moment for a puppy to knock over a grill. While most puppies would not try to jump over a fire, they may get the zoomies and not be able to stop in time. Always have one person supervising the flames and another supervising the puppy for a wonderful, delicious grilling experience. After all, who can resist the gooey marshmallows in a fresh s’mores?

Honor natural behaviors with fun activities

Puppies love to run around the yard, but you can go beyond a game of fetch to keep exercise fun and exciting for your puppy. Give some purpose to their exercise by incorporating activities that honor their natural instincts through dog sports and a dig box. 

Dog sports are a great opportunity to work on commands and the bond you have with your puppy while keeping him both physically and mentally sharp. Two dog sports to consider that are great for backyards are agility and treibball for dogs. If you like projects, you may find that building a DIY backyard dog agility course is right up your alley. You can switch up the course layout to keep things fresh, and the materials you use can be as simple as a long wooden board, a kid’s tunnel, dowel rods, or some PVC pipes. Another somewhat unusual dog sport is called treibball or pushball for dogs. Puppies learn to push a giant ball around to mimic herding livestock, a game perfect for those incredibly active herding breeds like Border Collies or Mini Australian Shepherds. While they may not have any sheep to round up in your yard, they’ll love being taught to score a goal with a giant ball! 

Does your puppy dig holes in your yard, especially when you turn your back for one second? Channel that digging energy with a dedicated dig pit for dogs. You can fill a baby pool, sandbox, or hole in the ground with dirt, sand, or other pet-safe materials. Train your dog to dig in the special spot, and you can hide bones and other beloved toys in the dig box. Be sure to have lots of wipes and towels on hand to clean up the mess though! 

Romp Around The Backyard With A Pawrade Puppy

We’d love to complete your dream backyard with a puppy romping around! Just imagine their fluffy fur backlit by the afternoon sun, the sprinkler’s water droplets in sharp focus. 

But if you’re imagining what a hassle it will be to go through the steps of finding a puppy from a reputable breeder, Pawrade has your solution!

We only accept pre-screened breeder partners who promise to uphold our Puppy First approach, where the puppies’ health and well-being are at the forefront of everything we do. Pawrade abhors puppy mills and puppy scams, and we do everything we can to ensure quality puppies. We accomplish this through our rigorous screening process of kennels and use a secure transaction management system, PetPay, to complete all business transactions and communication. 

We’re here for you every step of the way so you can focus on your dream puppy tumbling over his large paws in your beautiful backyard haven. Browse our puppies for sale to scoop up a furry companion! 






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Lucy Hughes

Lucy Hughes has been teaching and writing professionally for half her life. She has a passion for helping people choose a puppy and lead an exciting life with their new furry companion. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and her beloved Golden Retriever, Teddy Graham.

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