Ideas to Block off Part of a Yard for Dogs

You could build a wooden fence around the doggy door at the rear of your home. On the outside of the fence, put up a chain-link fence directly adjacent to it, so they're nearly touching. They should be about the same height and tall enough to keep your pup secure. You’ll be able to grow vine plants up the sides of the chain-link fence, and Bruno won’t be able to get to them, since he’ll be on the inside of the fence. It’s a win-win. When you look out your window, all you’ll see is a beautiful wooden fenced-in area where Bruno can come and go to as he pleases. Then when you’re out in your backyard, you’ll notice only shrubbery and plants that blend in with the scenery and hide the fence.

Potted plants won’t keep Bruno locked into one area, but they will hide that back corner of the yard where he always does his business. Rather than staring straight back at the open field of droppings when you’re having a barbecue, you'll see a greenscape when you line up a few large potted plants to barricade the area. He can still get back there; you just don’t have to look at it until it’s time to scoop. As an added bonus, you’re giving yourself some space to plant some herbs in a high-up area he can’t destroy.

Sure you can pop up a chain link fence in a weekend, but then you have to look at it and it isn’t pretty. Rather than just gating off a corner of the yard for Bruno to play in, dig him a low-lying playpen, almost like a pool without the water. You'll need to line the sides with cinder blocks, boulders, bricks or possibly cement in the area with the help of a professional. Bruno's size makes a difference as to exactly how far you have to go down to keep him secluded. But even if you just go down a couple feet, you can put up a short white picket fence that matches with your garden scenery to keep him in.

Once you get just the right material to block off Bruno’s special part of the yard, you’ll need to make it fun for him to use. Otherwise he could get bored and look for an escape route. Put in a digging pit -- if he’s a digger -- made of sand in one end. Place grass on the other side and plant a tree for shade. He’ll also need a hut or some kind of shelter to protect him from the elements. This way his little zone feels more like a country club than a cage.