We have several "dog exercise areas" here in Madison and
also in surrounding Dane County. There is a fee to use
these facilities, we purchase an annual tag for $10.00, that
gets attached to our dog's collar. The dog parks are all
well fenced. You could probably have a garden right next to
one, as long as it was located away from the gate and parking lot.

I am looking to create a "Dog Run" for a client that is aesthetically pleasing to the two senses, sight and smell. They want this area to blend into their existing landscape and not stand out like an eye sore. So they want nice colors and textures used in a fashion that supports those ideas.

Any Ideas?

I think that since I have never owned a dog it is limiting my abilities to be really creative in this endeavor.

My first design was for an area enclosed by some shrubs and perennials that can handle areas of traffic as well as uric acid. The interior of the area would be floored with a non-porous paving material that would also not stain from the materials be deposited onto it. I was going to put a slight pitch on this bed so that when it was cleaned with water the water would flow down into a drain that would simply flow into the ground and be dispensed that way. For cleaning I was going to have one or two of the sprinkler irrigation system heads placed close by to be able to wash it down every time the lawn is watered. The heads in this area would fire in a different pattern to clean the pavers.

Well that is as far as I got, I could use some help!!!

I was also planning on using some creeping jenny on the interior of this area since that perennial can handle Dog Urine and the traffic. I thought that this plant would help soften this area.

Thanks,
Jim Chalil
Landscape Designer/Project Manager
E-Mail: jim.c@greerlandcape.com