Luxury Pet Resort and Other Great Ideas for Your Dog

It is easy to know what dogs like. They get all jittery and wag their tails incessantly about things that excite them. Knowing that dogs will do this to express happiness or excitement, dog owners must then understand why their dogs suddenly get fired up when it is time to go outside. Well, dogs roamed the earth freely before humans tamed and boxed them in. This is probably why most dogs are livelier outside than indoors. A luxury pet resort is one place your pet dogs can get back to feeling true and one with nature - as they once were.

What is a Luxury Pet Resort?

Pets need time away from home to play and experience freedom from daily routines, just like humans do. A pet resort is the pet equivalent for a human resort. You can think of it as a place where pets go on vacation. Luxury pet resorts, like The Ultimutt Inn and Pet Resort, offer the kind of environment that leaves pets feeling refreshed while allowing them to explore and meet other pets. Normally, these resorts offer outdoor and indoor activities that promote exercise, snacks and meals, wellness examinations, dog boarding, and many other great amenities.

A Pet Resort at Home?

If you are unable to take your pet to a luxury resort for some reason, what do you do to help your dog have a similarly great experience at home? Your garden. Though many people may not fancy the idea of giving up their garden just for their dogs to run amok, running and exploring in this area can promote wellness in dogs. Such a garden intended for the enrichment of pets has a name: sensory garden.

Building a Sensory garden for Your Dog

A luxury pet resort will usually be huge and have many different facilities, like luxury suites, huge pet parks, swimming pools designed for dogs, and condominiums with many rooms. Building such a huge and elaborate space in your backyard is probably impractical. Your sensory garden does not have to be huge or have elaborate facilities for your dog to have a wellness experience.

First, find the space you need for your sensory garden. Depending on how generous you are with your space, you can use your entire background, a portion of it, or even your balcony. Once you find a space suitable for your creation, setting up a fence will be necessary to keep your dog within the garden during playtime.

Knowing What to Include in the Sensory Garden

If you have met more than one dog and observed them, you probably already know that, like humans, dogs have demeanors that differ from one dog to another. Because of such differences, some dogs are shy, some docile, and others boisterous. Knowing your dog's temperament and likes will help you with decisions about what to include in the sensory garden. If your dog is naturally calm and loves resting, you will need to include shades and sleeping pads. For dogs that love venturing into shrubs and thickets, adding these into the garden will be helpful. Other dogs love digging. For them, adding a sand patch may be necessary. The idea is to include things that your dog likes best. This means you will need to observe and understand your dog before building a sensory garden.

Mind Your Dog's Safety

Many dog owners will unknowingly expose their dogs to environmental hazards. How do you keep your dog safe outside? The most common safety risk dogs suffer involve what they eat and places they venture. To make sure your dog is safe, carefully inspect the kind of plants and objects in your garden. Some plants are toxic to dogs, like tulip buds, orchids, daffodils, azaleas, autumn crocus, and sago palms. Also, always look out for thorny plants and other sharp objects like nails and wood splints.

Instead, grow plants like milk thistle, peppermint, astragalus, burdock, or lemon balm. These are recommended by veterinarians as therapeutic and medicinal to dogs. Other plant options like rosemary, basil, and thyme have strong and pleasant scents and are a good choice if you are looking for aromatherapy for your dog.

Surfaces

It is common for dogs to skid on indoor floors and other smooth surfaces. Skidding can cause injury to a dog that loves running about playfully. Outside, however, earth and grass make great surfaces for running. This should not end there. You can add more to hard ground or grass to improve the experience in your sensory garden. A great place to start is adding cedar chips, mulch, or simply sand. These are easy on a dog's paws and offer a much needed experience different from hard and cold indoor floors.

Finishing Up Your Sensory Garden

A plain, simple sensory garden can only take you so far in enriching your dog's health and wellness. But a sensory garden should not only end with a great space and ground. Be creative to maximize the potential of your homemade luxury pet resort. One way to think creatively is to reimagine your five basic senses and incorporate those into your garden.

For sight, include a window through which your dog can pop his head through. This should preferably face somewhere with exciting sights to see, such as a busy street. However, this decision should be mindful of your dog's safety and whether he barks at passersby.

For smell, consider an assortment of scented plants. You can plant these or pick them from elsewhere.

For taste, think of your dog as a forager. Dogs are not exclusive carnivores. They will occasionally gnaw on the grass and other plant material like twigs and fruits. Therefore, planting safe fruits and herbs in your garden will help your dog keep in touch with his foraging instincts. However, desist from using chemical-based pesticides for pest control. These can be poisonous your dog.

For hearing, birds will enrich the garden experience for your dog. To have birds around, consider adding a bird feeder to attract them. Apart from birds, adding a wind chime or suitable other sound instruments will also work.

For touch, consider the right kind of surfaces that complement your dog's demeanor. Sand for diggers, soft patches for sleepers, grass for runners, and so on.

A sensory garden should be a long-term commitment to your dog's health and wellness. It does not have to look great on your first try, but it will surely get better with work and time. If you have no space to spare for a garden, luxury pet resorts with dog boarding facilities, like Ultimutt Inn and Pet Resort, are a great alternative.