“Petscaping™ is landscape design with pets in mind”, says Scott Cohen, HGTV’s favorite Garden Artisan from The Green Scene Landscape. “We like to incorporate petscaping™ into all our landscaping projects that involve families with pets”, Cohen says. “And while we've created pet yards for people with turtles and rabbits, most of the time, petscaping™ is for the dogs. Dog friendly gardens are very much in demand."

This book is a combined effort from Scott Cohen and Carolyn Doherty, respected film industry animal trainer. Petscaping™ will provide a unique and rich resource on dog training and landscape design, tackling design and pet behavioral issues from this dynamic team.

Petscaping™ will be available in 2010. This Web site will provide petscaping™ tips and updates about the book. Sign up for updates below and be the first to know when new information about the book is available.

The goals of this book are to provide information, tips and expertise on creating a fun, beautiful, safe, and stimulating backyard environment for pets and their families, and to provide down to earth expert advice and dog training tips and address pet behavioral issues in the backyard such as how to stop barking dogs? Solutions for dogs digging up Grandma’s garden? How to stop your dog urinating on your lush green lawn?

Here are a few tips from Scott Cohen, professional landscape designer at The Green Scene, and pet owner.

“Dog Houses should not be placed in full sun. Put them in the shade of a large tree or on the shady side of the house”, Cohen says. “They should be well-ventilated and comfortable”. Doghouses should also be inviting for dogs and attractive to homeowners, Cohen says. “You can landscape a dog house just like you would landscape your own home. Include a stream or a pond, a waterfall or a rock garden. Make it a multi-level playhouse. Decorate the entrance with something whimsical like precast concrete or even topiary fire hydrants. Surround the house with a garden”, Cohen says.

Top Ten Lawns For Yards With Pets

Tall Fescue: Best lawn for year-round green in sunny areas where drought tolerance is important. Good for small to medium sized dogs. Add 15% Kentucky Bluegrass to improve fill-in properties needed to handle foot traffic from larger dogs. Routine spot seeding required to maintain with dogs. Grows quicker than its cousin, Dwarf Tall Fescue.

Dwarf Tall Fescue: Tolerates a shorter mowing height and has a slightly finer blade than other Fescues, so it makes for a “well-groomed” lawn. Good lawn for year-round green in sunny areas where drought tolerance is important. Good for small to medium sized dogs, but it does grow more slowly than standard Tall Fescue. Add 15% Kentucky Bluegrass to improve fill-in properties needed to handle foot traffic from larger dogs. Routine spot seeding required to maintain with dogs.

Double-Dwarf Fescues: The latest addition to the turf industry. While these true dwarf varieties are finer bladed and deep green in color, they grow too slowly for most Petscaped yards. Extremely slow growth means less mowing for you, but very poor foot traffic recovery. Good for only very small to medium sized dogs. Consider gender here too. A small male dog would be great for this lawn, but a female that spots regularly will destroy it. Do not blend with other turf varieties. Routine spot seeding required to maintain with pets.

Consider A Pet Drinking Fountain Why settle for a boring dog water bowl on the deck when when a fountain, pond, or pool looks so much more beautiful? “A decorative pet water fountain is a great way to add beauty while providing pets with a functional water source,” Cohen suggests. “You don't need anything too large or fancy, but you want to run the fountain every day so you are always adding fresh water.” But unlike some pond and fountain systems, a system designed for dogs shouldn't contain chemicals like chlorine. “Use a non-chemical algaecide that won't hurt birds or animals,” Cohen advises.

Carolyn's Happy Pet Tips

Trained "Speak"

One of the most clever and effective ways to curb incessant barking is to teach your dog to “Speak,” or bark on cue, and the “Quiet” command to get him to stop. As with any trained command, you increase your authority over your dog and improve your relationship with your dog by adding to his command vocabulary. And more importantly, you give him a chance to be heard, to exercise his vocal chords, to get praised for talking to you, and to learn there is a proper time for barking. Look for more detailed information on this topic in “Petscaping™.”

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