We love our furry friends – even if they make it hard to have nice things.
Dogs usually interact just fine with backyard ponds, drinking from the water and occasionally booping noses with fish. But what do you do if your overzealous pooch starts knocking rocks into the pond or digging into the liner?
Using the right materials and design from the start ensures your dog and your pond will co-exist peacefully.
My Dog Keeps Knocking Rocks into the Pond. What Should I Do?
Dogs will do what dogs want to do. Even with the best training, we can’t always prevent them from zoomie-ing their way through our rocks and flower beds. That means we need to plan for this behavior – and other factors out of our control – when we build a pond.
There’s no way to prevent small rocks from shifting because of dogs, children, or weather. The solution? Use bigger rocks. We design our ponds with boulders around the perimeter that are large enough that even the huskiest husky can’t knock them out of place. These rocks not only keep the pond intact; they also add a beautiful natural touch to the overall design. You can then soften the edges of the boulders with gravel, mulch or plants if desired.
If you have an existing pond, simply replace small rocks around the perimeter with larger ones. Be mindful of any sharp edges on the rocks you choose, and make sure to fully secure liner edges.
We offer pallets of large pond boulders for sale at Splash Supply Co. in York, PA. If you live nearby, give us a call, and we’d love to help you pup-proof your pond.
My Dog is Tearing Up My Liner. What Should I Do?
You can prevent most dog-related liner damage by investing in quality materials at the start of your pond build.
We use puncture-proof EPDM liner and protective underlayment on all of our water features. We then cover the liner in smooth, rounded pond rocks that protect it not only from furry feet but also sun damage and other hazards.
Using rock and gravel in your pond has lots of advantages beyond protecting the liner. They help the pond look natural (no one wants to look at rubber liner) and provide space where beneficial bacteria can grow. Rocks are also much easier to walk on than a slimy liner, giving you and your dogs better footing while in the pond.
If you have an existing pond that doesn’t have rock and gravel, we recommend adding some. Rock-lined ponds stay much cleaner if they have a built-in skimmer too, so you may want to consider adding one if you don’t have one already.
Low-Maintenance, Dog-Friendly Ecosystem Ponds
We design water features that provide years of enjoyment for every member of your family, fur-kids included.
Our Ecosystem Ponds work with nature to keep water naturally crystal-clear and fish happy and healthy. This style of pond includes paw-proof liner, beautiful natural boulders, and pet-safe water treatments so your furry friends can safely swim in and drink from the pond. We also incorporate terraced shelves so everyone can safely enter and exit the water.
Let Splash design the pond of your dreams, or check out our DIY kits to build your own.
