Dog-friendly Homes and Gardens (Designing your Home with your dog in mind)

For many devoted owners, the role that their dogs play in their lives manifests itself not only in how they share their lives with their pets, but also in their decorating, gardening and collecting habits as well.

The books selected below present ideas and tips on how to integrate dog-ownership into the design and decoration of your home and garden. To complete the list we have added a couple of books with design ideas and projects for fun and imaginative dog retreats as well.

This book will show you how garden design and traditional gardening tasks can blend harmoniously with dog ownership. It explains how to design your garden with your dog in mind and how to dog-friendly train your dog to respect your garden and its many features. The author describes materials that work well with dogs as well as plant selection that can withstand even the most energetic canine. She also explains how to have a lush green lawn without harmful chemicals and offers tips for growing fruit and veggies for the entire family-including the dog! Boundary training, outdoor equipment, and directing digging and elimination to the right places are other features that are explained in detail. more information:

Dogs In Their Gardens (Hardcover)
by Page Dickey
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (October 1, 2001)
An insider's tour of 20 of the most charming and imaginative gardens in America and abroad, with man's best friend as reliable host. The author has trained her camera on an assortment of garden-loving dogs-including black labradors, English mastiffs, standard poodles, and Jack Russell terriers. Page Dickey has created an intimate portrait of beguiling canines and their distinctive floral domains, neither of which would be complete without the other. more information:

Living with Dogs :
Collections and Traditions, At Home and Afield
by Larry Sheehan, Carol Sheehan, Kathryn Ge Precourt, William Stites (Photographer)
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1st edition (March 16, 1999)
In 26 stories and 400 full-color photographs this book visits passionate owners, breeders, trainers, and collectors across the country and offer a look into their dog-filled lives. The authors also focus on other aspects of dog devotion, including the Philadelphia All-Terrier Show; a hotel decorated with canine appointments; a New England camp exclusively for dogs; a boutique devoted to canine accessories; the American Kennel Club; and a Manhattan gallery specializing in 19th-century dog art.With an extensive resource list that includes dog art galleries, dog shows, kennel clubs, breeders, supply houses, and more, Living with Dogs is the ultimate tribute to canine companions. more information:

Animal House Style:
Designing a Home to Share with Your Pets
by Julia Szabo
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Bulfinch; 1st ed edition (September 20, 2001)
Stylish solutions for living with pets. Animal House Style is the first decorating book to offer practical advice from pet owners on how to select high-performance furnishings for maximum human, canine, feline, and other animal comfort. It also features how to keep your pet-friendly interiors looking their best and other vital information rarely found in design magazines or books. This chic, trend-conscious book is sure to inspire pet lovers across the country to make every animal house a beautiful house. more information:
Note that this is more a decorating book that treats animals as companions worthy of consideration when making design decisions. If you are looking for a really practical book with advice for caring for a home with pets have a look at the next book on this page.

Pet Clean-up Made Easy:
Tackle Any Pet Mess, Any Time, in a Snap - from Stains and Smells to Fleas and Furballs
by Don Aslett
Paperback: 243 pages
Publisher: Adams Media Corporation; 2nd ed. (August, 2005)
This easy-to-read book gives pet owners how to clean up any pet mess, keep their pets happy and safe-from cleaning methods to stain removers to deodorizers. Created in consultation with a number of veterinarians, behavioral specialists, and other animal experts, it helps readers resolve problems (and also prevent such mishaps in the future) in areas such as: Fleas Pet hair, The stinky litterbox, Stains on carpets, fabrics, bedding, and furniture, etc. As an added bonus, the author shows owners how to retrain their pets how to eat, sleep, and play "clean"! more information:

Pads for Pets
by Elizabeth Quinn
Spiral-bound: 101 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books; Spiral edition (April, 2003)
Featuring instructions for more than 30 chic and ingenious plans for pampering your pets with a new abode or retreat. While the projects range from simple crafts to weekend projects, each is guaranteed to charm pets and pet lovers alike. Adorable, amusing, and definitely do-able, the projects in Pads for Pets were created by pet-loving California architects, designers, and artists. A delightful book that's fun to read even if you never pick up hammer and nails. Proceeds from the book benefit P.A.W.S. More information

Dog Antiques and Collectibles
(Schiffer Book for Collectors.)
by Patricia Robak
Paperback: 156 pages
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (July, 1999)
The first broad based survey and price guide for dog memorabilia of all breeds, dating from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Conveniently divided into eight collecting areas--art, ceramics, metalwork, photography and paper, wood, needlework and textiles, jewelry, and miscellaneous--the antiques and collectibles clearly displayed and fully described in this enjoyable book represent accessible, affordable items for the mid-range collector. Also included is an introductory essay tracing the popularity of various dog breeds over an eighty year period. A useful bibliography for further research is paired with a detailed index, and value estimates are included for all items as well. More information

Barkitecture
by Fred Albert
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Abbeville Press; 1st ed (April, 1999)
A fascinating and fun look at the inspired creations of some of the world's architects with the purpose of providing shelters for dogs, and even a few historical facts, figures, and photos. Not really a how-to book. Excellent photographs of the globe's most brilliant and/or puzzling dog houses. more information:

Dogonit for Lawns
Heals dog urine burns in lawns.
Adds enzymes that help digest uric acid and urea.
Can be used on a spot that is already burned or on an area that your dog recently wet.
More information:

Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover
The number one selling pet accident stain and odor remover.
For carpets, floors, furniture, clothing, cages, litter boxes, and all pet living and sleeping areas.
Safe to use around pets and children
More information: