permaculture

[John Thomas Naisbitt <johntnaisbitt@gmail.com>]

Is this a test?

As far as mascots go, household pets are a problem in our society to begin
with. People aquire them (in no offense to those dog and cat lovers out
there) in order to either fulfill their security / pest needs or their
desire for companionship. The latter may or may not be your current problem
resolved from a previous solution; (maybe everything DOES work both ways
after all......) or just a problem.

I would say get back to basics. Evaluate your zones and sectors, observe the
dogs patterns, communicate your concerns with your client (this is big, as
mascots are like family members.......try telling someone that their kids
are a pain in the #$%^&, the end result could be not so positive), and
consider some minor behavioral dog obedience training.

I have found that there are sources for oow voltage, solar, invisible dog
fences (undergound bury with collars) and pherimones / scents which can
alter the areas of activity. In additon, there are herbacious plants which
dogs and other animals do not like and make visually stimulating borders. I
am away from home at the moment but could send a list of some plants we use
in the SW USA for animal deterrents. I imagine there are others out there
who have something in their quiver of design flora. Remember, dogs have
highly sensitive noses and it does not take much to put on the sense of
dislike.

As far as the invisible fence goes, some may see it as being inhumane to use
electricity to train an animal. However, many use it on sheep, pigs,
chickens, and cows. Remembering Pavlov, I bet it works great on dogs......

Good luck and smile.

John

ps. Just say "No" to dog tractors. Bad idea, period.

On Sun, Jun 7, 2009 at 4:18 PM, Andrew French <alienbuddha@gmail.com> wrote:

> Okay folks, here is a design problem, and no, as far as I can see it is not
> the solution. I have a client that has about a 150 by 90 foot suburban lot,
> and she wants a full landscape design for it, not necessarily totally
> permaculture oriented. As I start the design I began to think of various
> patterns and elements and functions I can use on her site.
>
> Problem is, she has two huge dogs that tear up the yard right now. They are
> confined to the backyard, but they like to run around and poop and dig up
> holes, as dogs are want to do. She wants a raised bed vegetable garden back
> there, and they have a firepit as well. So my question is, have you dealt
> with dogs in your designs and if so, have you come up with any brilliant
> ideas? I have a few already that may work well, but I want to hear any and
> all input. Thank you.
>
> Andrew
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