permaculture

[yarrow@sfo.com]

Think of the dogs as special-needs members of the family. They are 
not pests to be excluded or design problems to work around. They are 
part of the family and thus need to be taken into consideration.

Observe the dogs and see how they use the yard. If you're not a "dog 
person," find or hire a dog person to interpret for you (a dog 
trainer would be good, or basically anyone who knows and loves dogs).

If they are fenceline-running dogs, make sure there's space between 
shrubs and fence for them to patrol, because they will wear out a 
path there.

If they're diggers, find out if a sand pit will satisfy them. A San 
Francisco designer created a 3-ft.-deep pit, filled with sand, for 
the family dogs in a small garden. If they're digging because they're 
bored and they don't have toys to play with outdoors or they're 
untrained, then provide better diversions or tell the owner they need 
to be trained. Or suggest that the owner take them on more long walks 
instead of letting them loose in the yard. It may help to design a 
play yard or play structure for the dogs. If they're digging to 
create a cool nest in the soil, then provide an even more inviting 
shady place for them. And so on.

If they haven't been trained to use a specific part of the yard for 
pooping, then the dog owners need to train them, or hire a trainer. I 
consider this to be Dog 101, and most dogs I've known are happy to 
have a dedicated pooping area (which  the owners clean up regularly, 
either into a dog-poop-digesting composter or into plastic bags to be 
taken Away -- perhaps the dog owners will need to be trained as well).

Another thing most dogs like is a place to observe the world outside 
their yard: a gate they can look through, or a dog-height window in a 
fence, or a similar vantage point.