Sharing your garden with your best friend

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I resisted getting a dog for a long time, because in my experience they don't mix well with gardens. the decision that I finally made for my miniature Tropical Paradise was to get a miniature dog, a tiny little dachshund. It has been quite a challenge, and it has cost me a fair amount of time and money, but I'm glad to have her here.

I have done a lot of things to accommodate my dog, and the first one was to have a doggie-door installed. My dog is so small that this door doesn't present any kind of security hazard, but I can't recommend one for a bigger dog, as those can be big enough for bad guys to fit into. Well, skinny bad guys.

You will also see that I have added steps below the door. My dog is a dachshund, and has a very fragile back, which gave me quite a scare a couple of years ago, as her back legs were paralyzed for over a month. She got better and I made sure that her world was as safe as I could make it. If you are going to do this, do not be tempted to build a ramp. A ramp is for wheels - stairs are much easier for the dog to navigate, slowly if she needs to. A ramp is the worst thing that you could do.

The obvious advantage of getting a small dog is that they are, well, small. One of the disadvantages of small dogs is that they tend to be nervous, and yappy. My dog is allowed to come out and bark a couple of times, to announce herself, but then it has to stop. A peaceful garden and a barking little dog do not go together! The best tip I ever got to convince a dog from barking is to use a small squirt bottle with water. When your dog makes the connection between barking and getting squirted, all you have to do is to show her the bottle and she will stop. Dogs are smart - all you have to be is a little bit smarter. By the way, this is how I taught her not to dig in the garden, too!

This garden, and my dog, are appropriate for a quiet middle-aged guy like me who works from home. At first, I took care of her. Now she takes care of me!

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