Dogscaping
Dog-Friendly Home & Yard Design
Dogs who live in spaces designed for dogs are easier to live with, and they live better lives. Dogscaping changes your home and yard so your dog can sniff, dig, watch, explore, and rest the way dogs are built to.
See PackagesBook Dogscaping
What Is Dogscaping?
Dogscaping means making thoughtful changes to your home and yard so they meet your dog's natural needs. It's more than pet-proofing. Pet-proofing protects your home from your dog. Dogscaping gives your dog a home that works for them.
When dogs have nowhere to dig, nothing to sniff, and no safe place to watch or rest, those needs don't go away. They turn into the behaviors people find hardest to live with:
- Digging up the garden or lawn
- Barking at the window or along the fence
- Pacing, restlessness, and zoomies
- Chewing furniture and belongings
- Trouble settling down, even after exercise
Give those needs a place to go, and many of these behaviors ease. Dogs in curated spaces tend to be calmer and more relaxed, and life together gets easier.
The Five Elements of Dogscaping
Every plan is designed for your dog and your space, built from five elements.
Dig Spots
Digging is normal dog behavior, not a training failure. A dedicated dig spot, like a sandbox or a loosened corner of soil with buried treasures, gives your dog a place to dig and your garden a break.
Rest Areas
Dogs need real rest to stay calm and resilient. We'll find the right places for comfortable, quiet zones where your dog can switch off, away from foot traffic, noise, and stress.
Observation Stations
Many dogs want to watch the world. A safe spot to observe, set at the right distance and height, lets your dog take in what's happening without becoming overwhelmed. It can also reduce barking at windows and fences.
Obstacle Navigation
Logs, platforms, varied surfaces, and gentle climbs build confidence and body awareness. They give your dog something to think about with their whole body.
Scent Exploration
Sniffing is one of the most calming, satisfying things a dog can do. Sniff gardens, scent trails, and scatter areas turn everyday spaces into places to explore.
Grounded in L.E.G.S. and Total Welfare
Dogscaping isn't about making your home look dog-themed. It's about meeting your individual dog's needs.
As a Licensed Family Dog Mediator, I use the L.E.G.S. model to understand who your dog is: their Learning history, their Environment, their Genetics, and their Self. A terrier and a livestock guardian need very different spaces. So do a young adolescent and a senior with arthritis.
I also use Total Welfare, a framework that combines L.E.G.S. with modern animal welfare science, including the Five Domains model. It guides how I match each design to your dog's physical, emotional, and behavioral needs.
Learn more about L.E.G.S. and Total Welfare at Family Dog Mediation →
Who Dogscaping Is For
Families with dogs, including:
- New puppy or rescue homes setting things up from the start
- Families moving, building, or renovating
- Dogs with nuisance behaviors like digging, window barking, or restlessness
- Senior dogs or dogs with mobility changes
- Multi-dog households that need space for everyone
- Behavior Consulting clients who want their environment to support their behavior plan (Dogscaping is booked separately)
- Dog businesses like daycares, boarding facilities, groomers, vet clinics, and shelters (see For Dog Businesses below)
Packages
Same price whether we meet in person or virtually.
Home or Yard
Your whole home or your whole yard
$297
1-hour consult + 1-hour plan review + 1-hour implementation session
Book Home or YardHome and Yard
Your whole home and yard
$397
90-minute consult + two 75-minute follow-ups
Book Home and YardDog Businesses
Daycares, boarding, groomers, clinics, and shelters. Tailored to your facility, with a custom quote.
Every package includes an assessment of your dog and space, a custom design plan, a session to review the plan and make adjustments, and a session to troubleshoot implementation.
How It Works
- Book and pay online. Choose your package and pick a time.
- Meet your dog and your space. I visit in person, or we meet by video and you share photos and video beforehand.
- Get your design plan. I create a plan built around your dog's L.E.G.S. profile and your space.
- Review and adjust. We go over the plan together and adjust it to fit your budget, space, and lifestyle.
- Implement and troubleshoot. After you've made changes, we meet to see how your dog is using the space and fine-tune it.
I design the plan; you or your contractor make the changes. Many changes are simple and inexpensive, and none require you to redo your whole home or yard.
Virtual Dogscaping
Live outside Michigan, or prefer to meet online? Virtual Dogscaping works the same way, at the same price, by Zoom.
Before your session, you'll send:
- Photos of each room or area included in your package, from a few angles
- A short video walkthrough of the space
- A few short videos of your dog in a typical day: resting, playing, and anything you'd like to change
- Rough measurements of the space
- Any limits I should know about, like HOA rules, renting, or budget
Dogscaping for Dog Businesses
Dogs in daycares, boarding facilities, grooming salons, vet clinics, and shelters face noise, crowding, and unfamiliar spaces. Thoughtful design can lower stress for dogs, make handling easier for staff, and create a better experience for the families you serve.
Every facility is different, so business projects are quoted individually.
Request a Custom QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
Do I need to renovate or hire a landscaper?
No. Many recommendations use what you already have. When bigger changes make sense, the plan can be shared with your landscaper or contractor.
Won't a dig spot teach my dog to dig everywhere?
A dig spot gives the digging a place to go. Your plan includes how to make the dig spot appealing and how to help your dog learn to use it.
I rent or have a small space. Can Dogscaping still help?
Yes. Many changes are portable or temporary, and the Single Room package works well for apartments.
Is Dogscaping a replacement for behavior consulting?
No. Dogscaping supports your dog's everyday needs. Dogs with fear, anxiety, reactivity, or aggression may also need Behavior Consulting.
Do you install anything?
I assess, recommend, and design the plan. You or your contractor make the changes, and I help you troubleshoot along the way.
Where do you work?
In person in Livingston County, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dexter, and South Lyon. Virtually beyond Michigan.
Give Your Dog a Space to Be a Dog
Calmer dogs. Easier days. A home that works for everyone.
Book DogscapingHave a question? Contact me
Serving Livingston County, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dexter & South Lyon, MI
Helping dogs and their families live in harmony through empathy, education, and connection.