Bamboo floors are great for dogs.

They’re durable and are harder than most species of hardwood. They’re also environmentally friendly because bamboo is a highly renewable source of material. A bamboo plant can grow up to 78 inches in just 40 days.

Consider laminate floors.

You cannot tell the difference between some of the new single-board laminates and an engineered hardwood. And it lasts ten times as long. If, for some reason, you do see some pet- or life-related damages, it’s easy and affordable to replace.

Sometimes accidents happen if dogs don’t have outdoor access.

Every place I go, I pick up this really cool glass door panel—available at Home Depot for around $90—that slides into the existing patio door track, and gives the dogs their own door. It causes no damage to the house. And you can take it with you when you go.

Have plenty of storage.

Nobody likes to have toys strewn all over the place, in fact, most trainers will tell you that you should only allow your pet to access a small handful of toys at a time. I like to have a couple of baskets or trunks that tie into my living room décor, but also function as hiding spots for excess puppy paraphernalia.

Who spends more time in the back yard? You or your hounds?

Put some items out there that they can really enjoy too. My Gracie LOVES to bask in the sun on a warm day so I have a separate little chair for her on the back deck with a comfortable cushion. She is just in heaven when the rays start flooding in. Stewie likes to patrol, so I put a small stone feature in the centre of the garden so he can climb up it and enjoy the view. It’s almost reminiscent of Simba on Pride Rock!