Hi from Oregon!

[Katydid]

Hello all! We are new to water gardens and are just in the concept and research stage right now. We are planning on a fairly small pond for our backyard. We're thinking of implementing an informal style that includes a waterfall and water plants. We do have one significant challenge that we are grappling with...including our large waterdog in the usage plans. He needs a spot to take a cool off dip in the hot summers. We realize this creates a myriad of planning and implementation nightmares right from the get go, but we're hopeful we can find some creative solutions. Any dos and don'ts advice from dog owners who allow their furry kids in their ponds would be greatly appreciated! We're excited about participating in and utilizing this forum. It looks like a fabulous resource for all things water garden related.

 

[JohnHuff]

One pond for the dog and one for the fish! Welcome to the forum!

 

[addy1]

Glad you joined!
Doggy toenails will be your biggest worry.

 

[j.w]

Katydid
Might be better to get some kind of more rigid liner for the dogs pool. Maybe fiberglass or cement for them? At our roofing stores here they have rubber liners that are really thick so you might check there to see if the dogs could puncture them. Rubber roofing liners are just fine for the ponds also and I have one in my pond.

 

[Katydid]

Thanks everyone! We're not planning on fish...may test out goldfish...but not attempting koi. We have indoor tanks with salt and fresh water fish...so if we can't have them in the pond it's ok. I'm afraid a concrete project is beyond our diy skill level, however we are researching it. We're seriously checking out fiberglass. Thanks for the rubber roofing liner tip! We're so paranoid about the doggie toenails and possible fiberglass cracking that we're thinking of doing a liner below the fiberglass. Probably overkill, but rather be over cautious to the point of silliness than have to redo the project.
We're checking out external pumps because we're worried about the dog stepping on the submersible pump or the hoses...but most of the external pumps we've seen are for really large ponds. Has anyone had to protect their underwater gear from deer? That is the only situation I can think of that might be similar. Or does anyone have a small pond and use an external pump?

 

[sissy]

welcome and even HGTV has a pond with a dog laying in the waterfall cooling off .Deer here come and drink from my pond but thats as far as they go .I added a water trough for them and change the water in the summer heat a couple of times a day or have to add water if it is really dry .

 

[sissy]

If you put a liner under a preformed and water gets between them the top one will float up .

 

[Katydid]

We want it to look as natural as possible, so will be filling bottom and sides with rocks to cover either the fiberglass or the liner. Do you think using multiple layers of the flexible liner and filling with rounded river rocks would prevent punctures?

 

[Event Horizon]

[sub]The flexible pond liner available up here in Canada is very tough, but I would still cover the dog access areas with some stone. The flatter the stone the better, if you can get flat flagstone it would be the best (if you have trees that will drop leaves). I found myself removing rocks from my pond because it created crevasses where derbies collected. We have several trees, that drop both needles, small pine cones, and leaves.[/sub]

 

[Katydid]

Flagstone is a great idea. We used that for our porch so it would tie in well with the rest of our landscaping. plus it looks really easy to stack. lots variety it here to choose from.

 

[Event Horizon]

I just joined this forum yesterday, so I am just still poking through all the pictures and stuff. I was just looking at “Pecan Pond Evolution” in the “Pond Showcase” section. If you look down to picture 26 you will see a dog on a rock. I wonder if the rock was set this way for the dog? Where I am up in Ontario Canada we have a lot of racoons. I feel it is best to give them a small place where they can at least get a drink. Being in the city we will never beat the racoons, so best for them to have a place for a drink. They make a HUGE mess when they fall in and rip up everything trying to get out.

 

[taherrmann4]

Welcome to the forum

 

[sissy]

wasn't that tmans favorite critter ,grape eater .

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome! It seems we all join here with our own individual sets of challenges . Hmmmm, how much room do you have to play with??