How to create a dog-friendly garden

With a few hours’ training, a dog can make an excellent gardening companion

My dogs definitely use the garden, or more specifically the sun loungers, more than I do. My canine companions are an asset as, not only do they come gardening with me, encouraging my endeavours, but they often join in as I drag bits of tarpaulin across the grass or shoo chickens off the lettuces. They keep furry pests at bay, with rabbits, mice and rats being dispatched on a daily basis in peak seasons.

Designing your garden so it is dog-friendly and training your dog to be garden friendly is key if you are to remain best pals. I have designed proper dog gardens with agility courses for a large company that makes dog food, but at home where they have us for company there are no designed spaces for them.

Our two Jack Russells are small enough to have a cat flap so they can come and go at their leisure and at night stalk foxes that come too close to our hens or bins – a task they seem to relish. Regular bones are a huge source of entertainment and nutrition, but do rather detract from the lawn.

Then there are toys. According to dog psychologist Bill Gibson (connorslegacy.co.uk), a good trick is to show the dog the toy, make it sit then hide the toy in the garden and then tell the dog to find it. Keeping dogs entertained is important. They like to be given regular jobs to do too, collecting papers for instance. I think top of my list would be to find my trowel – I am forever losing these.

You can buy bubble machines (doggiesolutions.co.uk, £12.74), which blow thousands of meaty-flavoured bubbles that will keep dogs busy at the press of a button. Report made by The Telegraph.

One in ten women love their pet more than partner

Ten per cent of women prefer their pet to their partner and more than half said they would turn to the animal for comfort after a row with their boyfriend, a study finds

One in ten women love their pet more than their partner, a study has found.

The Telegraph goes on to report that nearly a third of those polled said they felt the same way about their pet as they did their husband or boyfriend.

More than half of 2,000 women said they would turn to their pet for comfort after a row with their husband and 39 per cent admitted they sought affection from their pet if they were being ignored by a boyfriend.

"Even the most perfect relationships have off days so you can understand how women might love their pets just that little bit more after a disagreement with their partner,” a spokeswoman for the Brooke animal charity, which commissioned the survey, said.

“Perhaps a frustration for women is also that they expect less of their pets but are still rewarded with endless affection and loyalty.

"Pets can't answer back with sarcastic comments or moan about the state of the house so it's easy to have a blissful relationship with a pet, which can't always been said of human relationships."

The poll also found that 81 per cent of women thought of their pets as part of the family, with 38 per cent thinking there would be a bitter custody battle over the animal if the couple were ever to split up.

The spokeswoman added: "As Brits, we are a nation of animal-lovers and these results show that the bond we share with our pets is very strong indeed.

"We know from our work in some of the poorest communities in the world that this bond transcends culture, age and economic background.”