Advice related to plantings, training dogs to urinate in a designated area, pet safety, fencing, controlling undesirable dog behaviors (such as digging holes and eating plants), and landscaping to accommodate dog houses and runs are among the many tips available to gardeners.

A similar search for dogs whose outdoor space is a deck or stoop are a little more foreboding - advise about how to keep your pet safe from second story falls, arsenic poisoning and splinters.

The reality for the nation's millions of urban dwellers is that outdoor space is at a premium and many of us must use every inch of space - indoor and outdoor for maximizing the amenities of our dog lifestyles.

1. Containers are your friend. Containergarders.net has suggestions on how to protect container plantings from pets, including: raising or hanging containers out of the reach of your pup, suggestions on the types of soil and additives that are pet friendly, and planting specific plants (such as basil) that discourage pets and other animals from disrupting the garden.

2. Squirrels and other rodents, pidgeons, and bugs are a problem in the city. Urban gardeners will quickly point out what our small town, suburban and country counterparts already know: pests are unwelcome in the garden. If your dogs are like ours, the mere presence of one nearby results in all the prey instincts coming to the surface, and in a small space or on a deck the chase can result in injury to your animals. Our solution is to avoid planting food products at all in close proximity to neighbors unless the precaution of creating a screened barrier can be taken. We learned the hardway that even the seeds in a bird feeder can attract unwanted attention, in our case from pidgeons. Removal of the bird feeder quickly solved the problem and we felt fortunate that we discovered the pidgeons before other animals discovered us.

3. Dogs love a shady area to lounge. Roof decks, stoops, and tiny spots of grass need to serve many purposes for urban dwellers with pets. All pet owners understand that dogs love to lounge but seek to avoid excessive heat. Urban areas can be particularly hot because of the lack of green space generally, and often our outdoor spaces are uncomfortable in the heat of summer. Umbrellas, pergollas, blinds, and fencing can all provide just the right amount of shade to keep your pet cool when lounging. New barkitecture designs can feature canapies too!

4. Water is the key to comfort. Hose down the deck or bricks; fill a kiddie pool with water; keep the water bowl full at all times; wet your pooch; and don't be stingy with ice cubes. Water in all of its forms helps our dogs to stay cool when they spend time on our roof deck. Sadie and Lily are quite content to lounge on the deck for hours, but they must have water, shade, and an area that has been cooled off with water.