Smell

Treat hunts - We love to set up treat hunts for our guests that we call ‘Sniffari’s.’ We do this to  stimulate their natural hunting instincts. We select a variety of freeze-dried dog treats such as sardine and manuka, kangaroo and reishi, goat and hemp seed treats, venison and blueberry and wild emu and tumeric (all from 5 Hounds by Dr Will because we know they’re wild-harvested, single-protein ingredients and that they’re nutrient rich).

Aromatic herbs - We love to grow our own herbs and use them for our Sniffari’s. We’ll take a selection and crush them up to intensify their aromatic qualities. Then we sprinkle them throughout the sensory garden along with the treats. The smell is lovely for both our furry guests and for us humans.

Touch

Flooring - Our sensory garden incorporates many different flooring styles to stimulate paws. This includes paving stones of different shapes and sizes. Stones of different shapes and sizes, bark, dirt and mulch.

Plants - We have planted numerous dog-safe plants with differing textures. We have a variety of ferns, some with large prongs, some with smaller, soft prongs, lillie pillies and conifers. Depending on the season, we also grow rosemary, basil, mint, oregano, camomile, dill, thyme, sage, parsley, strawberries, lavender and catnip.

Sight

Decorations - We love to decorate our sensory garden for special occasions. Some of our favourites include dog birthdays, Christmas, Easter and Halloween. In addition to this, we enjoy refreshing our sensory garden seasonally. We plant new dog-safe herbs and flowers, reposition rocks and statues.

Seasonal Changes - Giving our sensory garden a fresh look four or so times a year ensures our dogs and our furry guests never get bored.

Shadows - Our large garden ornament is designed to gently turn with the breeze. When the sun is just right, this creates interesting patterns on the ground which is mesmerising for lots of dogs to watch.

Taste

Treat hunts - Our Sensory Garden is a space for our furry guests to enjoy a safe and stimulating ‘sniffari’ where they hunt for treats. We sprinkle and hide treats throughout the garden.

Aromatic herbs - We do this alongside crushed herbs taken from our garden. These herbs provide an aromatic distraction for the dogs' noses that they have to sniff through to find the treats. This stimulates their natural hunting instincts.

Sound

Bird song - The Dog Cottage is located in a quiet area that backs on to a nature reserve. The nature reserve is home to many kangaroos and copious amounts of different birds who love to sing. One of our favourite bird singers is the glorious sound of kookaburras laughing. Their beautiful sound provides a calming sound track to our furry guests as they hunt.

Relaxation

Our Sensory Garden features an oversized hanging relaxation day bed where our guests love to sit, sway and relax. Some enjoy watching their friends hunt and others like to have a nap.