@cmd:
Very inspiring! Yard 1 sure doesn't look like PA! Banana plants?? I especially like how your plants are NOT up against the fence since that is were most like to run (ah, landscaping for Basenji's in mind!). Seriously, I think this is a great idea to keep your Basenji's interest – more things to explore. The more and I add to my yard makes give them more to check out and more interesting paths in a game of chase. I was looking at one of your other posts and really like your dry creek bed. So I added a 35' long creek bed over the weekend. We have a low spot which gets muddy in the spring. Problem fixed. The dogs seem to love it and it looks pretty nice too.
It's funny becasue the Basenji's played the biggest part of the design. The smaller yard was mostly lawn in the begining, they wore a path along the fence, so we adjusted accordingly as you point out and just made it their path and put the plants back away so they don't get trampled. I fill it with play sand every year keeps feet clean and mud free.
The center stone path was where they always ran out of the house, down to the fence, Hang a left and run along the fence. So they had a mud path across the grass….so dig it up, and make a stone path with a sand box at the end. The stone helps with they're nails and also when it rains, they don't mind wet stone as much as wet grass. They use those little stepping stones as a path around the yard as well.
I'm already seeing where I need to make paths in the second yard. It's work, but fun work for me. Our kids are grown, so our Basenji Babies have taken over the back yard.......it is a playground for them. My son wants to burry a pipe or tunnel they can run through. He hasn't completely convinced me yet, too many bugs and spiders in something like that......I'm still listening.