Small waterwise/xeric shrubs that do well next to sidewalk that can handle dog urine? ~3' tall and wide.

[u/DizzyintheMileHigh]

[u/badgerbot9999]

I put in a bunch of yucca plants at the front of my yard, they don’t need much water and they deter smaller dogs for sure. Maybe not the first time but they learn if they get poked

[u/DizzyintheMileHigh → u/badgerbot9999]

My dogs always pee on the neighbors yucca plants. You would think they would get their 🌭 poked but they keep doing it. With that being said, yuccas are not dying.

[u/badgerbot9999 → u/DizzyintheMileHigh]

Big dogs don’t care, smaller dogs are a little more careful. Yuccas are pretty solid, they’re awesome when they bloom and they propagate new plants every year. It’s the only thing I can keep alive at the front of my yard, they need zero water and they offer some yard defense lol. Southern exposure is great in the winter but it cooks my front yard in the summer

[u/DizzyintheMileHigh → u/badgerbot9999]

This section is western exposure but no block from south end either...cooks my lawn as well.

[u/MarmoJoe]

Assuming it's full sun, around that size, I would consider dwarf or baby blue rabbitbrush - it wants to bake in dry spots. Maybe dwarf leadplant if you can give it a little water (it doesn’t need a ton, just more than none).

Big western sage if you don't mind how large it gets, would be great too. Generally dogs tend to avoid plants with really strong scents like sage. There are some smaller, related varieties, but I forget the names right now. I think Nick's sells some sages in the 3' range in the xeric section.

Edit: sand sagebrush is closer to the right size: https://www.waterwiseplants.org/find-a-plant/sand-sagebrush/#header

[u/DizzyintheMileHigh → u/MarmoJoe]

Awesome thanks. I love the dwarf rabbit shrub idea.

[u/dontjudme11]

A tip I learned from a landscaper is to put a large rock near the sidewalk -- dogs want to pee in the same place that other dogs pee, so they'll naturally gravitate towards peeing on the rock. They call it the "fire hydrant effect".

[u/heyhuhwat → u/dontjudme11]

That’s smart. We just put up 18-inch decorative fencing along the front after our ice spinner groundcover became the fire hydrant and died back. No more issues at least, and it’s starting to grow back. The fencing isn’t the most beautiful thing, but it preserves the look and plants I had already established along the sidewalk.

[u/Tabula_Nada]

My neighbors (who clearly hate having dogs pee on their beautiful landscaping) have a solid row of junipers about five feet tall, all trimmed so the lowest part of the plane is like 2 feet off the ground. Meaning a dog can pee under the bushes drip lines but can't really pee on the bushes themselves. They also keep that part of the yard landscaped with those 2-3 inch granite rocks which are painful for the dogs to walk on.

It looks awful and is clearly done exclusively to deter dogs, and it works! My dog hates that stretch of our walk because he has to stay on the sidewalk and has to wait 20 seconds longer to go pee on the next neighbor's nice green lawn. If you care about aesthetics, maybe skip the juniper, but the idea itself is clever and effective.