The news that BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don will be creating a dog-friendly garden as his debut show garden for next year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will no doubt prompt fellow dog lovers to follow suit.

“This is something that I have no intention of repeating, it’s a one-off and we hope and believe that it will be truly spectacular,” says the BBC Gardeners’ World presenter of the RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden.

“It’s not cluttered with messages, symbolisms or metaphors,” Don explains. “There will be doggy chairs, a lawn, a screen and maybe a path, long grass, plenty of shade, good trees and dog-associated plants.”

Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley will be supporting the garden through her radio show and if Don needs any hands-on help, she’ll be there.

“I’m more than happy to be hands on. I’ve seen some of the elements of the planting already. If they want me to go and put it together then I’ll be putting it together.”

Whiley has Brodie, a Sproodle (springer poodle) and Django, a Golden Retriever, and says her own garden is really dog-friendly.

So, what can amateur gardeners do to keep their pooches happy?

Make sure there’s shelter.

Whiley said: “We’ve got a big table outside where we entertain and the kids all sit and eat, and the dogs are just always under that table. So shade is very important. Trees are too. We have some lovely trees and a treehouse they always hide under.”

Give them somewhere to relax.

“My dogs use my garden as somewhere to stretch and lay. Some dogs will dig. Some dogs will use it for other things,” says Butterworth.

Include a lawn if you have space.

“Dogs love the lawn, they love playing and they rough around together all the time and that is probably the most important thing, just a space for them to play and tumble.”

Create a digging pit. Digging is a natural behaviour for dogs, so you may want to choose an area of your garden where you are happy for your dog to dig in, the dog welfare charity Dogs Trust advises.

You could find a sturdy deep container, dig a hole deep enough to house it, so that the top is in line with the surface of the soil, fill it with the earth you’ve dug up and scatter or bury dog treats in it for your dog to find. If the dog digs elsewhere in the garden, go to the digging pit and hide the dog’s rewards in it to encourage the dog to use it.

Plant sensory specimens. Whiley says the nepeta (catmint) she has planted attracts her dogs as well as cats. “They are constantly just going around sniffing, particularly the Sproodle. He just sniffs constantly. Our nepeta appeals to the dogs.”

Choose plants carefully. Avoid plants which are toxic to dogs and other pets, including delphiniums, foxgloves and yew, and don’t leave bulbs out such as daffodils and tulips which you haven’t yet planted for spring, because many are toxic to dogs.

Keep your garden space secure. Make sure boundary fences, walls and hedges are secure so that your dog can’t make an unexpected exit.