new yard - need help knowing what plants and grass to landscape with

I would appreciate your help.

I just bought a house in Phoenix - Vistancia - and I need to landscape my back yard. I am an avid gardener up here in Canada on the west coast - but know very little about gardens in Phoenix.

Probably most importantly - can i plant grass seed and get it to take with little watering? This is a vacation home for us, and we would prefer low maintenance products.

What is the hardiest grass that will sustain the hot weather conditions.

Around the perimiter of the garden I will plant bushes, and trees - I think I can figure that out when we come down ( from what is available in the nurseries) - and I'm imagining we will have to have an irrigation system for that if we aren't there to regularly water.

How about ground cover - could i use succulents or some other type of ground cover rather than grass. I need a section in my back yard for my dogs to walk and do their duty - so it isn't too hot on their paws.

If you have other words of wisdom - i'm all ears!