There are any number of reasons why you might want to keep your dog out of your garden.
Many avid gardeners want to protect your young seedlings from being dug up and trampled. However, it may also be to protect your pet. If you have a diverse garden, it’s likely that at least one of the flowers or plants you’re growing may be harmful to your dog.
John Woods of All Things Dogs says that eating toxic plants such as tomatoes, tulips, and daffodils can pose a serious threat for your four-legged friend.
For the well-being of your pets and your plants, it’s often best to keep your dog out of your garden. But what’s the best method? In this article, we take you through 5 of the best ways to separate Fido from your flowers.
Use a fence
One of the easiest methods to keep a dog out of your garden is to build a fence. A simple, short picket fence will generally do—it’s as much of a visual deterrent as it is physical. If you need something a little more heavy-duty, chicken wire works well around a vegetable garden.
One of the advantages of a fence is that it will also work to deter other critters that like to involve themselves in your plants—pesky squirrels who pick off flower buds and cute, but bothersome deer coming to snack from your vegetable garden.
Alternatively, you can use a fence to contain your dog to a play area. This works best if you have a smaller dog who won’t be able to jump over a short play fence. However, if you are inside the pen with your dog and keeping them entertained, they are not as likely to try jumping out. You know your dog best, and if they are a notorious escape artist, you might want to try one of our other options.
Fences are a relatively inexpensive and practical option for keeping a dog out of a garden. However, some people think they are unsightly or have another reason for not wanting a fence inside their yard. If this sounds like you, don’t fret! That’s why we have info on 4 additional methods.
Spray unappealing scents
Dogs’ noses are way more powerful than our own. While we might stop and smell the roses in our flower garden, dogs are able to stop and smell the rose, the bird that hopped across the dirt hours ago, the individual components of the dirt itself, and so much more.
Use their heightened sense of smell to your advantage when protecting your garden by spraying distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar over the areas you want your dog to stay away from. Be sure to use a spray bottle to make sure you aren’t using so much that your own sense of smell will be activated—just a little will do the trick to deter your dog.
Other options you can test out are spicy, citrusy, or bitter smells and tastes. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes, lemon juice, or coffee grounds around the soil of your plants—your dog will take one whiff and stick to the other side of the yard.
All of these dog deterrents are natural and will not harm your plants! If you purchase a deterrent that includes chemicals, be sure to read the ingredient label to make sure they are safe for the plants, and safe for humans to eat if you are using them in your vegetable garden.
Make a natural barrier
This is another DIY method of keeping your dog out of your garden! You have a number of different ways you can take the “natural barrier,” as well as the potential to really get creative!
- Create a moat around your flower beds using natural items your dog is averse to stepping on. Pinecones are visually appealing and a universal deterrent. Additionally, they don’t bring the risk of seriously hurting your dog.
Another option to test is tin foil. Most dogs hate the sound and texture of aluminum foil, and will avoid stepping on it. Try using it to wrap small rocks or bricks and place these in the moat.
- Every rose has its thorn, but should your dog barrier? The verdict, unsurprisingly, is not decided in favor of one or the other.
Some people swear by pruning rose bushes and using the thorny stems to protect their flowers from dogs and other small animals, citing the strategy as one that’s also visually pleasing to look at and doesn’t detract from the aesthetic of the garden. Others think that this method is cruel, and your dog can seriously cut themselves up on the thorns.
Decide for yourself, taking into account the behavior and temperament of your individual dog. You never want to create a situation where your dog has the potential to injure themselves. If leaving your dog to poke themselves on thorns and stems is not your idea of humane, that’s why we have other options.
Create a doggy path
Sometimes the best option can involve working with—rather than against—your dog’s natural tendencies. If they always pick the same path through the garden to run through, or pee on the same flower every time they are let outside, you are going to have a difficult time breaking those ingrained habits. Your dog thinks that flower belongs to them, and especially if you have a stubborn breed like a hound, it won’t be easy to convince them otherwise!
So instead of making the entire garden off-limits, designate a space within it for your dog to travel. This option works best if your dog likes to be near you as you work in the garden, but doesn’t dig in the mulch and generally leaves your plants alone.
You can pave the pathway with gravel or mulch (just be sure not to use cocoa mulch, which is poisonous to dogs) or even bits of carpet or tile you have lying around the house from your last home improvement project.
With their own special path, your dog can cruise through the garden without trampling your precious daisies!
Try the sprinkler system
If your dog loves to play in water, consider this option a non-starter. However, some dogs are averse to water, especially if it comes from a sprinkler or a hose. If this is the case with your dog, you can try putting a sprinkler on your garden when your dog is outside so that your dog naturally avoids the water.
Whether you opt for the water method or a different option also depends on the climate of where you live. In dry areas such as California, it would be ill-advised to run your sprinkler system for hours each day while your dog sniffs around the yard. You also don’t want to drown your plants—some require more water than others, so you should consider the needs of your garden before you decide to use this strategy.
There are a few cons to this method, but if you needed to water your garden anyway, you can kill two birds with one stone and create an aqua-boundary separating your dog from the plants at the same time that you water them.
Summary
If you have a dog and a garden, you’ll do both a favor by trying one of these methods to keep them separated! Your plants’ roots will stay firmly in the ground, your dog won’t risk ingesting toxic plants, and you’ll rest easy knowing that all living things in your yard are being cared for!
Do you have trouble keeping your puppy from mauling your flower garden? Which of these tips are you going to try for your yard? Let us know in the comments below!