Garden Question - Dog Related!

[arealhuman]

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Hello Everyone,

Here's a weird question for you - how can I stop my dog from running up and down (and therefore generally destroying) flower beds in our garden?  We let Jimmy out in the garden from time to time just to have a wander and run around, but as you may have read elsewhere he gets reactive when he hears/sees certain things when he's out there (e.g. seagulls (especially), other dogs barking) and then he runs up and down the garden, quite often on the flower beds.  At the moment one of them is empty so he just kicks up mud, but the other has plants which he just barrels through.  We try and move him from these areas and block his path when he's in the garden, but he does end up going back on them. When we put plants out soon he will obviously destroy them! Does anyone have any suggestions to help stop this?  Open to things such as netting and stuff too, as well as training techniques.

Thank you for any response - you'll be helping save the life of countless bedding plants

 

[Peegee]

I'll be interested to hear the answer to this one!  My dog loves tearing round the garden, racing from one flower bed to another, usually with one of her soft toys in her mouth.  She never sits on the lawn and much prefers to lay in the flower beds usually on top of a comfy  shrub!!  And that's when she's  not digging them up.  We have some small wooden fences which we move around the beds whenever she seems to have a new favourite spot.  Favourite/expensive shrubs are shrouded in nets.  I'm now trying to rush out every time she walks onto the flower beds telling her 'off' and treating when she steps onto the path.  Even started throwing some of her kibble across the lawn to make that exciting!  It's difficult to maintain consistency though as I really should be with her the whole time she's in the garden, which is very difficult.  Perhaps Gypsysmum has some pearls of wisdom on this one.

 

[arealhuman]

I've done some reading online and suggestions range from small picket-style fences in front of flower borders but a recurring theme is making a mix of pepper/chili and spray that on the area you'd like to prevent the dog going.  I've not had chance to try either yet!  Now, if someone has something that stops cats using our garden as their toilet, that'd be an added bonus.

 

[Biker John]

arealhuman, one not very serious method you can use to keep cats away is to have a Whippet with access to the garden, my little girl makes sure no cats are ever seen in mine let alone have enough time to go to a toilet.

 

[arealhuman]

Thanks Biker John 

 

[Peegee]

I'll have to admit that we also have a cat!  So am not worried about other cats.  We have tried little picket fences but Evie just jumps over them.  I might have a go at the pepper/chilli mix - not sure how you make this into a 'spray' though.  Any ideas areal human?

 

[arealhuman]

Any ideas areal human?

Hi Peegee,

Here are some of the results I've found online, not tried any yet (they are a copy/paste not my own text):

Spray cumin and crushed red pepper throughout the garden, or spray flowers with a mixture of cayenne pepper and alcohol. The mixture causes the canine to sneeze, which discourages it from going into the garden.

Get black pepper (still intact, not ground up already) and an assortment of chilli peppers, cayanne peppers, and anything else that makes your eyes water when you open the big bulk lids! When you get home, grind up the black peppers as you use them (they will be fresher and more effective). Mix the black and various other peppers together in a sandwich bag, and then spread it in your garden wherever the dogs/cat go. They always sniff first, and they will get a nose full of pepper and go away unhappy. You will have to repeat every few days for about two weeks. The dogs remember not to go to your lawn because of the peppers after a few times. You will end up spending as little as $5.00 or less. A little goes a long way.

I got the following recipe from Jerry Baker on PBS: 2 1/2 parts Flour, 1 part Cayenne Pepper, and 1 1/2 parts Dry Mustard Powder. Sprinkle around the area as needed. If it rains, it will have to be replaced. I have noticed that the cats do stay away from my deck. Am not sure how it will work with dogs, but Jerry Baker's ideas are usually very good.

And I have seen this repeated a few times across various sites, if it works it might be the easiest solution:

Here in Australia, it's common to see water-filled soft-drink bottles on lawns and gardens. People swear that this keeps dogs away (don't ask how, but I've seen it work). Just take an empty 1 1/2 litre or 2 litre soft drink bottle (clear plastic) take off any wrappers and fill it with water. Put it out on the flower bed (just lay on side) and see if it works on US dogs!

Hope that helps!

 

[JoanneF]

Mix the black and various other peppers together in a sandwich bag, and then spread it in your garden wherever the dogs/cat go. They always sniff first, and they will get a nose full of pepper and go away unhappy.

I think this sounds a bit extreme - If it makes our eyes water, it would be pretty unpleasant for a dog with such a sensitive nose. I know you are looking for a deterrent but I'd be wary of this, it sounds painful.

BTW I know you quoted this, rather than wrote it but I'm not sure if there is a way to quote a quote if you know what I mean.

 

[arealhuman]

I think this sounds a bit extreme - If it makes our eyes water, it would be pretty unpleasant for a dog with such a sensitive nose. I know you are looking for a deterrent but I'd be wary of this, it sounds painful.

BTW I know you quoted this, rather than wrote it but I'm not sure if there is a way to quote a quote if you know what I mean.

I had similar thoughts, but was just repeating what I found.  Not saying it's good or bad   By the way, the water bottle thing doesn't seem to work.

I have quoted quotes - like I have yours above this text - by using the " button.  All of them in my post above appear in their own seperate quote boxes

 

[Peegee]

Thanks areal human for posted these.  Brut as Joanne says it does sound a bit unpleasant, we would also need quite a bit to spread around all our borders,. Pretty sure the bottle of water wouldnt work for us, as we sometimes give these to Evie to play with.  Although I have heard of these being used for keeping cats off flower beds. Although no idea if they are effective.  I'd also heard that orange peel kept cats away - again pretty sure wouldn't work for our dog as she'd probably eat them!  I think I'll continue with trying to train her off the flower beds or just wait until she's older and less boisterous!