How To Keep Your Garden Safe From Dogs

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Australia, around 61% of Aussie households include a pet, totalling almost 29 million pets across the country. It may not come as a shock to dog lovers that these four-legged friends are a favourite among pet-owners, with about 39% of households owning a dog. More specifically, they estimate that there are around 6.4 million pet dogs here.

It goes without saying that there is a lot to consider when adding a dog to the mix in your home, with plenty of rules and responsibilities for all members of the family. As the most common pet in Australia, it is safe to say that homeowners with dogs have another important job on their hands: protecting their beloved garden. There are a number of ways to help prevent your canine friend from ruining your yard or lawn, so we’ve compiled a few of our top tips to aid the cause.

Dog vs Garden: Finding The Balance

Here are some handy ways to help keep dogs out of your favourite garden plants:

Assign a safe zone

To keep your dog from digging in and destroying your garden, create a specified play or digging area in an inconspicuous part of your lawn. This will give your pal a spot that they will quickly learn is an ok-to-play zone. Start by digging a shallow hole, as big as you reckon your dog will like- the larger the dog, the more space they’ll need. Then, fill it with sand, and voila, you’ve created the perfect play area that will meet your pups needs, and (hopefully) keep the rest of your yard safe. You can even add in, or bury some toys in your dog’s DIY sandbox, providing extra enrichment by giving them something to dig for.

Protect your plants

If you have plants or flowers that you really prize, then it’s important to protect them. At the end of the day, dogs are dogs, and unfortunately, temptation can get the better of them, even with proper training. To protect your garden, you can surround your flower beds with a chicken-wire fence to prevent your pup from ruining them. An easy way to create a sturdy fence is to start with several tall stakes, driving them into the ground around the bed’s perimeter. You can then slip the roll of chicken wire over the first stake. This can be unrolled and propped against each stake along the perimeter, and can be easily re-rolled when you don’t need it or don’t want it to be seen.

Pine cones walls also make for great protective barriers, as dogs dislike stepping over them due to their sensitive paw pads.

Sow strategically

Along with protecting your existing plants, there are a number of blooms that dogs really don’t like, and planting these can act as a natural deterrent. Rosemary, lavender, lemongrass, and marigolds, among others, are great for keeping curious pups at bay, as well as making for pretty additions to your plant collection.

Timing

Keep your dog inside the house at times when the temptation to dig would be too irresistible for them. This will usually be when there’s something out there that’s worth smelling to your furry friend, like newly applied fertiliser. Dogs are also more inclined to dig into newly planted flower beds; they see the freshly turned soil and mulch as an invitation to explore, so keeping them either supervised or away while your new flower bed settles is key.

Keep it covered

Aside from digging, dog urine can also damage your lawn. If you’re keen for a quick chemistry lesson, it comes down to the nitrogen and salt compounds in your dog’s urine. Basically, if you see dead brown patches in your yard, it means that your pup’s pee is destroying your turf. To avoid this problem, you can plant clover, creeping Jenny, or other types of ground cover in a certain part of your lawn, and train your dog to pee in just that one spot. Pouring water over the area after your dog has relieved themself to dilute the dog’s urine can also help to prevent or manage damage. Lastly, always keep a bowl of water outside to encourage your dog to drink more. Drinking water will dilute your pup’s pee, making it less harmful to your grass.

Planning Ahead

You can preserve your garden’s natural lush beauty without having to keep your dog locked away from your lawn. By applying some of this advice, you can have both a happy dog and a healthy yard.

If the damage is done and you’re looking for help getting back on track, or you just want to spruce things up a bit in your garden, we invite you to contact the Jim’s Mowing team today.