Some dogs just love to dig. If you’re trying to show off your green thumb, how can you keep your dog from tearing up your garden? Today we’re going to look at how to keep dogs out of your garden.
How to Keep Dogs Out of Your Garden
There are a number of ways you can work with your dog to make sure they don’t ruin your hard work. Some of these ways take a bit of work and planning, but you’ll appreciate your garden not getting destroyed if your dog is especially curious.
Take a look at some of our best ways to keep your dog out of your garden:
Set up a Fence
This is probably the most obvious way to keep your dog out of the garden. The problem is that it takes a bit of planning and it might not look pretty.
Adding an actual fence will certainly keep your dog out of the garden unless they are very persistent and try digging under or jumping over. Setting up a temporary barrier will help keep your dog only in places you want them to be in. Also, having a physical border trains your dog to understand that you don’t want them in your space. Borders show dogs where they don’t belong.
Set up a Spicy Barrier
This one may not be as kind as a physical fence, but a spicy fence can work just as well. You can sprinkle some hot chili flakes or mustard powder around your garden or in the dirt. This way, if your dog decides to start digging, they will be immediately reminded that they should not be in the garden.
Making a spicy fence won’t really hurt your dog, so it’s not something you should worry about too much. If you don’t like getting your dog hot under the collar, you can try vinegar or ammonia. Both of these are something most dogs hate, so it can teach them to stay away. But be careful! You don’t want these chemicals near your growing food.
Invest in Motion Control
When it comes to keeping your dog where you want them to be, you should also consider motion control. There are very affordable choices for motion-controlled lights that can scare your dog into staying away from your precious garden.
You can also consider buying a motion-controlled sprinkler. While some dogs are swimmers, most don’t like being doused with water. If you pick up a motion-controlled sprinkler system, you can have an automated way of scaring your dog to stay away from your garden. And who knows? Your dog might even help with keeping it watered.
Use Containers
If you are having a really hard time keeping your dog away from your crops, consider using raised containers. Even large containers on the ground can be high enough that your dog will lose interest in checking them. If you can, a raised container will put your crops out of your dog’s reach. This can give you peace of mind while still giving your dog access to pretty much the entire backyard. Here are some other common containers for your garden:
- Raised wooden garden bed
- Large storage containers
- Food-safe 5-gallon buckets
- Old coffee tins
- Reused wood pallet with terracotta pots built in
Give Your Dog Their Own Area
While teaching your dog what parts of the backyard are off limits, you can also teach them what parts are theirs. Work to build an area for your dog to enjoy and make it their own. You can build different textured areas such as wood chips, sand pit, dirt run, or gravel run. The more you can teach your dog to play in “their area,” the more likely they will be to leave your garden alone.
Also be sure to include toys and water in their area. You want to make your dog’s area a place for them to relax, play and refresh. This should ideally keep them away from your garden.
Be Sure to Reward
Remember that when you’re teaching your dog to stay away from your garden, you are training them. Any time you train your dog you should include positive reinforcement. This means that when your dog does what you want, you should be rewarding them. Be sure to keep treats on hand. Any time you are in the garden and your dog is giving the garden space, be sure to give them a reward.
By reinforcing positive behavior, you will teach your dog what they should be doing and where. Soon enough, your dog will be watching over our garden rather than destroying it.