When you are looking to prep your garden for a dog, you want to be sure to pay attention to various things that could get them into trouble. There are plenty of things that you can do to make your garden much more dog-friendly. In this article, we will discuss some of the top dog-friendly lawn and garden tips from Discover Ziehler, that you should look to implement in your own garden.
1. Prep Your Dog
Perhaps the most important thing that you are going to want to do when you are looking to make your garden much more suitable for your dog is to prepare your dog for it. You want your dog to learn how to behave while near your garden area. By starting young, you should be able to really enforce that the garden area is off-limits to them.
2. Know Your Plants
Another important thing that you are going to want to do when you are looking to prep your garden for your dog would be to know what is in your garden. Knowing the plants that are in your garden is crucial to keeping your dog safe. Some plants might be poisonous to your dog. Because of this, you should take the necessary steps that are needed to ensure that your dog is going to be safe at all times. You will want to do some research on the various plants that you are looking to place in your garden. Doing this will give you a good idea on whether or not the garden area is going to be a safe place for your dog. Try to avoid any plants that might be dangerous for them because you don’t want to put your dog into harm’s way.
Some of the most harmful plants that you will want to avoid are lilies, daffodils, azaleas, and more. Avoid planting any of the dangerous plants that could be toxic to your dog to avoid the complications that could come from them ingesting them.
3. Fence It Off
A good way to ensure that your dog is not going to get his or herself into trouble in your garden would be to fence it off completely. You can do this by either using a small or large fence depending on your dog’s size. This is going to give them a good boundary to stick to and it can help to reinforce that the area is off-limits. Being able to show them a boundary that they have to adhere to is going to make it much more likely that they stay away from it as it gives them a reference point.
4. Use Plants To Prevent Digging
One of the best ways to deter your dog from going into your garden area is by using plants that have a strong scent. Various “safe” plants might have a strong enough smell that will keep your dog away. A lot of the plants that match this description are going to be able to do this are spice plants. Spice and/or herb plants typically have very strong scents that will deter your dog from digging or going near a specific area.
5. Give Them An Area
If you are going to be looking to keep your dog away from your garden, one of the best things that you can do is to give them an area that they will be able to use for themselves to dig up. Dogs generally love to dig. Because of this, you don’t want them to have to utilize self-control all of the time because they will eventually break. Instead of doing this, you should give them their own area that they can use to dig and play. By giving them a specific spot in your yard to help them burn off their own energy, you will make it much easier for them to be able to adhere to the rules that you set for the garden.
6. Provide Shade
One of the things that you are going to want to do in order to help keep your dog safe while outside and in your backyard or garden area would be to build them some sort of shelter or area with shade that they can use in order to cool off. By doing this, you should be able to provide them with a place to escape the heat on the hottest of days.
7. Avoid Pesticides and Fertilizer
When you are looking to balance the health of your garden and your dog, you will want to be sure to avoid any potentially harmful chemicals. This means that you will want to avoid using pesticides and fertilizers in your garden. If you are going to be using them, you should be taking extra precautions. One of the things that you will want to be sure to do if you are going to be spraying fertilizer and pesticides in your lawn area is to cover any food bowls that might be out there or bring them inside. Another thing that you should be doing is keeping your dog off of the area that has been treated for a sufficient amount of time. You don’t want your dog walking around in the garden or grass if it has recently been treated with any type of fertilizer or pesticides as they could get it on their paws and they could end up ingesting it. You should look for natural alternatives to each.