How to Keep Dog Out of Garden?

Why is Your Pet Interested in Your Garden?

Being inquisitive is not the complete answer to why your pet keeps wreaking havoc in your garden. To prevent it from entering, you must know what draws your dog toward the yard.

Desire to Be in the Open

Dogs are outdoor animals that we keep indoors for our convenience. It is likely that your dog feels coped up being indoors and uses the garden as a chance to be out in the open and play around. This is an indication to increase the frequency of your dog’s outdoor walks.

Digging to Create a Den

Primitive dogs used to sleep in dens, and it is only natural for present-day dogs to have the same instincts.

Your dog may be digging up holes in your garden to create a hole similar to a den where it can stay cool and look for and bury what seems like treasure to them.

To Escape Boredom

Perhaps the most apparent answer amongst them all, your dog may be bored of being at home.

The garden provides excellent mental and physical stimulus in the form of microorganisms, plants, pebbles, and the weather outside. There is plenty to discover, unlike being indoors.

By finding what your dog does in the garden, you can deduce why it may be doing so. If you are able to provide an alternative at this stage, you will have to put in less effort to keep your dog away from your garden.

how to keep a dog out of the garden?

Now that the cause for entering the garden is known, you can work towards minimizing it. There is no method that can entirely deter your pet from entering your garden.

However, these tricks will help your dog build habits to stay away, thereby protecting your garden.

Provide Alternative Physical Stimulation

Your dog may be going through your garden purely to release the excess of its energy that is pent up, which is a result of staying in the house all through the day.

Ensure that you take your dog out at least once or twice a day for a minimum of 30 minutes to make it exercise and tire it out. A tired dog is less likely to cause trouble.

Create Barriers

Allowing open access to your garden is a free invite for trouble. Use enormous obstacles like rocks to stop your dog from entering certain sections of your yard where you grow your plants. Planting firmly rooted shrubs that are large is another option to surround your plants.

Dogs also prefer to lie on plants. Notice its usual path through the garden to find spots that interest your dog and use these barriers specifically around them.

Put Up a Fence to Protect Your Garden

Completely cordoning off the area by fencing is another low effort idea. You may need to put in some time and effort initially while installing it, but it is a long-term solution to the problem. It gives your dog a clear visual clue without harming it.

Fencing is also a customizable option that is built based on your dog’s height as well as its strength.

Various options are available to build a fence out of. Depending on your dog’s strength, you can make it out of wood or metal and any style you prefer.

However, it is difficult to find a visually appealing fence that serves the purpose of protecting your garden from your pet at an affordable cost.

Make Natural Barriers

Putting up a good-quality fence requires a small investment. Setting up rocks is also a difficult task as it is pretty laborious to move them to your garden. The most accessible barriers to surround the perimeter of your garden are spiky plants like cactus, Dracaena, and bushes with thorns.

Coleus Canina is a plant that produces a pungent odour, planting which can keep your pet away. This option can also be used with an actual fence to provide double protection to your beloved plants.

Make Smart Use of Your Pet’s Dislikes

Using your dog’s dislikes to your advantage, you can create an effective dog repellent using safe, natural ingredients.

Keep Bitter and Sour Foods

Bitter-tasting foods like coffee, apple cider vinegar, etc., are usually disliked by dogs. Use these combinations and keep them around the garden’s perimeter to make a DIY deterrent. A bitter apple spray bought from the market is another easy way to keep your pet away.

Citrus fruits like lemons and oranges, vinegar, etc., work as excellent deterrents that help protect your garden. Using them in combination with bitter foods increases the efficacy of your DIY deterrent.

Spread Spicy Foods

Similar to bitter and sour foods and smells, spice is another smell that dogs cannot tolerate. Sprinkle some spices in powdered form like mustard, chilli flakes, etc., across the rows of your plants to keep your dog away from them.

Both these repellents are also sold in the market. However, it is advised that dog parents test these sprays out before using them in their garden. Check the label for any ingredients that seem harmful to both; your dog as well as your plants.

Train Your Dog to Stay Away

Training your dog is an essential activity. Keeping a well-trained dog away from the garden is a relatively easy task compared to when your dog is untrained. It is not very difficult to teach your dog areas that are out of access for it.

Use a stern voice and point to the area, saying ‘no’ with visible disappointment and firmness. Make sure your dog understands by petting it and taking it around the garden while practising the command.

Shower your pet with praise when it acts as per command. This can be taught within the house first to give your dog an idea of what is expected, and then it can be tried outdoors.

Install Sprinklers

This is another method that requires a small investment that doubles up as an easy way to water your garden and keep your dog away.

Most dogs dislike water and are reluctant to take baths. A motion-activated sprinkler can work in your favour by giving your dog a surprise splash.

After getting drenched a couple of times, your dog will understand that keeping away from the garden is the only way to avoid getting wet.

Give Your Dog its Own Space

Keeping your dog’s entire yard off limits is not a great idea, as this will leave it with no place to dig through. Assign a specific part of the yard for your dog where it can freely do whatever it would like to do without any constraints.

This will ensure that your dog keeps to its section without trampling over your plants, keeping you and your pet satisfied. However, this can only be done after training your dog to stick to its area.

Be Patient

The very last option remaining that can help you is being extremely patient. After making use of a combination of the tips mentioned above, all you can do is wait.

Sometimes, all your dog needs is a little bit of understanding from your end to let it go wild,  after which it is bound to get bored of the newfound interest in the garden and will stop destroying your garden.

how to keep dogs out of the garden ( another way )

There are several steps you can take to keep your dog out of the garden. Some possible strategies include:

1. Install a physical barrier, such as a fence, to keep your dog out of the garden. Make sure the fence is tall enough and sturdy enough to prevent your dog from jumping over or pushing through it.
2. Use a motion-activated sprinkler or an alarm to startle your dog if they enter the garden.
3. Train your dog to stay away from the garden by using positive reinforcement and rewards.
4. Use deterrents, such as citrus peels or chicken wire, to make the garden less appealing to your dog.
5. Keep your dog on a leash when they are in the yard to prevent them from entering the garden.
6. Consult with a professional dog trainer or behaviorist for additional advice and guidance on how to keep your dog out of the garden.