Summary
‘To effectively keep dogs out of the garden, address their underlying reasons, such as natural instincts, boredom, or seeking cool shade. Implement physical deterrents like fences or natural barriers such as prickly plants. Utilize scents dogs dislike, including citrus peels, vinegar, or commercial repellents. Consistent training using verbal cues and positive reinforcement when the dog stays away is crucial. Provide ample exercise and a designated digging area as alternatives. Motion-activated sprinklers can also be effective. Combining these strategies with patience and understanding will help protect your garden.
Why is Your Pet Interested in Your Garden?
Being inquisitive is only one of the answers to why your pet keeps wreaking havoc in your garden. You must know what draws your dog toward the yard to prevent it from entering.
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 indicates increasing 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
The most apparent answer is that your dog may be bored of being at home.
The garden provides excellent mental and physical stimulus through microorganisms, plants, pebbles, and outside weather. 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 can provide an alternative at this stage, you will have to put less effort into keeping your dog away from your garden.
How do you keep a dog out of the garden?
Now that the cause for entering the garden is known, you can work towards minimizing it. No method can entirely deter your pet from entering your garden.
However, these tricks will help your dog build habits to stay away, 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, resulting from staying in the house all through the day.
Ensure 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 large, firmly rooted shrubs 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, finding a visually appealing fence that protects your garden from your pet at an affordable cost isn’t easy.
Make Natural Barriers
Putting up a good-quality fence requires a small investment. Setting up rocks is also difficult, as moving them to your garden is laborious. The most accessible barriers to surround the perimeter of your garden are spiky plants like cacti and Dracaena and bushes with thorns.
Coleus canina is a plant that produces a pungent odor, which can keep your pet away. This option can also be used with a 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
Like bitter and sour foods and smells, spice is another smell dogs cannot tolerate. Sprinkle some spices in powdered form, like mustard, chili 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 harmful ingredients to your dog and 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 relatively easier than when your dog is untrained. It is not very difficult to teach your dog areas without access to it.
Use a stern voice and point to the area, saying ‘no’ with visible disappointment and firmness. Ensure your dog understands by petting it and taking it around the garden while practicing 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 favor 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 your dog a specific part of the yard where it can freely do whatever it wants without any constraints.
This will ensure your dog stays in 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 using a combination of the above tips, 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 it.
how to keep dogs out of the garden ( another way )
You can take several steps to keep your dog out of the garden. Some possible strategies include:
- Install a physical barrier, such as a fence, to keep your dog out of the garden. Ensure the wall is tall and sturdy enough to prevent your dog from jumping over or pushing through it.
- Use a motion-activated sprinkler or an alarm to startle your dog if they enter the garden.
- Train your dog to avoid the garden by using positive reinforcement and rewards.
- Use deterrents like citrus peels or chicken wire to make the garden less appealing to your dog.
- Please keep your dog on a leash in the yard to prevent them from entering the garden.
- Consult a professional dog trainer or behaviorist for additional advice and guidance on keeping your dog out of the garden.
