If your dog has ever left your beautiful flower beds looking like a tornado hit them, then you’re in the right place. Today, we’re going to give you some tips on how to keep your dog out of flower beds. We’ve got tips and tricks ranging from unpleasant smells to fencing and moats. One of these strategies will surely work and keep your dog out of your flower beds.
Your dog could be digging your flower beds for various reasons – to beat the heat, to find insects, out of boredom, or simply because he is hardwired to dig. If your dog has got into a bad habit of destroying your precious flower beds, you may need to retrain him to break the habit.
The best way to keep dogs out of flower beds is to train them early in life that flower beds are off limits. Puppies are the easiest to train, but adults dogs can be successfully retrained with a little patience. Here are some tips on training dogs to stay out of flower beds:
Supervision is important, especially in the early days when you’re training a puppy to stay out of certain areas like flower beds. Leaving your pup to play unattended with tempting diggable flower beds in the vicinity is just an invitation to break the rules.
It’s also important to make sure your dog is getting plenty of physical exercise every day appropriate for her breed and age. Your pooch should have enough space to play and explore and expend all her energy. This will discourage your dog from digging flower beds out of boredom or excess energy. In addition, make sure your dog is getting enough mental stimulation with interactive toys (here are some tips on keeping your dog busy when you’re away.
Giving your dog a designated area to dig in your garden can sometimes do the trick. Make the dig pit appealing with some toys, and give your pooch a treat every time he stays within the limits of this digging zone. This is particularly important for certain dog breeds like Huskies that like to dig more than others. It allows them to dig to their heart’s content without destroying flower beds. However, make sure the dig pit is free of rocks. If a dog eats rocks, it can make him very sick.
Don’t scold your dog if he or she has dug up a flower bed. This can give your dog cues that digging flower beds gets attention. It can then potentially turn into an attention-seeking behavior. Try something more subtle, like distracting your dog when they’re digging your flower bed. When your dog complies with your command to stop digging, reward him with a treat.
Last but not least, when you’re training your dog to stop digging flower beds, be consistent. Make sure you and everyone else in the family always show disapproval about this behavior. Also, be consistent in rewarding good behavior. This reinforces the idea in your dog’s mind that digging flower beds is undesirable.
Here are some strategies to keep your dog out of your flower beds:
Dogs have a keen sense of smell and can sniff out all sorts of things. You can use this to your advantage if you want to keep your dog out of your flower beds. Meaning, you can use unpleasant smells to discourage your dog from going anywhere near your plants. Some of the smells that are particularly nasty for dogs include chili peppers, powdered mustard, citrus fruits, coffee grounds, and vinegar.
There are several commercial dog repellants available on the market that you can spray around your flower beds. Do this when your dog is not around. Otherwise, your dog might associate the repellant with you and not your flower bed!
Here are some tips on making home-made dog repellants that can keep your dog out of your flower beds:
Place some cut up citrus fruits like oranges or lemons around your garden. Dogs don’t like citrus smells and this just might help to keep your dog away from your flower beds. Else, try using citrus oils.
Another inexpensive home remedy to keep dogs out of flower beds is to sprinkle some chili pepper in the area. In fact, this is the main ingredient in many commercially available dog repellents. The capsaicin in chili peppers can irritate a dog’s sensitive nose and deter them from coming back to your flowers and plants.
The smell of ammonia can also keep dogs out of flower beds. Place some cotton balls soaked in ammonia around your flower beds to keep your dog away. Don’t directly pour ammonia into the soil as this can destroy your plants.
Another strong-smelling substance that can discourage dogs from getting into flower beds is vinegar. Again, use vinegar-soaked cotton balls. Don’t pour vinegar into the soil – it’s an acid and can kill your plants.
Rubbing Alcohol can also repel dogs from flower beds. Similarly, place cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol in your flower beds to keep your dog away.
20 January, 2023