Don’t you just hate it when your dog starts digging your prized flower bed, damaging your precious plants and making a mess that is likely going to take you hours repair? Luckily for you, this is a problem that most dog owners with a garden face and some simple but useful tips can help you address this problem for good. In this article, we are going to be looking at some of these tips.
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of this article, we are first going to be looking at the reason why dogs love digging flower bed.
Table of Contents
Why dogs love digging
To address a problem for good, you must know its source or what causes it. In that light, we will take a good look at some possible reasons why your dog loves digging.
Your Scent
Since you spend countless hours working on your garden, your scent is likely going to linger there. When your dog perceives your comforting scent in your garden, it might assume that it is a great place to flop down and even chew on a toy.
Flavored manure
The second reason why your dog loves digging gardens or flowerbeds is that it is soft and easy to dig. Also, it is loaded with partially decomposed compost and manure. Yummy!
A cool hole
Some breeds of dogs like digging a cool hole they can lie in and cool off. They also find it interesting to unearth critters like earthworms and moles.
Curiosity
Do you know that dogs find plants interesting? This might be difficult for you to believe, but it is true. As you probably know, dogs have superior senses and can effortlessly smell the plants they chew. They see flowering plants as an every changing salad bar.
Now that you know some possible reasons why your dog keeps digging your flower bed, we are now going to be looking at some practical ways to stop it from doing it for good.
Chemical deterrents
A chemical dog repellent is what most gardeners turn to, to keep dogs away from their precious garden. The apparent reason why they resort to using it is that it is easy and convenient to use, and also relatively cheap and effective. Before racing to the pet store in your area to buy dog repellents, you need to keep it in mind that they are made from strong aromatics that are harmful and irritating to pets, like peppermints oils, citrus among others.
The effectiveness of a dog repellent is often determined by the sensitivity of your dog. So if your dog nostril is very sensitive, a dog repellent will be useful. On the other hand, if it is not, you may not get the result you seek.
A downside to the use of dog repellent is the need to apply it repeatedly, especially during rainy weather. Look for products with gel crystal that release their scent slowly and can last for more extended periods.
Of course, you have the freedom to buy whichever type of dog repellent you want. But as previously mentioned, you have to keep it in mind that they may be loaded with chemicals that may be harmful to your dog or your plant. To ensure that your dog and precious plants are safe, it is wise that you make your repellent by yourself.
See, you don’t need to know a lot about chemicals to make a safe but effective dog repellent. All you need do is to spray bitter apple or low acidity vinegar around your garden. The good thing about these products is that they are affordable, effective and harmless to plants and animals.
Do well to shield delicate ornamental plants, as vinegar with more than 20% acetic acid can kill plants indiscriminately.
Distraction and training
Of course, this requires hard work and dedication, but if you are able to pull it off, it is going to yield satisfactory results. Carefully supervise and train your dog to avoid a specific part of the landscape. To increase your odds of success, you have loads of positive reinforcement when training.
Noise
If the stray dogs or the dogs in your neighborhood often invades your flowerbed and damage your precious plants, then you should consider using an ultrasonic dog repelling system. The system combines LED light with ultrasonic sound. Some models are designed to startle dogs this will makes the dogs avoid your garden. A downside to this method is that it will frighten all animals including birds, squirrels among others that you might enjoy watching in your garden area. Keep in mind that ultrasonic deterrents may break after some time.
Fences
While building a fence around your garden is expensive, it will go a long way in protecting your precious plants. Building a small fence to keep up your big dogs is a dumb move, as they can easily scale through it and do severe damage. To keep your garden safe, you have to set up a reasonably high electric fence. An electric fence can deliver a static shock that won’t harm your dog but will teach him that the flowerbed isn’t a play area.
Building an electric fence may not be the best course of action especially if you have little kids. An alternative to it is a receiver collar that delivers a harmless static shock when your dog goes near your garden. The mild electric shock by the collar sends one message- Stay away from the flower bed.
Make a dig pit
Do you know that some dogs dig because they enjoy digging? If this is true in the case of your dog, then you should make a dig pit where it can dig until it is satisfied.
Final note
If the tips outlined in this article doesn’t yield any result, then you should contact a professional dog trainer or visit a reputable veterinary hospital for advice on how to solve the problem.
You May Also Interested In:
- 5 Reasons: Why Do Dogs Lick Carpet
- 4 Reasons: Why Do Dogs Eat Rocks?
- 9 Reasons: Why Do Dogs Lick Your Face?
- 3 Fun Facts: Why Do Dogs Like Sticks So Much?
- How Do Dogs Communicate
- 10 Tips for Adopting Dogs
- How Long Are Dogs Pregnant?
- 12 Effective Ways: How To Induce Vomiting In Dogs
- How Many Chromosomes Do Dogs Have?
- 8 Reasons: Why Do Dogs Howl At Sirens