Dogs and gardening

Mudman · February 11, 2012

So we got a puppy this fall and I am now wondering how this is all going to work out with the garden. There is no fence around it and I don't plan on putting one in. She is very smart so I hope I can train her to stay out. Any advice or experiences from other dog owners would be helpful. Thanks.

kath · February 11, 2012

Your thread made me laugh, remembering when we were in your situation- well, I can laugh now. In the 80's we had an unfenced garden and a Siberian Husky puppy; alas, she was not so smart. I can still see her tearing around the yard and into the garden where she would lose her footing because of the soft dirt- her momentum caused to her fall and roll...over bush beans, spinach, lettuce or whatever happened to be in her path that time.

We just couldn't allow her near it or I'm sure she would have starting digging, too. She was a bit of a Houdini and would manage to slip out the door if the kids weren't vigilant or she'd wriggle away from you before you could get her on the leash and away she'd go. It was a good thing she was really cute.

We just had to keep Kiska on a leash when she was in the yard during garden season. I'm not sure what your setup is like, but my brother rigged up a very long run for his dog to keep him away from the garden. He attached a long heavy wire between the house and a tall tree and then had a shorter piece that attached to it and to the dog's harness. The dog could run had almost full access to the whole yard and patio but it wouldn't allow him to reach the garden area.

Hopefully, you have a more trainable puppy and others will have some helpful ideas.

Mudman · February 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by kath

In the 80's we had an unfenced garden and a Siberian Husky puppy; alas, she was not so smart. I can still see her tearing around the yard and into the garden where she would lose her footing because of the soft dirt- her momentum caused to her fall and roll...over bush beans, spinach, lettuce or whatever happened to be in her path that time.

Yes things are still frozen here but when I let her outside off her leash she runs full speed through the garden, and when she stops she tears up dead plants. I also know that she likes to eat broccoli and carrots.

roamwhereiwant2 · February 11, 2012

I hope your plan works. I rely on fencing and not training. My two forget everything and joyfully chase cats and squirrels through the garden. I encourage cats to visit my garden to keep the darn birds and squirrels from eating my tomatoes. So far I've had no problems with cat poop (- keeping fingers crossed).

afrance30 · February 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudman

Yes things are still frozen here but when I let her outside off her leash she runs full speed through the garden, and when she stops she tears up dead plants. I also know that she likes to eat broccoli and carrots.

One of my dogs loves fruits and veggies. His favorites are tomatoes and cucumbers. He would also do just about anything for milk. He's just weird

He has stolen a few tomatoes from the vine, so he is always on a leash outside.

tam91 · February 11, 2012

I just put a little fence - no way my dogs are going to stay out otherwise, and I wouldn't want to take away the dogs' freedom.

Mudman · February 11, 2012

Here is the culprit. Juno, Golden Retriever/Poodle cross.

kath · February 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudman

Here is the culprit. Juno, Golden Retriever/Poodle cross.

LOL! Adorable! I want one!

tgplp · February 11, 2012

Juno is so cute!

For me, it's my cats that mess up my gardening plans. Luckily, they are indoor cats so they can't get to anything outside. But my calico kitty Hailey likes to eat all my houseplants, and all the seedlings she can find. She dined upon a ton of tomato seedlings last year. My tabby cat Howie just destroys stuff on accident. A couple months ago when I was growing indoor dwarf tomatoes, he jumped up on my flourescent lights, and the chain broke, and he and the lights came tumbling down. Luckily I caught the lights, so only a few seedlings died.

Pets sure make gardening interesting! Good luck with your dog! Whatever happens, it'll be an adventure.

Taryn

afrance30 · February 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudman

Here is the culprit. Juno, Golden Retriever/Poodle cross.

Juno looks cute enough to get away with just about anything

... or maybe I'm just a sucker for adorable dogs

Maybe put up a little fence to remind Juno where not to cross over?
... or to do it more cheaply, a colored twine strung between wooden posts to make a border. Just something to remind the dog that beyond the twine is a "no dog zone". It would be easier to train the dog if there was a visible barrier for the dog to see.

bughunter99 · February 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudman

So we got a puppy this fall and I am now wondering how this is all going to work out with the garden. There is no fence around it and I don't plan on putting one in. She is very smart so I hope I can train her to stay out. Any advice or experiences from other dog owners would be helpful. Thanks.

Don't mulch with cocoa bean mulch. Lovely as it is, it is toxic to dogs. Worse, cats are drawn to it and when there are cats in the garden, the pooches are sure to follow.

Dogs can learn thresholds pretty easily, you just have to work with them. We don't close doors in the house to keep our dog out of rooms. He has been trained that the bedrooms and bathrooms are off limits. I've done the same with flower beds. It works 90% of the time, unless a chipmunk is in there. I have yet to successfully train for chipmunk avoidance.

Raffles · February 11, 2012

My dog for the most part knows to stay out of the garden.

That said last fall he found the yellow cherry tomatoes. I suspect he will remember and seek them this year.

Farmette · February 11, 2012

How lucky you are to be worried about the dog...for me its deer first. Seriously, we have a Golden and we took him to dog training classes. He was a very quick learner. One of the tricks we were taught was to train him with a longer leash; walk along the perimeter of the area you do not want him to enter and when he does, gently jerk the leash back and say "no". Another that helped was standing inside the forbidden area (in my case the street) and when he tried to enter the street I came forward at him with my arms extended and yelled "no". Believe it or not, after practicing this daily for a week or two, he has remembered the boundary line. You dog is golden and poodle and both breeds are very intelligent, so I would think your dog will learn quickly...just keep at it. Now that I've said that, our dog now relishes eating socks and underwear, but he does it in private.

And we have a cat that eats the leaves of hot, mild and sweet peppers whether they be seedlings or fully grown plants. Good luck!

Mudman · February 11, 2012

We have started doing the same thing with the leash by the road, but I have stopped until spring. Then I will show her the garden as a boundary. As far the cat goes, he doesn't eat anything out of the garden, but since I got him I have not had any further rabbit issues.

rxkeith · February 11, 2012

i dunno, i have never had a dog smart enough or dumb enough to train to keep out of the garden without having a fence. here, i have to keep the deer out. maybe an electronic collar could be used in training or an underground electric fence. i have an 11 yr old brittany that i can't train to stay out of the waste basket in the bathroom. she relishes kleenex, and toilet paper. she is a smart one. she knows she isn't supposed to do it, but will take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. she hasn't figured out how to open the door. thats the only way to keep her out.

keith

February 11, 2012	#1
Mudman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NW Wisconsin Posts: 910	Dogs and gardening So we got a puppy this fall and I am now wondering how this is all going to work out with the garden. There is no fence around it and I don't plan on putting one in. She is very smart so I hope I can train her to stay out. Any advice or experiences from other dog owners would be helpful. Thanks. __________________ Mike

February 11, 2012	#6
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	I just put a little fence - no way my dogs are going to stay out otherwise, and I wouldn't want to take away the dogs' freedom. __________________ Tracy

February 11, 2012	#12
Raffles Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Northern Vermont Posts: 700	My dog for the most part knows to stay out of the garden. That said last fall he found the yellow cherry tomatoes. I suspect he will remember and seek them this year. __________________ Every town in New England has it’s own personality. You might even say it’s own life if you were inclined to put things that way. Abigail Krum, her name was Martin in those days, started out in a small town in Northern Maine. People there would have said every town had it’s own way. The folks in the next town over would have said “life”. They always were kind of full of themselves.

February 11, 2012	#14
Mudman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NW Wisconsin Posts: 910	We have started doing the same thing with the leash by the road, but I have stopped until spring. Then I will show her the garden as a boundary. As far the cat goes, he doesn't eat anything out of the garden, but since I got him I have not had any further rabbit issues. __________________ Mike

February 11, 2012	#2
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Your thread made me laugh, remembering when we were in your situation- well, I can laugh now. In the 80's we had an unfenced garden and a Siberian Husky puppy; alas, she was not so smart. I can still see her tearing around the yard and into the garden where she would lose her footing because of the soft dirt- her momentum caused to her fall and roll...over bush beans, spinach, lettuce or whatever happened to be in her path that time. We just couldn't allow her near it or I'm sure she would have starting digging, too. She was a bit of a Houdini and would manage to slip out the door if the kids weren't vigilant or she'd wriggle away from you before you could get her on the leash and away she'd go. It was a good thing she was really cute. We just had to keep Kiska on a leash when she was in the yard during garden season. I'm not sure what your setup is like, but my brother rigged up a very long run for his dog to keep him away from the garden. He attached a long heavy wire between the house and a tall tree and then had a shorter piece that attached to it and to the dog's harness. The dog could run had almost full access to the whole yard and patio but it wouldn't allow him to reach the garden area. Hopefully, you have a more trainable puppy and others will have some helpful ideas.

February 11, 2012	#4
roamwhereiwant2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Lawrenceville, GA, 7b Posts: 130	I hope your plan works. I rely on fencing and not training. My two forget everything and joyfully chase cats and squirrels through the garden. I encourage cats to visit my garden to keep the darn birds and squirrels from eating my tomatoes. So far I've had no problems with cat poop (- keeping fingers crossed).

February 11, 2012	#9
tgplp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a Posts: 510	Juno is so cute! For me, it's my cats that mess up my gardening plans. Luckily, they are indoor cats so they can't get to anything outside. But my calico kitty Hailey likes to eat all my houseplants, and all the seedlings she can find. She dined upon a ton of tomato seedlings last year. My tabby cat Howie just destroys stuff on accident. A couple months ago when I was growing indoor dwarf tomatoes, he jumped up on my flourescent lights, and the chain broke, and he and the lights came tumbling down. Luckily I caught the lights, so only a few seedlings died. Pets sure make gardening interesting! Good luck with your dog! Whatever happens, it'll be an adventure. Taryn

February 11, 2012	#13
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	How lucky you are to be worried about the dog...for me its deer first. Seriously, we have a Golden and we took him to dog training classes. He was a very quick learner. One of the tricks we were taught was to train him with a longer leash; walk along the perimeter of the area you do not want him to enter and when he does, gently jerk the leash back and say "no". Another that helped was standing inside the forbidden area (in my case the street) and when he tried to enter the street I came forward at him with my arms extended and yelled "no". Believe it or not, after practicing this daily for a week or two, he has remembered the boundary line. You dog is golden and poodle and both breeds are very intelligent, so I would think your dog will learn quickly...just keep at it. Now that I've said that, our dog now relishes eating socks and underwear, but he does it in private. And we have a cat that eats the leaves of hot, mild and sweet peppers whether they be seedlings or fully grown plants. Good luck!

February 11, 2012	#15
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,839	i dunno, i have never had a dog smart enough or dumb enough to train to keep out of the garden without having a fence. here, i have to keep the deer out. maybe an electronic collar could be used in training or an underground electric fence. i have an 11 yr old brittany that i can't train to stay out of the waste basket in the bathroom. she relishes kleenex, and toilet paper. she is a smart one. she knows she isn't supposed to do it, but will take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. she hasn't figured out how to open the door. thats the only way to keep her out. keith