My new dog Honey has become a garden pest. (Cross-post from pets.)

[intheflow]

She's digging through our raised beds. I fear for my potatoes and peppers! The plastic snow fence we put up around the beds was chewed through within an hour. I've heard that chicken wire can deter dogs from digging, placed down atop the beds, but that seems like it would inhibit plant growth. Can't afford to buy enough wire to surround our beds. Has anyone else experienced a digger dog? If so, do you have any wisdom to impart?

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. Google is your friend

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Folow this link >>> https://www.google.ca/#hl=en&gs_rn=12&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=bI5eETlfQPohc769UYaCpA&cp=7&gs_id=s&xhr=t&q=DOG+REPEllent&es_nrs=true&pf=p&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=DOG+REP&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.aWM&fp=d49dd025584618d5&biw=1014&bih=674

I would look for a product that is safe for pets, children and plants.

I remember one called "Doggie-Off"

or maybe that was for man's best friend . . .



Good luck and happy gardening!

CC

[intheflow]

3. Google had not been my friend, so this post is great!

Your search under "dog repellent" was genius. I was searching under "stop dog digging". Aside from the chicken wire, the most prevalent suggestion I found was putting dog feces throughout the garden. Obviously these people were talking about flowers, not vegetables! I think I'll try the ammonia-soaked coffee filters - we have a ton of amonia to pour around the perimeter of the property for skunk deterrence. Never thought it might also work with dogs. Thanks!

[intheflow]

4. Okaaaay, ammonia-soaked coffee filters didn't work.

Honey tried to eat them.

I think she's digging in the bed for the few bits of un-broken down compost from our kitchen scraps. She was found nearly starved to death before she was rescued and is a real scavenger. No food is safe on our counters! When I ran the vinegar bottle under her nose to see if I could use that instead of ammonia, she licked the opening. So I don't think any food-based deterrent is going to work with her. Ah, well. Back to the chicken wire.

[hollysmom]

2. I don't have a digger dog,but have heard

that some spices can discourage them, like pepper or cayenne. I know tobacco will, but it could poison your plants as well.

[Tanuki]

5. What kind of dog is Honey?

Some breeds, such as terriers, are just natural diggers.

[intheflow]

6. She's a mutt.

They called her a shepherd mix, but I think she's shepherd mixed with terrier. (It's all about the ears.) I do understand that some dogs just dig, and she certainly digs after prairie dogs in pure terrier fashion. But she doesn't randomly dig in the yard. We've had her for four months now and the ONLY place she digs is in our vegetable beds. As I said upthread, I think it's because she was found nearly starved to death before she was rescued. We have always just mixed our kitchen scraps into the beds to compost them. We're pretty sure she's going after old scraps. We've stopped doing that, but there's some residual stuff that she's digging up.

[Tanuki]

7. Could you find another area in the yard where it would be OK for Honey to dig instead?

Maybe make it more interesting for her by burying something there...and selectively reinforce....

[intheflow]

8. I really don't think it's about the digging for her.

I think it's about the food. If it were about the digging, she'd have already found places in the yard to dig before we started working the beds.

[Javaman]

9. I had the same problem...

I put up a 2 foot chicken wire barrier around my raised beds.

It's a bit of a pain to weed and prune but it beats having all the plants dead.

[intheflow]

10. I did finally do that.

Today will be my first foray into climbing over the fence and weeding. Ought to interesting. OTOH, sooooooo worth it to not see holes dug everywhere!

[Javaman]

11. It's been a few years now for me...

I would really love to take them down. It's tough on my back. I'm hoping in the down season, I'll give it a whirl when I plant a cover crop. I'll see how my dog does then. He doesn't dig much anymore in the rest of the yard.

Good luck!