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Helpful Tips for Gardening with Dogs

July 15, 2015

Dogs have many wonderful qualities. Our canine friends are loyal, lovable, smart, funny, protective, and brave. Gardening, however, is not one of Fido’s talents. If your pooch keeps thwarting your landscaping and gardening efforts, you’ll want to read these helpful tips from a Leesburg, VA vet on gardening with dogs.

Work With Fido

Does Fido like to ‘patrol’ a certain section of the yard? Does he tend to run back and forth in one specific spot? If so, incorporate your pooch’s highway into your garden planning. This way, he’ll be less likely to trample your plants.

Use Borders

Adding protective borders around your garden can help keep Fido from walking through it. Box gardens are one great way to do this. Many plants do very well in box gardens! Lining the edges of your garden with bricks; a low fence; driftwood; stones; or small, thick plants will also help protect your garden.

Create Paths

Use brick or paving stones to create pathways through and around your garden. With a little training, you can teach your canine buddy to stay on the path. Just be sure to avoid using cocoa mulch, as it is toxic to dogs.

Plant Carefully

When arranging your plants, put the most delicate ones in the center of your bed, and put thicker vegetation around it to act as barriers. This will help protect your fragile plants.

Make Time To Play

Take time to play with Fido and burn off some of his excess energy. Consider keeping a stash of dog toys in the yard, so you can incorporate short play sessions into your gardening routine.

Create A Doggy Zone

Another thing you can do is section off your yard so that you have separate, fenced sections for your pup and your plants. Fido certainly won’t mind having a doghouse in his section!

Container Gardening

Last but not least, you can always choose container gardening. You can still create a beautiful and functional garden, and you won’t have to worry as much about Fido damaging it.

Choose Plants Wisely

Make sure to choose only plants that are non-toxic for dogs. For a complete list of both toxic and non-toxic plants, visit the ASPCA website.

Do you have questions about your canine pal’s health, care, or behavior? Contact us, your  Leesburg VA vet  clinic, anytime! We are always here to help!