Dogs in the garden--shoo, dogs, shoo!

[kaylyred]

Looks like I've got a new problem on my hands this year. Late last fall, we rescued a shiba inu puppy and added him to a canine family that consists of two lazy greyhounds. Toshi has been a real handful (and that's an understatement!), as shibas are known to be, but we love him and we're doing our best to work with his...eccentricities.

While our greyhounds pretty much left my garden beds alone (other than my little girl greyhound, Ella, occasionally taking a running leap over them during her backyard episodes of The Zoomies), Toshi is a curious little guy and small garden fences (which scared the greyhounds) and field stone barriers (which the greyhounds mostly avoided just because) don't deter him. He's plodded through everything over the winter, pooped on everything, and likely will have zero respect for plants once they start growing.

What to do?

What do you folks do to keep curious (or klutzy) dogs out of your garden beds?

[newtohosta-no more]

Sounds like you might have a serious problem come spring! I currently don't have dogs, but I do have a problem with cats using my garden beds as their own personal litter pan. It's usually not a problem unless I have a mini hosta planted in that particular spot. (or some of my veggie plants) I have found some plants dug up and tipped over with their roots exposed, which I'm sure they managed to do when they attempted to cover up the spot they just used. I hope someone on here can give you advice on methods to train your furkid to stay out of the beds, but you're probably going to have your hands full. Good luck!

[Spider]

I've heard kitties don't like oranges. Perhaps something orange scented would keep the kitties out. Don't know about the dog, I've heard Shibi's are tough.

[newtohosta-no more]

You know...that's true....my cats don't like citrus, so maybe I should put orange peels around...good idea! thanks!!

[kaylyred]

I've heard kitties don't like oranges. Perhaps something orange scented would keep the kitties out. Don't know about the dog, I've heard Shibi's are tough.

Shibas are definitely stubborn. In order for them to learn any behavior reliably you have to repeat it over and over and over and...well, you get the picture. It's not that they aren't intelligent; it's that they're too intelligent. They have a "what's in it for me?" attitude about nearly everything. But what I like about them is that they've got a ton of personality and spirit. And when you finally win a shiba over, there's really nothing like it. They're not overtly affectionate lap dogs--in fact they can be very independent and almost aloof--but at the end of the day when Toshi is tired he'll curl up on the floor as close to my leg as he can get and often rest his head on my foot. It lets me know that he's my fuzzy little buddy, no matter what mischief he's gotten into that day.