Dog-Friendly Garden

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Hey Y'all! Im starting to sit down and plan my garden for next year - I bought my house well after planting season! We have 4 dogs - if you couldnt tell from my profile picture. And I would love to have a garden, or at least a section of it, that is dog friendly. In other words, if they munch on the plants, they will be okay. They have loved chowing down on my peppermint in the past - no complaints there, their breath smelled fabulous.
Any recommendations?
 
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Hi! We have lots of dog owners here...I have three dogs and two cats.

Honestly I have had dogs + gardens for the better part of four decades (I'm old, ha) and nothing in the garden has ever harmed any pet I've owned with the possible exception of a sweetly retarded Rottweiler who may have gotten into deadly nightshade (never confirmed, just a theory. And she was just fine.)

The bigger problem I've found is managing your outdoor space so the dogs don't trash it! Issues I've had over the years...dogs digging giant holes. Dogs digging up vegetables etc. Dogs who ate vegetables right out of the garden. Boy dogs who pee on the same plant or bush daily, thus killing it. Giant dogs who like to frolic in water features/ponds. Dogs who tromp grass into a blasted wasteland of packed dirt, and dogs who churn up mud during the spring thaw and track it all inside. And cats that will use garden beds for pottying in, too. o_O

So my recommendation is ...just let your dogs be happy and loose and deal with issues as they come up! I've dealt with all of the above individually. There is no such thing as a problem without a workable solution. :)
 
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The only problem I've had with my dog is she will eat my hot peppers before I can get to them, I had to put up a fence around them so she couldn't get to them other than that she doesn't care about the other veggies, she lots of grass to play on and flowers to smell. So you really don't have to worry to much.
 
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"The bigger problem I've found is managing your outdoor space so the dogs don't trash it! Issues I've had over the years...dogs digging giant holes. Dogs digging up vegetables etc. Dogs who ate vegetables right out of the garden. Boy dogs who pee on the same plant or bush daily, thus killing it. Giant dogs who like to frolic in water features/ponds. Dogs who tromp grass into a blasted wasteland of packed dirt, and dogs who churn up mud during the spring thaw and track it all inside. And cats that will use garden beds for pottying in, too. o_O"

oh my gosh, minus the cats you literally just described the last four months since I bought my house! First night we were in the new house - SPLASH - one of our goldens was sitting in the pond. :ROFLMAO:I have since learned that the bigger problem has been deer. But im sure that in a few minutes I will find a thread that addresses this as well! Im sure that I will just have to fence a small portion of the garden to keep any and all critters away!
 
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Well, puppies will destroy everything, so, there is not much that you can do but introduce physical barriers between some of the plants and the dogs. Senior dogs usually simply calm down. So, the fence part appears to be your only solution since you can't keep an eye on the dogs 24/7. You probably know this by now, but Goldens are wicket smart and will quickly find out how to open or bypass the fence if it is not properly closed. I've also seen some weird pieces of advice like spreading spicy stuff around your garden bed since this, allegedly, keeps dogs away.

A bored dog is a destructive dog, so make sure they are properly stimulated, that being said, no matter how much we tried we could no prevent my 3 goldens digging huge holes basically destroying my lawn.
 
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If you have dogs like us, do not use chemicals whether fertilizer or pesticides. And your garden should be clear of slugs and toads. Those 2 pests are our mortal enemies because we have difficulty in eradicating them. Slugs and toads and frogs as well have poison that can be bad for the dogs. With the plants, I don't think there is a poisonous plant except when you have poison ivy. I cannot say if cactus is bad but it would depend on your dog. And you are right with the munching, there are some plants that dogs just love to nibble on. But when the dogs are monitored when let out of the house, they would behave and not bother the plants.
 
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The list is to long but here is a list of plants that are toxic and non-toxic to dogs.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/dogs-plant-list

It's a long list with toxic on top and non-toxic on the bottom. I think that it's important that you have a spot where you dogs can dig so they don't think they can tear up your garden because there is freshly turned soil. Plus, you need to designate a potty area for your dog to got to the bathroom so you don't accidentally step into a 'present'. Plus an exercise area, whether that is a space of grass for them to run or an open area to just play around. Shade is important, if the only shade they can find is in your patch of flowers, your flowers are going to be rolled on. Water is also important, so if you can provide a source of water so they don't dig up your drip system because they were thirsty, learned that one the hard way. Also, resist using toxic chemicals when you garden to prevent them from accidentally ingesting it when they dig and clean themselves.
 
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The list is to long but here is a list of plants that are toxic and non-toxic to dogs.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/dogs-plant-list

It's a long list with toxic on top and non-toxic on the bottom. I think that it's important that you have a spot where you dogs can dig so they don't think they can tear up your garden because there is freshly turned soil. Plus, you need to designate a potty area for your dog to got to the bathroom so you don't accidentally step into a 'present'. Plus an exercise area, whether that is a space of grass for them to run or an open area to just play around. Shade is important, if the only shade they can find is in your patch of flowers, your flowers are going to be rolled on. Water is also important, so if you can provide a source of water so they don't dig up your drip system because they were thirsty, learned that one the hard way. Also, resist using toxic chemicals when you garden to prevent them from accidentally ingesting it when they dig and clean themselves.

That's an awesome and comprehensive list - I'm going to have to share that with my friends who are also dog owners. Always best to know exactly what is dangerous for our canine friends!
 
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I have a dog and he is constantly out in the garden and I have never had any trouble from him so far.First of all make sure that the surfaces are pet friendly.Having paths through garden beds is a good idea.You could give them tiny jobs to make sure that they don’t feel bored or they might start munching on your plants :) You train them to patrol the perimeter and keep your garden safe from squirrels.
 

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