I have planted a lavender plant at the bottom of my garden adjacent to the public footpath, in an attempt to stop dogs making a mess when guided there by their owners. I had understood lavender was ideal because dogs do not like the smell. On the contrary, I have found they seem to love it. I have regularly found dog prints on the ground around the plant which has gradually been destroyed by the continuous activity of the dogs.
Can anyone please tell me if there is a particular lavender species I should use or perhaps I should use a prickly berberis?
Many years ago I had a real problem with my neighbors' cats using my potted plants (in large terra cotta pots) as a kitty cat latrine. After trying many deterrents and failing utterly, I eventually had a brainstorm idea and started using dried Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) branchlets. I set these dried and prickly dead Fennel "leaves" under the plants, atop the soil. Worked like magic. The cats didn't want to dig into the pokey dead stuff.
If I were you, I'd either fence off that area (less than a meter tall wire fencing, something you can just poke into the soil as a "fancy" boundary) and thus keep dogs at bay OR ELSE plant something super prickly.
I'm in CA, where Native Gooseberry would fit the bill nicely. Those plants have the damnedest thorns. And birds love the berries. Maybe where you are in UK you could plant some similar native stabby stabby bushes?
