# Teaching our dogs to stay out of the garden.



## HommeDeBois (Dec 28, 2009)

My wife and I put in our garden, and even put up a plastic chicken wire fence to restrict access by the dogs (they're outside dogs). This is a vegetable garden and we want to keep the dogs out so that we can eat what we plant (and even share it with the dogs), I know they don't care about peed-on produce, but the thought kinda grosses out my wife and I'm not to keen on having dog pee on our fresh spinach. The dogs are both on the 'Sit means Sit' training, which comes with e-collars and a remote. I 'taught' them that being in the garden area (with the gate open) or even rubbing up against the fence results in discomfort (and we've even busted them a couple of times looking for ways to get in). 

Little Stella, though, seems hellbent on getting into the garden and digging up our soil, it's like she's trying to see what's in the bottom of the dang garden boxes! We haven't planted yet because she keeps getting in there! Rhett gets the message, but she doesn't seem to get it. At first we were just buzzing her whenever we would notice that she's in there, then we buzzed her and put her in the dog run (fenced in area, segregated from her buddy, Rhett) for a couple of hours. We even caught her one night and she stayed the whole night outside alone, but she keeps going in there. I must be doing something that is not conveying the message that I want to send (staying out of the garden is good, being in the garden is BAD). Please help.:help:
Thanks.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Get a taller fence for the garden.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Maybe bring them inside, so they won't get in the garden when you cannot watch them...easily solved.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

^ yes. 

Or, here's an idea.. keep your dogs inside.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Morgan has spent 90% of her life inside. Never solved the problem of her going in the garden. She can't possibly be bored, she walked for 3 miles, then she played ball and herded the kids around. Yet she still gets in the garden, digs up the tulips, eats dirt... she has a sandpile she could be digging in, nope it's got to be the garden. The only thing she respects is a raised bed.


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## HommeDeBois (Dec 28, 2009)

SunCzarina: she doesn't go over the fence, she goes under, and any attempts at blockading their way in (old lumber staked in place), she pulls out of the way and gets in there anyway. And they are in raised beds.
Everyone else: they are outside dogs, we don't neglect them, we don't starve them, we bring them in at night. My wife and I are outside people, we spend alot of time outside playing with the kids and dogs and gardening, etc. We have a dog run that we used to use for storing garden tools away from the dogs (Rhett would chew through the garden hose like a thing possessed), but we moved all of that stuff out to use it as a penalty box for this case. If we brought the dogs inside, then we would have a destroyed house, and bored dogs (our interior is not all that open). We put the dogs in the run when we can't watch them (like going away from the house), but we don't want to keep them in there all day and have crazy, bored dogs. The question that I asked was how to teach my dog to stay out of the garden for those moments when we turn our backs, how do I teach her that the garden is not for her?


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Bury the fence deeper :rofl: I'm only laughing becuase I put up with this for years. Morgan one summer removed all my eggplants and threw them all over the lawn. She'd wiggle her way into the garden, sit there waiting for me to find her and look like she was laughing at me.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I asked the same question last year...here was my solution...

If you can train a dog to stay in the yard then you can train them to stay out of the garden. Walk her around it, when she stepped in tell her No. Out. For the most part it worked. She had a few brain farts but was just trying to come back to me. There is a path down the center that she can walk in.

However, mine is NOT outside unattended. If yours is then get a good strong fence that she can't go over or under.

Just to add...this never, ever stopped her from racing me to the garden to pick a tomato for herself before I could get there....


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I wonder if a low hot wire would help. We use hot wire on the top of our fence to keep the horses from bending over the chain link, and the dogs from going over the chain link fence. They only touch the wire once or twice and they'll stay away from the fence. You can set it up for really low doses.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

Ok, I’m going to have to laugh along with Jenn for a moment here. I had a GSD who thought she was the world’s best gardener. Really she thought she was being a good gardener when she would go and dig in the garden. They’re smart dogs you know. She learned many things just by watching and this was one. The master digs in the garden, she thought she should too. :laugh:

But Jenn does bring up a good helpful tip and one my husband actually did. Bury that fence deeper into the ground. I think we went at least a foot into the ground. It helps when you have dogs that have grown accustomed to visiting the garden by digging under the fence. 

Also, I agree with Jax08. If you can train the dog to stay IN the yard, you can train them to stay OUT of a garden. Teach them that the garden is not their yard. If you’re working in the garden and want the dog near by then be sure to teach them the long down or a down/stay command. He/she can watch you garden but is not allowed in the garden or off a designated path. Also, a strong “come” command is very helpful. If you see the dog heading toward the garden or in the garden already, give the "come" command and then reward the dog for listening.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

*Teaching our dogs to stay out of the garden?*

With spring time and the nice weather well soon be preparing our gardens and flower beds. I thought it would be nice if we could all discuss how we train and teach our dogs to stay out of our vegetable gardens & flower beds. (And in doing so we can also help this member out with some advice.  )

Lets add our tips and ideas. Thanks.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Dogs I've had in the past would respect the little 12" hooptie fence. Then there was Morgan. Otto is great about respecting the fence, he's always been good except for in the late winter, he doesn't see the bulbs coming up so quite a few of my perenial tulips have messed up leaves right now. 

In the last couple of years, I've gone to all raised beds but one (it's the next project). The beds go along with the curve of the yard so some are only 4" at the start and grow up a foot before they end. Then I put a cheap little hoop fence (easily replaced when it gets mangled). She sees the rock edging and identifies 'Garden, not my space' 

I think it also helps to have narrow beds - about 2' wide - nothing they can't crane their long necks over if they must. A little training and a few corrections, they learn to get me when their toys accidentally go in the garden.

LOL Vinnie, why'd you have to get me going on the garden chat again?


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## Sigurd's Mom (May 12, 2009)

I recently had to put up a small fence around the garden as for some reason Sigurd thought it was a potty!!! The first 2 days it was up, I watched him like an eagle, correcting him if he would jump the fence. He would purposely stand on the edge of it and throw his ball in! It's been about two weeks since I put the fence up, and he seems to respect the boundary.

I have 1 tip. Don't allow your dog to watch you garden! I had some pots full of earth that he never gave 2 thoughts about, then when I was planting seed he watched me curiously. Couple of days later, he had the earth out and all the seeds. He really wanted to know what I was doing. Last fall I planted bulbs while he was not around - he didn't dig or investigate. I never had problems, even now that they are peeping through the earth.


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## HommeDeBois (Dec 28, 2009)

I'll have to post pictures of the garden. What I have for fencing is 48" plastic chicken wire right down to ground level. Now that it's snowed (once again.....) I can now see where she gets in and out at. The fence doesn't look bent out of shape at all, but she must just be slipping right under. I've tried the 'temptation' thing where I leave the gate open and casually hang out until she heads for the opening. I tell her 'out' and escort her away from the garden. After it was clear that the message had not come across, I added a low level zap with the 'out' (and eventually a mid level zap). She is just in love with the mulch mix that I put in the garden boxes (it's not even veggie based, it's chicken and cow poo, mixed with peat moss), I've seen her eating it, too.
According to what you all have said, I'm going to have to beef up the fortifications, and I'll put her away when we do any digging. Until then I'll just have to make sure that she's in the dog run when I can't watch her.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i would put in taller fencing. <
you could teach your boundaries (without e-collars
or e-fencing). <
where do you keep your dogs in the wintertime? <



HommeDeBois said:


> My wife and I put in our garden, and even put up a plastic chicken wire fence to restrict access by the dogs (they're outside dogs). This is a vegetable garden and we want to keep the dogs out so that we can eat what we plant (and even share it with the dogs), I know they don't care about peed-on produce, but the thought kinda grosses out my wife and I'm not to keen on having dog pee on our fresh spinach. The dogs are both on the 'Sit means Sit' training, which comes with e-collars and a remote. I 'taught' them that being in the garden area (with the gate open) or even rubbing up against the fence results in discomfort (and we've even busted them a couple of times looking for ways to get in).
> 
> Little Stella, though, seems hellbent on getting into the garden and digging up our soil, it's like she's trying to see what's in the bottom of the dang garden boxes! We haven't planted yet because she keeps getting in there! Rhett gets the message, but she doesn't seem to get it. At first we were just buzzing her whenever we would notice that she's in there, then we buzzed her and put her in the dog run (fenced in area, segregated from her buddy, Rhett) for a couple of hours. We even caught her one night and she stayed the whole night outside alone, but she keeps going in there. I must be doing something that is not conveying the message that I want to send (staying out of the garden is good, being in the garden is BAD). Please help.:help:
> Thanks.


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## HommeDeBois (Dec 28, 2009)

She doesn't jump over the fence (I would have to applaud if she managed to jump a 48" fence), she worms under.
How have you taught boundaries that the dog will really internalize, and not just follow when I'm conspicuously present?
In the wintertime, the garden boxes are covered and the dogs don't mess with them. They don't like digging in the snow for some reason (even though people find it personally gratifying to move snow from one place to another, the dogs don't seem to pick up on this, even though the garden digging seems to interest them very much).


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

you can try digging around the garden and placing boulders then cover them or pore a cement curb 12" deep around it


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## Kaiser09 (Nov 23, 2009)

Yeah I have to agree the use of ecollars and efences are no good. If I had to wear one of them I would have no respect for my owners. Any corrections would be short lived. 

The only way I would reccomend is by rewarding them not to go in. You say there is one who keeps doing it, concentrate your time on him, more than likely the other dog is just following his lead. Have your veg plot open with you in the garden not making eye contact with him let him roam free. When he goes in calmly walk in and remove him from the plot. This may take a week or so to see any sort of results. If there is land to the back of the veg plot that he can get to throw a ball over the plot and make sure he goes around it, reward him with a high value treat, peice of chicken or somthing. Never shout or use a tone with him if he goes in, just calmly remove him. If he sees you getting angry or even just using a tone he will think there is somthing in there that upsets you and he will want to find it. 

It will take time but then again what doesnt. 
Hope this helps.


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## Dianaprince97 (May 25, 2010)

My dogs tend to want to follow me in the garden. I body block and tell them the same phrase each time, "No dogs in the garden." Each spring they try to follow, but soon get the idea. The follow me around on the outside fence, instead. Remember the garden can be hazardous if they eat things they shouldn't. Letting the dogs roam free, unattended seems to be the reall culprit with the garden. Good luck.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

If the dog is outside most of the time and is unattended most of the time, I would have to consider it their yard. If this were the case, I would put the garden in an area that is not in the dog yard. 

I mostly go outside with mine. Verbal correction and interaction with them around the beds does help them understand what is wanted. But given enough time out there without supervision, I don't know that I would expect them to do anything less than get into things in their living space. I have large exercise pens that they go in if I can not supervise the yard activities.


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

For the most part, our dogs only go outside when someone is out there with them. You might want to consider bring the dogs indoors when you can't be out there with them (I think they'd like that ). 

But, anyway, we have a large veggie garden too. Over the winter my hubby built a fence to keep the dogs out (Mikka loves to dig so we knew it would be a problem having all that nice black dirty tempting her). The fence is about 4 feet high. It really was not that expensive (a couple hundred dollars for ALL of the materials) and can easily be removed over the winter. He used green fence posts, 2 X 2's and 2 X 4's (lumber). The fence works wonderfully!! My kids play fetch with the dogs in the backyard and the fence also keeps the balls out!! :laugh:


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

Oh, so had to add this. Seeing as Cullen is only 5 1/2 months old, I figured it would be a good example, since puppies can be so unruly. He dug EVERYTHING< ALL THE TIME. 

Now that we take him to the beach once or twice a week, and have taught him that he can dig there, you can look at my most recent pics/video post, and see how much he loves it, now he doesn't need to dig at home.. and other than ... when we first put the garden in and were filling old holes, he hasn't touched the yard since.. this from a dog that was digging up holes 3 times a day....


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## brucebourdon (Jun 2, 2010)

If you get a roll of something like 2"x4" wire fencing, with enough material to lay flat all around the garden, and wire it together and to the garden fence - then they can't go under. 

They may dig some holes, but the rectangles limit how much progress they can make in each.

If it's 36" high fencing laid on its side, then I doubt they'll ever get in by digging again.

PS: After a while, the grass grows up and through it, you can mow over it...


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

How old is your dog?
It comes down to basic training.... What is mine is not yours ... I will give you or tell you when it is yours... Your dog should have been told from day one that garden is not for them. I don;t know about you but if I yell Hey Get Ooutta There they know better than to keep trying.Of course a puppy needs more time but any dog of mine knows I am not messing around if I have to raise my voice or give them my I will kick your ass look. Even though they have never been hit in their lives, but they sure listen when I act the part. Personally I consider that proper training. I don't think your dog takes you seriously w hen you correct him. JMO


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