Sure, a dog is a man’s best friend. But when it comes to taking care of your garden, you may want to learn these tricks to keeping your dogs from snacking on your vegetables or destroying your precious plants:

  1. Find out why your dog loves to dig in the first place

In most cases, a dog doesn’t just start digging in your garden and eating up your foliage for no reason. In fact, a lot of dogs aren’t really interested in eating up plants and digging holes.

So when they do, you need to find out why they’re doing it in the first place. You can expect larger breeds of dogs like huskies to naturally love digging. But there are times when a dog digs because it is bored, it is looking for pests or it needs to beat the heat.

Observe your dog closely to understand why it digs in your garden when it does so you can address the problem.

  1. Impose physical boundaries

The first step to making your dog understand that your garden is off limits to it is to set physical boundaries in this part of the house. One of the easiest ways to do this is through a fence that will clearly send a message to your dog that your garden is off limits to it.

This is also the perfect excuse to finally have that picket fence built in your backyard to add more life to your garden. If you don’t have the budget for a fence yet, you can also raise your flower beds a bit higher so your dog knows that it’s not allowed beyond that barrier.

If you’re willing to explore a bit more, you can construct a moat around your garden to keep your dog away from it.

  1. Use sprays with bad odors

Dogs love to munch on plants and vegetables, but they will easily be turned off with bad odor. Spray your plants with apple bitter or white vinegar because they smell bad for your dog that it won’t even try to come near them anymore. These natural sprays are also safe for your plants so you don’t have to worry about them getting killed. You can also plant marigolds to not only keep dogs away but also other stubborn pests like aphids, whiteflies, beetles and bugs.

  1. Use spices and bitter solutions

Dogs hate bitter stuff, so you can use this to keep your dog away from your garden. Most people use a concoction of ground coffee and bitter orange that’s safe for your dog to consume but it will taste so bitter that your dog won’t even bother to munch on your plants again.

The best part is, coffee ground is also a great fertilizer for your garden.

If your dog still loves to visit your garden after you already tried the bitter trick, it’s time to take the spice route by creating a mixture of equal parts powdered mustard and crushed dried peppers.

Then, you can spread this mixture around your garden bed to serve as a deterrent for your dog. This trick works well in drier climates because rain water could easily wipe off this spice mixture and won’t be as effective in keeping your dog away.

  1. Use plants as barriers for your dog

If you already tried the tricks we mentioned above but your dog still loves to spend time in your garden to pester your plants, it’s time to use plants themselves as your deterrent.

Some plants smell bad for dogs but they are still safe for them to consume. You can use plants like lemongrass, onion, garlic, citrus and chili peppers as physical boundaries for your garden.

You can also use prickly plants like hollies, agave, aloe or huckleberry that your dog will surely find uncomfortable to step in because of their thorns.

  1. Use balloons as a good dog deterrent

This trick might take some time and effort on your end, but it really does work, especially for very stubborn dogs. If your dog loves digging around your garden, blow some balloons and bury them in areas where your dog loves to dig.

Once it digs the balloons and they start to pop, the sound would easily startle your dog making it afraid to dig any more thinking that it might uncover another balloon bomb.

  1. Use dog repellents

If your dog is too stubborn for simple deterrents, you can try using dog repellents or devices that could create an environment that your dog doesn’t like. Dog repellents usually come in three categories: water-based repellents, ultrasonic repellents and chemical or odor repellents.

Ultrasonic dog repellents have been used for a while now because they have been proven effective by a lot of dog owners. The idea behind an ultrasonic dog repellent is emitting shortwave high-frequency sounds or those over 20,000Hz that dogs find uncomfortable to hear.

The only downside to this method is that it scares your dog so much that it might not go outside anymore because of trauma. So if you have a small backyard space to work with, this is not the most ideal gadget to use.

You can also use a water-based repellent since dogs don’t love the water a lot. Here, you’ll be using a device that’s attached to a water hose and it will come off every time your dog is around.

Odor or chemical repellents are another option for deterring dogs. Just make sure that you’re using a chemical combination that’s safe for your dog, your family and your plants to avoid problems later on.

  1. Train your dog

Finally, there’s always the option to train your dog to not go to your garden or dig up around your backyard. This technique may require a lot of patience, but it’s a great long-term solution to help your dog behave properly around your house.

If you don’t know exactly how to do it yourself, you can hire a trainer to teach your dog several tricks so it can stay away from your garden even if you don’t have any physical barriers.

How do you keep dogs out of flower beds?

Five Tips for Keeping Pets Out of Flower Beds:
  1. Fence them in. Prevent dogs from entering your flower beds by installing decorative fencing.
  2. Create a play zone. Dogs often dig due to boredom.
  3. Use dog repellents for flower beds.
  4. Use prickly brush.
  5. Train your dog.

Will cayenne pepper keep dogs out of flower beds?

Cayenne Pepper

A few pepper-based spices will repel your dog and keep him from ruining your garden, yard or flowerbed. Cayenne pepper works well to keep your dog from digging or chewing plants. The dried version of the spicy pepper can be sprinkled in your garden and will not harm your flowers or grass.

What smells do dogs hate to pee on?

1 ½ cups of water – cold or luke warm water. 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar – does not need to be organic as shown below. 20 drops of essential oils – Orange or citrus scented. Dogs do not like citrus scents.

Will cayenne pepper hurt dogs?

Cayenne Peppers Though cayenne peppers will not harm your dog, it will irritate its eyes, nose and throat. A good trick for getting your dog to avoid the upholstery is to sprinkle cayenne pepper in your potpourri or leave a bowl of ornamental chilies next to the sofa.

Will cayenne pepper hurt my plants?

Will cayenne pepper burn my plants? Cayenne pepper will not burn your plants. It only deters animals that would attempt to go near the plants or eat them. Cayenne pepper also acts as a natural insecticide and protects your plants from pests like spider mites and lace bugs.

How do I use cayenne pepper in my garden?

Spread pepper on the base of a plant

Sprinkle powdered cayenne pepper onto the substance, mixing it together with a spoon. Apply a thin layer of the pepper mixture along the stem of the plant at the base, and along garden borders or fences near the area to deter squirrels from even entering the garden.

Will Dawn eliminate plants?

Gardeners often make homemade insecticidal sprays from dish soap and water, and the spray helps to control a number of common garden pests. Usually, small amounts of well-diluted dish soap don’t hurt flowerbeds, and soapy water is better than no water for plants during a drought.

How do I make cayenne pepper spray for my garden?

Can you sprinkle cayenne pepper in your garden?

Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper won’t hurt your plants but it will keep many small animals away. Every few days, sprinkle about ¼ cup of cayenne pepper throughout your garden. Try planting them all along the border of your garden as a type of “no trespassing” barricade for bugs and creatures.

Can I put cayenne pepper in my yard?

Cayenne Pepper: Sprinkle it generously all over your lawn or flowerbeds. White Vinegar: Spray it around the perimeter of your lawn as a chemical fence. You can also mix it with the cayenne pepper to create a spray with a double whammy. Horse Manure: It’s not only good for improving your lawn but for keeping dogs away.

Will cayenne pepper eliminate spider mites?

What do spider mites hate?

Hot peppers

Extracts from peppers (bell peppers, jalapenos, chile, and cayenne peppers) were tested for toxicity against spider mites. These peppers killed about 45% of adult spider mites.

What is the best product to eliminate spider mites?

You may also want to put in companion planting, interspersing Chinese parsley, chives, dill, chrysanthemums, garlic, and onion throughout your garden to repel spider mites.

Can baking soda eliminate spider mites?

Vinegar is highly acidic, which plant pests such as spider mites hate. Make a spider mite spray by mixing 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon baking soda and a few drops of liquid dish soap in 1 quart (1 l) of lukewarm water. Spray wherever you see evidence of spider mite activity until they are completely gone.

How do you make homemade spider killer?

4) Homemade spray recipes.

Bronner’s, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil & 1 cup water. Here’s what I’ve used to control a mild infestation of spider mites: Mix 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar (white vinegar is fine too) with 1 cup of water, 1/2 t of baking soda & a few drops of mild dish soap into a spray bottle.