Nearly all dog breeds love to frolic through the yard, play fetch, and also possibly destroy your plants, soil, and water features. You want man’s best friend to enjoy spending time in the great outdoors as opposed to becoming a Netflix-watching couch potato (cough cough), but you definitely don’t want your yard to suffer for it.
Protecting Plants
You have two solid options when it comes to rescuing your plants from the mouth of your curious canine. The first choice is to purchase a commercial anti-chewing repellant, such as Dogzoff or Ropel. You can find these at your local PetSmart or other similar store. These repellants usually contain ingredients that dogs do not like to taste, like oil of citronella or hot pepper. You can also choose to sprinkle ingredients on your plants that you already have on hand, such as chili pepper or lime juice. Another commonly used repellant is garlic powder, but do NOT use this; garlic can be very harmful to your dog’s health.
Deterring Digging
Dogs do not usually dig out of a desire to destroy your yard. Digging usually stems from an overabundance of energy, especially if your pup is a very active breed. There is no technique to stop the digging itself, but there are some things you can do to hopefully prevent it. Make sure that your dog is getting enough exercise each day, which means at least two walks a day. For breeds that require even more exercise, be sure to play fetch with him for at least thirty minutes a day. If you have to leave your dog in the yard for a few hours unattended, provide him with some interesting toys to play with, so he’ll focus on those instead of getting bored and trying to dig to China.
Preventing (lots of) Poop
There’s no trick to this one, people. If you don’t want a lot of dog poop in your yard, pick it up! Yes, it’s gross and smelly, but if you pick it up right away, you won’t have to worry about stepping in it later when you’re trying to play washers with your buds. You can, however, train your dog to only poop in one corner of the yard where no one usually walks, which will eliminate some of the work for you. In terms of picking up the poop itself, you can either go the economical route and simply use plastic bags to dispose of it, or you can go all out and purchase something like the Auggie Dog, which is a power tool that picks up the waste for you and releases it at the touch of a button.
Warding off Water Feature Damage
Small, simple water features will not only provide beauty for your yard, but they will also give your dog a continuous source of water to help them cool off during the hottest months of the year. The best way to keep your dog from damaging your (probably expensive) water feature is to purchase a durable, low-maintenance one from the start. Your dog will probably be walking all over it, so make sure that the edges of the liner and stones (if applicable) are secure. If you have a water-loving breed, you may want to provide him with a space that is large enough for him to splash around in without destroying the structure of the feature.
