No matter how much effort you put into your garden, having an active pet around can pose a potential threat to the health and beauty of your plants, making it challenging to keep them intact. Dogs are fond of fresh grass, but they obviously lack the understanding to keep it looking good.
To them, a yard is merely a place where they can run around, dig up, and go do their business. Although some pet parents don’t allow their pets outside without supervision, this may not be possible if you have a particularly vigorous and active pet. Luckily, there are ways to control your pet’s destructive behavior and keep them from harming your carefully curated garden. Here are a few ways to keep your pets from destroying your garden.
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Block The Area Around The Fence
Whatever the reasons may be, most dogs tend to dig, particularly near the fence. Blocking the fenced area by placing rocks at its base is a great way to protect your lawn while simultaneously keeping your pet from escaping. You can also use chicken wire to reinforce the security of your fence, creating a protective barrier to prevent your dog from digging up your garden.
Find Other Ways To Entertain Them
Most pets have a tendency to destroy your garden when they’re bored and are searching for a fun way to burn off their energy. Providing your pets with indoor entertainment or taking them out for regular walks to the park can help keep them occupied with other stuff, which will reduce their motivation to ruin your lawn.
Provide A Place To Relax Outdoors
Dogs often dig shallow holes in the lawn on extremely hot days to lower their body temperature due to the cool and moist soil. Since dogs don’t sweat, panting and lying in the cool ground is ideal for releasing excess heat, relaxing, and staying comfortable. To keep your dog out of your garden on hot days, consider building it a nice, cool, and comfy bed on the patio or the concrete near shade.
Build A Dog Run
If your dog tends to get overly destructive when you let it into your garden, it’s best to isolate some space for your pet to enjoy daily. Building an enclosed dog run provides your dog with the opportunity to run around without being tethered to a leash or without any supervision at all. Not only do dog runs give your dog the freedom to run around and play as they like, but they also make it easy for you to clean up after your pet. Moreover, dog runs are easy to maintain, and they also help you maintain and protect your garden.
Get Rid Of Pests
There’s a chance that your dog may not be digging up your garden due to boredom, but instead, it’s digging because it wants to kill the pests present in your garden. If your dog follows a determined path or digs in a specific area of your lawn, chances are it’s doing it because of pests.
Insects, moles, and certain other pests can be pretty attractive preys for your four-legged friend to chase after. If this is the case, consult a professional to seek pest elimination solutions without endangering your pet.
Protect Your Pets
If you notice your dog digging holes in your garden near the building’s foundation or trees, there are chances that it may be trying to create shelter from the wind, sun, or rain. To save your garden from these holes, try keeping your dog inside your home during bad weather, or provide it with a dog house for shelter.
Designate Bathroom Spots
Teaching your cat or dog where to go to the bathroom is one of the best ways to keep your pets from destroying your garden. Provide your cat with a big enough litter box to allow them to do their business comfortably.
You can also provide your dog with a litter box, but bear in mind that they won’t always use it. Instead, a better option would be to train your dog to use certain designated bathroom spots by giving them treats every time they use that spot. Once your pup is well-acquainted with its designation bathroom spot, you will have successfully saved your garden from destruction.
Use Marking Posts
Your dog’s urine may be causing your grass to die. If that’s the case, then you must know that dogs prefer urinating on poles or fire hydrants as these high spots allow them to mark their territory and spread their scent to other pups. So, you should place a marking post, such as an old fire hydrant, in your yard and cover its bottom with mulch or rocks to protect your grass from damage.
Clean Up After Your Pet
You will have to clean up after your pet every day if you don’t have a dog run. If you don’t clean up the waste and residue left behind them on the ground, it can wreak havoc on your artificial lawn. The longer pet waste remains on your artificial turf, the higher the chances of staining and discoloration.
Take Extra Care Of Your Garden
Perhaps the ideal way to protect your garden from pet damage is to take additional precautions when caring for it. Certain areas of your garden may require exceptional care. For instance, your pup might be sleeping in the same spot every day, causing the grass of that area to die.
If you grow grass by seed, search for areas your pet damages frequently and place extra seeds there. Aerating your grass and plants around these areas a few times a year can also give your lawn a better opportunity to grow and thrive. Lastly, cover your grass in mulch as it supplies nutrients and helps the soil better absorb water, helping your grass and plants grown even after they are damaged.
The Bottom Line
Protecting your garden from your pets isn’t as difficult if you’re well-acquainted with how they think and what they like. From creating a relaxing space for your pet to practicing lawn care and landscaping habits, there are multiple ways to ensure that your garden remains as beautiful as ever.
