Dog Paths in the Garden

So.  Dogs and gardens.  I really have more problems than solutions.  Luna is, ahem, shall we say, a bit uptight (aggressive) when it comes to defending the property.  Since many of the dog owners in the neighborhood walk their canine companions through the alley, Luna spends much of her backyard time charging the gate and barking.  

I have studied Cesar and the wonderful monks but, more than likely due to some terrible character flaw, I am unable to modify Luna's behavior.  So I am left to modify the garden.

Most of the time she charges the gate, but frequently she will veer off and head for the southeast corner of the back fence - trampling the shade garden mercilessly.  My ferns and hostas are having a tough time.




In the early spring I use cheap, ugly wire fencing to keep her out of the beds when the plants are young and fragile.  It works surprisingly well considering how low it is.  This is because when I first bought the fencing, I put Luna on the leash and walked her around the perimeter of the fence.  Whenever she got too near the fence, I sprayed bitter apple spray on the fence and in her mouth.  A bit harsh, but she now respects the fence.  


Alas, I am currently unable to upgrade to some snazzy fencing that you might see in those clever garden books that address dog-friendly gardens.  So after about 3 weeks (during which time the garden is just butt-ugly since the grass is still brown and dormant), I roll up the white, wire nastiness up and dump it behind the shed.  

So then, what are my options for dealing with Luna's bad behavior in the garden?  I will continue to remind her to stay out of the garden, however, I am not going to expect too much from her.  Instead I have identified her chosen path (dogs are creatures of habit) and I will respect it.  Which means, I am going to plant hardy, durable plants along this path - moving the ferns, cimicifuga, and hostas.  I may even put down some pine tag mulch for her to run along.

I don't want to indulge her aggressive behavior, but I do want to be realistic about my chances of curing her of this habit.   A garden path that is dog-friendly will help me relax when we are out back together.  And maybe, possibly, one day, she will mellow and greet the neighborhood dogs with a friendly bark from the patio.

The Dog Whisperer I Am Not

When last we left my fine canine friend, she was learning a new way of interacting with the garden. Learning how to play nice with the plants. Learning about boundaries. Learning about bitter apple spray.

And now? Well. Luna is still a rambunctious teenager. But after an excellent beginner obedience class and almost the entire first season of The Dog Whisperer, we may have made some progress. There are conditions however. (My dog trainer says that the behavior is not truly learned until the dog can perform the task under any situation. Bah.)

The conditions are these: If there are no dogs or humans in the alley, if there are no trash trucks, if there are no threatening squirrels, bouncing balls, taunting cats, or cheeky robins, she does a fine job of staying out of the garden beds. She seems to respect the ugly white wire fencing most of the time. Oh yeah, I forgot chipmunks -- she'll forget every durn bit of training for a chipmunk chase.

Unfortunately, we've had to change our fence line a bit (pictures to come soon) since she jumped the fence three times to chase after dogs in the alley. I also orchestrated some "training time" by asking neighbors with dogs to walk down the alley while she is on the leash so that I can correct her (don't worry, my correction is just saying "settle" and getting her to sit or lie down). I may bump it up to the apple spray if her ugliness continues, but it's difficult since I don't want to ignore her natural protectiveness, I just want her to relax more.


Luna and I are both in process on this one, but I feel as though we're making headway since my tender spring plants are doing well.

And the grass?


I took these photos last Thursday -- a week after installation. It's getting greener! Our constant rain has helped. Now we need warmth. Thanks to Nancy's positive comment about Bermuda withstanding dogs and children, I'm feeling much more positive about how it will weather our abuse!