Spring is for the Dogs!

Does your dog do this? Everything is beginning to bloom. Flower beds are filling in and the browns of nature are now turning green and nature is alive and bold. The pristine beauty of Spring has a way of becoming blatantly disrupted if you have a pooch who tends to appreciate your plant and flower beds in a not-so appreciative manner. You know that kind of dog. The one who loves to dig, play in the dirt, bury bones and romp in the foliage.
Here's a few early spring tips to guard against that playful pooch who loves to turn your flower boxes into a sandbox.
1. Before you refresh your soil and mulch, add in a layer of chicken wire or plastic netting. Sprinkle small pebbles over it and cover with your fresh soil and dirt.
2. Get a bunch of thin, pointed wooden spikes and tamp down deep into the soil ever few inches apart filling your plant bed or box, cover with a fresh layer of soil.
3. I've heard dogs hate mint, so that's worth a try. And another option is black pepper sprinkled like a moat around the edge of your bed. At the very least it might cause your dog to sneeze a lot and want to stay away.
Of course, you can always train your dog to stay away from your flower and plant beds completely. Or designate one area in your allowed for digging and burying their bones. This would require some good persistent training as well. You can also put a small fence or barrier around your gardens to keep that pesky dog digger away. But if your dog is anything like my golden, the fence would probably be scaled, run over and ultimately dug along right out with the plants. I think this year, I'll try the pepper option. If anything it will be really fun to watch. Happy Spring!