If you have puppies in your home, here is a post for you with an advice on how to grow a dog-friendly garden to keep your dog secure from dangerous or deadly plants.

1. Growing A Dog Friendly Garden

2. For those of us who love our four-legged friends,
it can be hard to reconcile their rambunctious,
digging ways with maintaining a beautifully
landscaped garden. But it’s not impossible! At the
same time, it’s very important to avoid plants and
flowers that can be dangerous, even deadly, to
our fur friends.

3. The key to growing a dog friendly garden is to
train your dog and do a little homework. Since we
can’t help you with the first part of that
statement, we’ll give you what you need for the
second part!

4. Potty Train With Purpose
If you’re lucky enough to be starting with a puppy
or younger dog, you can leverage a true fact
about dogs: they don’t like to mess where they
live. That’s the foundation behind crate training,
and it can be extended to the garden too.
Designate a certain patch of grass as the ‘potty
zone’.

5. As you are training your dog, always, always,
always take them to that spot. Consistency with
training is everything and there are a couple of
advantages to taking the time to get this done
right:

6. 1. You will avoid yellow spots of dead grass due to
dog urine ALL over your lawn.
2. You will know exactly where to go to pick up to
pick up the little bombs that doggo has left
behind, before the yard can be enjoyed by
everyone.
3. Your dog will learn quickly, if you are consistent,
that this is the place to go.

7. If you’ve already got burnt grass from pet
urine damage, check out this earlier post on
how to manage the damage!

8. Supervise All Yard Play
Particularly while your dog is still learning where
they can play, and where they can’t, make sure
they aren’t left alone in the yard. You can’t train
them to not dig holes in the middle of your
recently sodded green space or in the raised
garden beds if you aren’t there to see them
attempt it! Like sneaky toddlers, they’ll test the
limits of what they can and can’t do, so
consistency is important here too.

9. Part of a dog’s natural personality is to get
into trouble when they’re bored, so ensuring
that they get plenty of exercise through walks
and play makes it less likely that they’ll try and
burn off extra energy by digging holes!

10. Protect The Parts You Particularly Care For
If there are parts of your garden that you really
want to keep safe from digging paws, consider
putting up a decorative fence, at least for the
early days, while your dog is learning. It doesn’t
have to be taller than them: even a low fence will
stop most dogs and it makes a visual reminder as
you train the dog, that they can’t pass that fence!

11. You can also use plants on your garden borders
that are fairly sturdy and give the appearance, at
least from doggo’s point of view, of being a fence.
Other options? Consider larger rocks or pieces of
elegant driftwood to block the way. Container
gardens are also a good way to keep your
favourite blooms safe from digging paws.

12. Beyond protecting some features, it’s also
important for your dog to be safe. Water features
could be problematic with a small puppy, if they
were to fall in. Consider all the elements of your
garden from their height and age.

13. Have Some Toys Ready
Just like kids have indoor and outdoor toys, it’s a
good idea to have a few outdoor ones handy for
the furkids. They might get bored watching you
pull weeds, so some toys or a ball you can throw
between pulling clumps is a good idea!

14. Garden Elements To Avoid
If you’re using mulch, avoid any brand based from
cocoa bean hulls. These contain the same
chemical as chocolate—theobromine—which is
deadly if your dog eats it. As to plants and shrubs,
here’s a list of some of the more common ones
that are found in local Mississauga gardens but
which are toxic to dogs, if ingested.

15. Common yet dangerous plants for dogs:
If you love these, consider planting them at the
front of your house, where your dog doesn’t
necessarily roam free.
1. Iris
2. Ivy
3. Autumn Crocus

16. 4. Hydrangea
5. Azalea
6. Daffodil
7. Tulips
8. Amaryllis
9. Clematis
10.Cyclamen
11.Lily of the Valley

17. This list isn’t exhaustive but covers some of the
more common plants you might be considering
for your garden. If you want to see a full list, the
ASPCA maintains one here, including the
common and scientific names. As you’re making
your list for your spring planting, if you’ve got a
dog, cross reference it to make sure you’re
keeping your fur friend safe!

18. The garden should be an oasis for the whole
family, so don’t forget to provide your dog with
fresh, clean water when they’re outside for a
while—garden hose water can contain several
toxins that aren’t good for humans or dogs—and
make sure there’s a shady spot, so they can get
out from under the sun. Most of all, enjoy your
garden this season, with your WHOLE family.