Dogs in the garden

Your puppy will have access to lots of areas that are outside of your home. You might have a fenced backyard and an open front yard, if that is the case, make sure you inspect the plants that are growing. Are any of them toxic to animals? If you are not sure, take a sample of the plant to your local nursery. Afterwards, compare it to our list to see if there is a risk for your pet. Remove the plant if it is toxic, or move it to an area that your dog doesn’t have access to, such as the unfenced front yard. Also, you can make a designated fenced in plants-only garden, and dogs will not have access to it. If any of your plants are special to you, you should move them away from adventurous pups, at least until they have learned all the outdoor rules.

Think about your vegetable garden. Many dog owners think that since vegetables are edible, so are the plants. That is not always the case. For example, tomato plants are members of the nightshade family and they are toxic. Of course, we would never taste a tomato vine, but our puppies might do so. There are many other reasons why you should keep your puppy out of the vegetable garden. Their feet can quickly damage the plants. Dogs love to dig up soft earth and to roll around patches of basil. Also, when dogs are in our vegetables, it is not good for us. They don’t realize that vegetables are food and treat them just like they do any other areas of the yard. That means they will urinate or defecate there just like they would anywhere else. Notice the burned spots of grass in your lawn—urine can burn and kill tender plants, and feces will contaminate our food and make it toxic.

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