I don't know if this will work but, when I was a kid, we used mouse traps to keep my dog off the couch. We'd put them in the corner of the couch and put a pillow on top so she wouldn't get hurt. When she jumped up the pillow would move and the mousetrap would snap and she'd get so scared she'd hide in her bed. It only took a couple of times and she stayed off.

I'm not sure how you could do rig it in a garden and it would probably only work if your dogs are scared of loud noises. Maybe you could run string around the edge of the garden at different heights and hook the ends to the release on the mousetraps. When the dogs brush against the string it would set them off. Just be sure you put something over them so the dogs don't get hurt.

I "planted" a bunch of sticks to keep the neighbor's cat from using my flower bed as a litter box and it worked really well without hurting the cat.

Take a stick about 8" or 9" long and push one end straight down in the ground about halfway so the other end sticks out of the ground about 4". Put in some more sticks spaced a few inches away from each other until the area you want to protect is filled with sticks poking out of the ground.

You don't need a stick with a pointed spike on the top that could cause an injury, you just want to make it impossible for the dog to find a nice smooth spot to lay on.

I used pencil-size sticks and spaced them close enough together so the cat couldn't find enough room between them to squat comfortably. For a larger animal like a dog you might need thicker sticks that wouldn't break off very easily, but you could space them farther apart.

Some cut-up pieces of green bamboo plant stakes from the garden center will work if you don't have a handy supply of sticks from trees. I didn't have to cover the whole flower bed with sticks, just a few spots that the cats seemed to like the best.

The sticks don't detract much from the appearance of the flower bed if they are a natural color, especially after your plants get a little bigger. And once the dogs get used to staying out of the flower bed, maybe you won't need the sticks any more.

-- BC --

I had some left-over chicken wire. Early in the season, I bent it into a V and inverted it over the flower beds my bassett most enjoyed lying in. By the time the flowers came up, she'd gotten the message and I removed it.

Someone told me laying a long piece of aluminum foil on a couch will discourage a dog from jumping up. Guess the sound and texture doesn't appeal to them.

the chicken wire is one many people use-

plants like artemesia and prickly pear work a bit too well- but they're not the prettiest things in the long run.

one of those motion activated sprinklers

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=44958&cat=2,51555&ap=1

might help - dogs are creatures of habit, and unless they're supervised all the time (and I mean all) they will gravitate towards that nice, warm/cool comfy spot.

if you have a larger carnivore (ie an adult male) having them 'mark' that territory works on SOME dogs- you don't mess with the alpha's spot, eh?

Thank you for all the tips...I really like the Activated water Spriknler though!!! I will have to see if I can get one for my b-day!! :))

I had a Lab that I tried EVERYTHING with. I finally found some natural animal repellant granules that worked. They were De-Fence brand Dog and Cat Repellent. I just watched for Lacey to try to start laying in the beds again before I re-applied. They worked really well for me.

My solution was rocks. I would ring each individual flower with rocks then place several sizable rocks between each plant. It made the area an uncomfortable place for our dog to try to lay. We were lucky enough in our Pennsylvania garden to have rocks on the property and in a nearby woods to use.
Here in North Carolina we had to order rocks and have them delivered. Our dog has passed on now. But we have the visits with the Grand Dog..........Happy Gardening.........Dianne

We have a couple of big dogs, and a lot of garden in our backyard. We have found that if there is a place you don't want your dogs to go, just put some of their OWN "solid waste" in that place. They won't sleep where they go to the bathroom, or where their waste is put. It also works to keep them from digging. Just put a couple of "piles" where digging is a problem, and they will leave the spot alone. Of course, digging is really a boredom problem, so unless you give your dog some activity, they will just find a different place to "cultivate". Good luck!

Thanks everyone for the advice....I will see what work's and get back to you...LOL

We have both cats and a dog. Love the beasties but....!!! What we do is keep all the cut canes from the roses and put them down where the animals take a nap. We would never hurt our four-legged friends but the dog at first didn't seem to get it so we let her sniff a rose cane and then gently tapped her on the nose with it (not to penetrate) so she gives a little yelp and gets the message. After that she avoided anywhere with rose canes. The rose canes also work great for keeping squirrels from digging out plants and bulbs.

One neighbor has nice tulips, lilies etc. on his front lawn near the sidewalk and lost a few to 'pickers'. He takes a couple inch piece of rose cane and tapes it to the base of the plant stem. That way anyone wanting a smell ,etc. won't get pricked but if they reach down low to pick the flower off from the base theen 'OUCH'. He doesn't want to stick little tykes who might innocently pick a flower but he says the little ones tend to pick off the blossom from the top and leave the stem.

I now have 4 outside dogs, and the youngest is 6 months old.

Since she has been here, she and the others have taken to laying in and walking through the 'carport' bed filled with lots of small perennials planted late last fall.

I have decided they need another place to call their own, to relax in. I am going to move out all of the perennials, and just put in a few shrubs....maybe some lilacs, fragrant viburnums, or spireas, and then just let the dogs nest where they want to in that bed.
I'm expanding a bed (and making it huge) and making 2 other large beds. If the dogs have their own bed, possibly they will learn to stay out of 'mine'.

The 3 older dogs did learn to walk 'around' the veggie garden, once it is planted.

Possibly you could give just a part of the bed, and some shrubs to call their own?

Dogs are people too, in my book.

Sue

Watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic.

The best things to keep dogs away from a certain place, without being a danger to other plants, animals, or people, is to sprinkle their poopies around lightly (you would be amazed how they blend into a flower bed). To prevent digging, bury them under a light layer of earth (like the pile they just dug up). I have done this for years, and it has never harmed a plant, but it sure has saved the camellia bush and the flower beds. And another good point--less poop to dispose of in the trash.

I agree about the digging being a symptom of boredom--but what can you do? My dog only digs when I am away from home for several hours. So--her come the plastic bags and the poopies. Do this about three times in a favorite location, and they will never go back to it.

My shephard will lay whereever he can to be near us. This means on top of new plants as well. We strategically placed some rocks around the plants, then he layed around the rocks. So I added a few more. Solved the problem. So mixed in with the plants are some lovely rocks. We did have a space put behind our pool waterfall and the back fence because shephards love to go around the perimeter. Which also meant planting things a few feet from fence. Worked like a charm. He still tromps on a few plants. I think a stake next to them until they are larger would be a good idea. Leaving a walkway for them may be nice too.

I have an older black lab and work around her spots. While building a large herb garden, she took to using one Âpath which was right through where I had planted something. I simply moved what I could and mulched the path for her, she is happy and uses it. There were also a couple places she took to laying down to keep an eye on me. I incorporated them into the Ânew design by mulching little paths and we are both very happy. She is happy that I am not yelling at her all the time and I am happy that I am not yelling at her all the time also! I figure it is her yard also and we have to share.

I was able to convince her to walk around one other flowerbed that I could not move. I made the alternate route more appealing by cutting some weeds and mulching it for her. Our furry friends can catch on fairly quickly if we take a little time to help them out.

The stick idea worked great for me. I first discovered it when I had a huge problem with morning doves nesting in my hanging flower baskets. the things were so immune to anything i did and they ruined basket after basket. I finally cut a bunch of skewers, like you'd use for shish ka bobs and placed them in the baskets at itervals that would not allow the birds to "sit". It worked like a charm, they never even flew in to check it out. I guess they could detect whether or not it was a place to land! So I did the same thing with my dog. just place enough so his or her body won't fit in a laying down position. If you cut them a shorter height they will not even be noticed by you in the landscape. And i don't have to do it anymore, it seems once they "learn" that this is not a good place they don't bother to check it out anymore. Both birds and dogs! good luck.