Suzi

Gardens for Dogs

I have been so busy with my allotment I have had no time to check the forum, I was a bit annoyed to hear some comments about breeders, our April is a lovely family dog everyone's friend, she is loyal and so good natured, and yes our garden has taken a battering, our back garden is  large, and after making a few changes digging up all the strawberry beds with her help, replacing beds with some slabs, and a lot of hard grafting we are on the winning front, the grass is as rubbish as ever but thanks to the rain it has helped I must be the only person in the country who is delighted with the British weather.

The breeder wanted good homes who would love her pups, she is a good friend of mine, and all seven pups went to good caring homes, we all work together in a secondary school so compair notes from time to time and April is the best one by far, chicken dinner have disappeared from many a home in wales except ours.

We have two children my son who is going to university just loves her, and is what I know he will miss when he goes to London, my daughter cuddles up to her and tells her all her all her stories. Tommy my husband has ME and April is such a good companion to him.

So the price we pay is not much of a garden but like someone else said we get so much more, I would hate for someone to say oh you haven't got a field for her to play sorry no dog, children and dogs are so alike once they have love and care they come good.

Suzie

Cats

I have heard of the Gadget that deters cats and believe they work very well, your poor dog I bet the cats love to wind him up, when our lab was a pup she loved everything, however one night a cat jumped out at me  while walked April,and she hide behind my lugs I shouted at the cat as it clawed deep into my leg, after that she just has to see a cat and she is gone after it, or the mention of the word cats, and she is gone into the garden, not suggesting you sacrifice your leg, but what have the cats done to him.

Suzie

Dogs eating everything.

I have had some luck with lavender as she appears not to be interested in it.

Apart from the lavender and the hedge that is all we have as everything else has gone.

I did a a forneium but she riped it all up over time last year, I did put some wire around the last but and it has come back.

I am taking my time with buying plants for the garden as the last time I went mad and bought loads of rose bushes and eh destroyed them before tea time, only one recovered.

Thanks for all your suggestions

Suzie

Dogs eating everything.

its a square shape, small side, along one half we have my husbands shed, and the green house is in front of this, along the right side we have a hedge, which the birds live in, along the end we had loads of blue bells but I have explain their faith, along with the roses bush which also had a similar faith.

As far as April our lab is concerned the whole garden is hers, she eats anything, bits the birds drop ie old springs and pieces of metal, I don't like the idea of a mussel for her, but when I have had to pay huge vet bills it has crossed my mind as she will eat slugs etc, and as many neighbours put down pellets I fear she will eat something that in the process of the food chain will kill her, when you take her out for walks she also eats any kind of rubbish, we do feed her I promise, and she gets lots of attention.

Suzie

Dogs eating everything.

She does have toys, but as these dogs are strong she breaks most, any toys with bell etc she will not stop until the bell is in her mouth, these are all meant to be dog proof.

She is now two years old, and never seems to tire, she will keep going long after any reasonable dog has given up.

I don't think she is bored, as we have two teengager children, and they love her and play with her and talk to her, but the pom poms are my lastest in a long line of evils she has taken a liken to.

Suzie

Dogs eating everything.

I hope someone can help me. Our Labrador has now decided to eat all the Pom Pom heads, these are making her ill. Apart from keeping her jailed in the house, or catching her in the act, it is impossible to stop her. last year she eat the bluebells which made her ill, she has also munched on some iris bulbs, are we never to have a flower garden and a dog, my fear is she will die. My husband says other people have dogs which don't do these things, I have tried to get her by the head and speak to her looking her straight in the eye.

How to give feedback about the new site

Hi everyone,

New to this, but want to thank you all for making me feel at home, I have a big problem, which so many of you  had good  sound advice to give me.

I have not found anything quiet like this, hope it continues

Allotment

I am new to forums so please excuse me, I have had an allotment for a few years, and should know something, but I think I need to make lots of mistakes first.

If you are afraid that you will kill your plants with newly manured soil, just pop them in and feed them liquid fertiliser, I make my own with nettles and confrey, so I have just broken down the leaves put them in an old black bin added some water in 3 weeks it stinks but you dilute this up and you will have super plants lovely green beans you  can use this liquid feed for your toms and salads, but I wouldn't apply and then pick them leave for a few days .At other times I used the comfrey leaves as a mulch on top.

An old chap who has a plot up with me, never does anything to his plot until may and every year he grows the lovest crop you can imagine, so you have lots of time so don't panic.

I think its the type of spud you plant, I tried picasso, another friend of mine used to plant when we had a full moon sounds loopy but it is something to do with the magnetic pull of the moon, I didn't do that I was just lucky to get them in. Give them space, and don't leave too many sprouts on because the plant is trying to do tooo much, and you get ditty one.

Good luck, get a digging party going you get your mates to dig and you supply fish and chips and a few beers, I was told of this just when I finished digging for the  very first time, and thought a few friends would have saved my back.

Cats

We used to have problems with cats, we got a dog now no more cat  -------no more garden either but strangle they get the idea not to come in to our garden perhaps you could get a friend who has a dog to visit and play in your garden  leave their smell and just maybe the cats might think you have a dog.are cats that stupid.

My neighbour uses Jeyes Fluid mixed in her soil this really smells but again she has gotten over the cat problem

Gardens for Dogs

We got her when she was 8 weeks old, and from day one she loves being in the garden  as I love   being outside, you would think great.

I play throw and fetch with her when I am doing jobs in the garden, and yes she will roll around the garden on her back in the sun, sounds great....but she will climb into the hedge and chase the birds away. The grass is awful, given it was a new turf lawn about 4 years ago it is heart breaking.

As the garden is small she has a loopy 10 minutes every few days, and this is when she causes her greatest devastation; breaks everything in sight she is quiet like a dog possessed.

She is walked regulary, and we are trying firm rules with her, she doesn't listen so now I get right down to her level and say NO! as firmly as I can, which seems to work at least with her licking the dirty dishes in the dishwaher.

She has stopped digging whole in the grass, but to be honest from her wild runs and excitement bursts, plus weeing I think a few whole I can fill, the roses, she clipped to the butt, and neatly stacked all the trimmings on the slabs for me ...these  it was recommended would be dog proof, the only shrub I have found she leaves alone is Lavender, which I put in pots. We had to lose the strawberry bed as she kept pulling all the plants up before during and even after they produced fruit.

I am told the older she get the better she will be, the only problem is will I have any garden by then, I love her to pieces, she is a true member of the family only problem is she loves the garden for very different reasons.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply, I do need as much help as I can get., I think to be firm is the right way (Bat), to include her is also a good idea but I do. I might even see if I can get a swing ball for her.

Suzi

Dogs eating everything.

Gardens for Dogs