Stop dogs from digging in garden beds

Some dogs love to dig. And, of course, one hole just isn’t enough. I read somewhere that chicken wire laid over the ground would solve the problem, and sure enough, dogs hate getting their nails caught in the mesh. But if you want the wire to stay put, you have to take time to carefully bury all the edges and put in plenty of stakes.

 

Chicken wire is available at your local Builders Warehouse in widths various widths, so measure your flower bed and, if possible, buy a piece wide enough to cover it without a seam.

We also bought metal landscape fabric stakes from Builders Warehouse - in the gardening section - and used them to hold the chicken wire in place. Bent coat hangers or other stiff wire also would work.

Here's how:

Step 1

Cut chicken wire with tin snips to fit around bushes and other plants. Dig a 5cm deep trench under the edges and bend the chicken wire down into the trench. Push stakes into the ground 30cm apart in every direction.

Step 2

Fill the trenches with soil and pack it down to anchor the edges of the chicken wire. Cover the chicken wire with mulch or a thin layer of soil. Mulch is the best, as it also serves to protect garden beds from moisture loss.

Another easy alternative to stop dogs digging up your favourite annuals is to cover any open areas in the beds with pebbles. This has always worked out very well for me. It not only stops the dogs from digging, it also keeps weeds at bay and serves as a multi-purpose mulch.

 

 

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