My dog is driving me bonkers! I have 2 large labs that are primarily inside dogs. But right now they are shedding quite a bit so they spend more time outside with the kids. In Northern MN our highs right now are only about 71. They have lots of shade, water and shelter. So really, I don't feel bad that they stay outside more in the summer. (which means only a few hours a day, not all day and night)
The last 2 years I spent quite a bit of money landscaping the backyard. We put up fencing and then laid out mulch, blocks and planters. I also built up our patio with pavers. Last year our dog knocked over all my planters and kept killing my plants. This year all my plants are either on my second level deck or the front yard. I gave up there. But what really makes me mad is that he dug up all the mulched areas. ALL my mulch is ruined. Most of my yard is a big sand pit now. We can't grow much grass because of the sandy/rocky soil. What little grass we had he mostly killed by pushing mulch and sand into the grass. Its horrid looking now. you can't tell I landscaped at all and I had to pull up my stepping stones too until I can figure out what to do. We live in a city setting so I have a postage stamp back yard, so landscape also has to be functional. Mulch was great because the kids could play on it. The dogs also get plenty of excersize and have lots to do. Jake just likes to dig, everywhere.
Has anyone successfully figured out how to discourage digging? I don't want to invest in more mulch to re-landscape if he is just going to ruin it again.
How about landscape rocks? Are there kinds that are going to be easy to walk on for dogs? Would he be less likely to dig in rocks than mulch? I could landscape with rocks instead but worry about how the dogs will like it?
To give an idea of the landscaped space here is a picture of it before the dogs ruined it: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/IMG_0213.jpg Oh yeah, all the solar lights got pulled out and smashed by the dog as well. Not on purpose, but he is on a runner rope and it plucked them out... my fault! He can jump the 4 foot fence
. Other dog is fine and doesn't jump, nor does she dig.
The last 2 years I spent quite a bit of money landscaping the backyard. We put up fencing and then laid out mulch, blocks and planters. I also built up our patio with pavers. Last year our dog knocked over all my planters and kept killing my plants. This year all my plants are either on my second level deck or the front yard. I gave up there. But what really makes me mad is that he dug up all the mulched areas. ALL my mulch is ruined. Most of my yard is a big sand pit now. We can't grow much grass because of the sandy/rocky soil. What little grass we had he mostly killed by pushing mulch and sand into the grass. Its horrid looking now. you can't tell I landscaped at all and I had to pull up my stepping stones too until I can figure out what to do. We live in a city setting so I have a postage stamp back yard, so landscape also has to be functional. Mulch was great because the kids could play on it. The dogs also get plenty of excersize and have lots to do. Jake just likes to dig, everywhere.
Has anyone successfully figured out how to discourage digging? I don't want to invest in more mulch to re-landscape if he is just going to ruin it again.
How about landscape rocks? Are there kinds that are going to be easy to walk on for dogs? Would he be less likely to dig in rocks than mulch? I could landscape with rocks instead but worry about how the dogs will like it?
To give an idea of the landscaped space here is a picture of it before the dogs ruined it: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/IMG_0213.jpg Oh yeah, all the solar lights got pulled out and smashed by the dog as well. Not on purpose, but he is on a runner rope and it plucked them out... my fault! He can jump the 4 foot fence
. Other dog is fine and doesn't jump, nor does she dig.
Hopefully someone else will be able to offer some better ideas.
