[b:111ae8f991]Does anyone have any tips for keeping pets out of mulch. My two dogs love to lay in the mulched area in front of my home...I have tried Dog No, but that hasn't worked.[/b:111ae8f991]

[quote:e09178fef6="JenniferGrimes"][b:e09178fef6]Does anyone have any tips for keeping pets out of mulch. My two dogs love to lay in the mulched area in front of my home...I have tried Dog No, but that hasn't worked.[/b:e09178fef6][/quote:e09178fef6]

To keep your pets out of your garden, try using barriers. At your local garden center or hardware store, you�ll find a black nylon mesh product marketed as a �bird netting.� It�s used to prevent birds from robbing the fruit from trees, so it comes in large pieces. You can cut this up to piece it around the areas in the garden that the cats or dogs are frequenting. Use U-shaped hairpins or heavy rocks to secure the mesh fabric to the ground around your plants. You could also erect a fence barrier around newly planted or valuable plants to keep the pets from getting to them.

The idea here is to prevent the dogs and cats from being able to dig (or go) around your plants; when they encounter the barrier, their claws get hung up preventing them from getting down into the soil. If they can�t dig in the soil, they will go elsewhere to do their business.

Cats also object to certain textures and odors. Try scattering ground eggshells, citrus peels, tinfoil, or sticky tape in areas that the cats frequent. Add scented geraniums to your garden plant list, they don�t like these plants and may stay away from them. There are also deterrent sprays that you can purchase at your local garden center or hardware store.

Dogs can do garden damage by running up and down the yard along fencerows. Create stops at frequent intervals to help prevent this. Plant shrubs and trees to block their path. Shrubs with stickers in them like barberry or shrub roses will add an additional element to deter pets. Place benches or other garden structures in the way to prevent runs.

Dogs can damage your plants by digging them up. This can be quite a problem obviously, some references recommend keeping spare plants around so that you can replace damaged ones. (HA!) My procedure is probably even more laughable: whenever my dog digs a hole I just move a bench over the area so she can hang out underneath it, once she claims an area, she will usually stay with it for a while.

Some puppies like chewing on tree bark. As long as the bark isn�t damaged all the way around the tree trunk, there is still some hope that the tree will survive. First, clean up the damaged area by taking a sharp knife and shaving off any ragged areas of tissues, trying not to go any deeper than necessary. Then protect the area with a barrier of hardware cloth wrapped around the trunk. Keep the tree well watered because it will be stressed. Don�t paint or treat the damaged area and don�t over fertilize. A half strength solution of water-soluble fertilizer once a month for two months may help.

The long and the short of it is, there is nothing that can take the place of good training.