*sigh* You little stinker

[jedimaster91]

This is mostly just to vent. I know a few solutions to my problem, but alas, lack the finances to implement them.

My dog is destroying my rosebushes. She is a Beagle, and I know Beagles dig. I suspect she's digging for a specific reason, because the spots she KEEPS digging up are places we've had ants in the past. Unfortunately, one of those spots happens to be in my roses. I was hoping the thorns would deter her, but even if they did initially, they don't anymore. One she's already chewed/dug to a root stub. I'm worried she might have killed it, although I probably won't know for sure until the weather warms up.

We put up a plastic fence a couple days ago, but it was an old fence and it didn't take her long to tear it down. This morning I had the brilliant notion to put landscaping rocks around the bushes themselves, so hopefully that will keep them safe until we can get enough money together to get more fence poles and better fencing. We have some 4' metal fencing left over from when we put a fence around our main garden area, but it's not enough to go around. We've got some ideas to maybe use what we can and use the plastic crap to fill in the rest. Hopefully we can make it work. Our other idea was to get some jalapenos at harvest time and mix them in the soil to discourage her digging. But I don't think my roses can wait that long.

[It shouldn't]

Get yourself a big bottle of hot sauce, put it in a spray bottle and spray the ground all around the rose bushes. Problem is you have to keep repeating it after every rain.
Bitter Apple (available at Pet stores) works too.
Depending on how sensetive her nose is, Coffee grounds might also do the trick. Or mix the hot sauce with the coffee grounds and layer around the bushes.

[lush]

I don't have diggers anymore, but two of the things I know for digging are to bury chicken wire under the dirt...or when you scoop the yard, bury the feces where she's digging..neither are friendly to digging.

She might also be going after the fertilizer, depending on what you use..when I grew roses I always used blood meal and fish emulsion, the smell attracts digging.

[jedimaster91]

The rocks seem to have detered her--for now. Today she went after our young pear tree (hubby's pride and joy. He not so happy with our four-legged fur child right now), and the side gate. I'm thinking we're going to have to crate her when we're not home instead of letting her stay outside like we have been. I really hate leaving her locked up all day, but if she keeps destroying things, hubster's not going to want to keep her.

[RetailWorkhorse]

Dig up all your roses and all your plants that you really really like and install raised beds. Someplace about counter-height (2' 10" at the top) should work.

PITA-Cat used to dig up stuff before Mom put the strawberries in raised beds.

Kay-Cari still got into the blueberries, though (how she could stand to eat GREEN blueberries is beyond me but hey at least I didn't have to eat them).

[Heksubah]

Maybe you could get one of those in ground stakes with a leash and hook her to that in a position that she can't get to the things you don't want her into. That way she has some outdoor freedom, but won't destroy your plants.

[Greenday]

The only time we had problems with our beagle digging was when we had animals under our back porch. Other than that, he never digs.

[jedimaster91]

So, what happens if Beagle finds coffee grounds a tastey treat? They won't hurt her, will they?

[Saydrah]

Coffee grounds probably aren't a good idea for doggies. Caffeine does strange things to animals.

I have an easier solution

Blow up some balloons and bury them around where she digs. When she digs, she'll get an unpleasant and very LOUD surprise! If it happens often enough to convince her that there are little annoying landmines everywhere she likes to dig, she'll knock it off soon enough.

However, the larger problem here is probably lack of stimulation during the day. Bored dogs dig. If you stop the digging, bored dogs (especially hounds!) bark. If you stop the barking, bored dogs escape and go for a stroll. Etc. A bored dog will get into trouble. You might try making your yard into more of a doggie playground-- have a wading pool, a sandbox where digging is permitted, a rope for tugging tied to a tree, a Kong toy filled with frozen canned food, a few Nylabones...

[jedimaster91]

I just might have to try that.

I don't mind the fact that she digs. I just object to WHERE she's digging. She seems to have made it her personal goal in life to destroy that pear tree.