Preparing a Garden for a Puppy

We have a new puppy joining our family at the beginning of next month. So today, I thought it would be a good time to write about preparing a garden for a puppy. For the puppy's safety and for your own sanity, it is important to make sure that you have puppy-proofed the space before any new canine companions arrive. 

There are two sides, really, to preparing a garden for a puppy. On the one side, and most importantly, we must make sure that the garden is secure and safe for your new addition. 

On the other side, it can also be prudent to think about how you can protect prized plants in your garden from your little rampager. And how your garden can be altered to make your job easier when training a young pup. Below are my tips for both of these sides of the equation.

Securing the Garden Boundaries

When you first take a look at a garden when preparing for a puppy, a good place to begin is with the garden boundaries. Of course if your puppy will have the run of the space, you need to make sure that he won't be able to escape. 

Puppies may be able to fit through the smallest of spaces, and escape-artists could endanger themselves on roads, or even in neighbors' gardens. It is vital to make sure there are not any small gaps in fences or under gates that puppies will be able to slip through. Make any necessary adjustments or repairs before the new puppy arrives. 

Eliminating Dangers & Gardening Organically

Next, of course, you need to look around your garden and think about any potential dangers to your new canine companion. 

There may be structures or elements in your garden that pose a physical threat to puppies who may charge around and be rather uncoordinated at first. Try to look at your garden like a puppy to see what danger they might be able to get themselves into. 

Of course, if you use non-organic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers then this is something that you need to stop right away before a puppy arrives since these products could easily poison your pets, as well as wildlife for that matter. And a puppy is more likely to chew, and ingest poisons because anything can end up in their little mouths. Always garden organically. 

Recognizing Poisonous Plants

Another major area of risk to look at is whether or not the plants already growing in your garden are toxic to dogs. 

It is important to note that there are many plants that are poisonous to dogs and other pets. And sadly, ingesting plants that are toxic to dogs can be fatal. 

Some common sense is definitely required, however, because most dogs will not chew indiscriminately on plants in a garden. If you are not likely to be leaving dogs unattended in your garden, then even if you do have poisonous plants growing there, this is far less likely to be a problem—as long as you can keep a close watch on your dog.

Getting rid of every single poisonous plant within your garden is one option. But this may not always be practical. Remember that puppies will be more prone to chewing things they should not if they are bored, under-exercised, and left alone for too long. So make sure that you supervise your puppy in your garden, keep them entertained, tired out, and happy—and teach them what they can and cannot do.

The ASPCA provides a full list of plants toxic to dogs. Reviewing this list before planting may help prevent trips to the vet in the future. 

Protecting Your Plants from Your Puppy

There is a balancing act you need to maintain between preparing the space for the puppy and making sure that the puppy is a careful and considerate user of the space. You need to think about both sides of the equation in order to end up with a puppy and a garden that you are happy with. 

You will need to think about whether you will fence off or otherwise protect particular areas or particular plants from a puppy or simply train the puppy not to misbehave in that part of your garden. In some cases, of course, the strategy that you adopt will depend on the particular puppy in question. 

But whichever option you choose, it can often be a good idea to establish from the outset different areas of a garden—places where a puppy can run around and play (and places to do its business) and places where exuberant behavior is not allowed. 

Both your plants and the puppy will benefit if you have boundaries in place. Whether or not those boundaries should take physical form is a more complex question and one you may need to decide for yourself. 

A garden can be both a wonderfully beautiful and productive space and a great place for a puppy to learn and grow. Just make sure you have prepared properly before your new puppy arrives.