Cockers and plants!

[andrea]

Bleu is 12 weeks old now and can go out for her first walk on Tuesday. Yippee! She has a habit of destroying all of the plants in the flower bed outside the back door. I have tried saying 'no' in a cross voice but she seems to think this is a game. Inevitably I chase her off as I don't think the plants will do her much good :roll:  I think this is one of the reasons she thinks it's a game. I have tried distracting her but this doesn't seem to do much good either. Strangely enough, she doesn't touch any of the plant that run the whole length of the garden. Just the ones outside the back door. Any tips would be much appreciated.

Andrea and Bleu.                    

[PennyB]

I think it goes with the territory—plants and cockers aren't always conducive. In all the time we had our last cocker we never had any plants (other than roses) in the garden. It looks like my two are following in Sam's footsteps—they've dug up every piece of earth they can (and then just start diging up the piles they left) and pulled up every plant. May be its just easier to get at the back door plants. I'm going to build some raised beds this spring and hang up the rest so I'll have some colour/greenery at least.                    

[Jane S]

Yes this is something I warn all our new puppies about - no plant is safe from a Cocker puppy You could try temporarily screening off the flower bed outside the door with some mesh or other kind of barrier - sometimes preventing the problem is the best solution :wink:                    

[T]

Yeah we've read that quite a few plants are not good for dogs ... as well as the soon to come daffies!! And as there's green fingers in the household we saw it as a big problem!! Mmmm!

But we fenced an area right outside the backdoor for Charlie-Spud ... and this was ok until he got bigger & braver and started jumping it!  :roll:  It's higher now, but we're planning on making the area larger for him in the summer ... looking at using wood poles and that green mesh wire with a gate to the rest of the garden ... not too sure yet !?! ... least this way it's high enough without losing the view of the flower beds.

We're keen on other ideas too, so we'll be keeping an eye on this post :wink:                    

[lesley8162]

Made me feel better reading this as I thought Dicksy had joined the Ground Force Team, he has rearranged my garden a treat, destroyed a beautiful tricolour hibiscus and tries to do the same to the Baytree but I've been watching him and pouncing before he gets the chance!  When I get what I call the 'soft stuff' out the Summer house god knows how I will keep it, apart from putting it on the Summer House roof!  Now there is a thought I guess?                    

[JANE D]

Hi - I was thinking of hiring Charlie Cocker out as a rotorvator !! I had about a dozen pots on my patio when he arrived and now I have none !!
He used to spend all his time rooting in the borders digging up everything he could and biting off everything else.Our soil is heavy clay so you can imagine what he came in like especially when it had been raining. The solution - I have fenced round the patio (it's quite large) and all my plants are in hanging baskets or half moon baskets attached high up on the fence or the side of the house. When I go through the gate to the main garden Charlie just sits there with his nose through the fence giving me THAT look. I think you know what I mean!! Good job the park's close by.

Jane and Charlie Cocker

[andrea]

Thanks for your replies. I think it's a good excuse to have decking over that area! Have been wanting to have it done since we moved in last May. It can be Phil's job when he's better! Had a hectic week this week. Phil came back from snowboarding with a fractured vertibray  :cry: (can't spell) so have been running from puppy duties to work and puppy duties then hospital and back to more puppying. At least Bleu is keeping me sane at the moment. After only 4 weeks I wouldn't be without her.Think we will have to put up with the plants for a while longer.

Andrea, Bleu and poorly Phil!                    

[Mightyjoe]

We have the same problem with Oscar who is 14 weeks, we have fenced of the boarders with plastic mesh but the is nothing I can do for our lawn and pots apart from putting a gate up to him going on the lawn.
We do have a large patio area but he just loves to run around the garden and also likes to stand up against our water feature drinking from it. I think we will put up some gates just to stop him when we are not outside with him. Do they grow out of this or will I need a new garden every year? I think the joy that he gives us out ways the damage he does to the garden it’s just something we will have to accept.                    

[Mike]

Welcome MightyJoe - I absolutely LOVE your avatar  

ps every year. sigh.                    

[Ange]

Had to laugh when I read this, been there got the T-shirt.

Good luck
Ange                    

[speedyjaney]

Hi there

We have 2 puppies both 8 months or so. To preserve our garden we have netted off our borders. Best solution we can think of. Theres a pic in particolours of jessie and Saffi and some of the garden. If they had access to the borders we wouldn't have any plants left so its an ok compromise!! Dogs get the lawn, we get a nice garden  

Cheers

Janey                    

[Anita]

The things we have to put up with.We're lucky and have a fenced off area for Phoebe. When we go into the main garden she stands at the gates with her nose through the trellis.

She has been very good at leaving the pots alone and the raised planters that are in her area. Over winter she has started to jump into them but she gets a very firm no - down and she's getting the message.

Don't know what she'll be like once we start working on the main garden though. There's nothing in it yet but there will be - pond including :shock: .                    

[Mary]

Do they grow out of this or will I need a new garden every year? .

Simple answer to those two questions is NO followed by YES :roll:

I had a very naive vision of Lottie just wondering around the garden sniffing the lawn :oops:   Why stick to the lawn when there are plants to be trampled, holes to be dug and lovely thick mud to get clogged up in paws? :roll:

Penny....Lottie just loves raised beds as she can also practise her jumping skills :roll: